Energy | Cowboy State Daily

‘Mind-Boggling’: With No Zoning, Fremont County In The Dark On $66B Data Center Plan

With no zoning regulations, Fremont County is in the dark about a potential $66 billion data center plan and has little say in how it might take shape. “It’s mind boggling ... we can’t have any involvement," said a commissioner.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 08, 2026

Feds Won’t Make Jackson Pay $3 Million Bill For Failed Electric Bus Rollout

After the company that supplied Jackson with eight unrepairable electric START buses went bankrupt, federal regulators won’t make the town pay the $3 million it owes for them. “We parked them because we saw the writing on the wall,” said START's director.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 08, 2026

Crook County Needs Only Five Minutes To OK 2,100-Panel Moorcroft Solar Project

A 2,100-panel Powder River Energy solar project got a quick, five-minute approval from Crook County commissioners Wednesday, despite upfront opposition. Company officials “all live here, so they’ve got to deal with this also,” said a commissioner.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 08, 2026

Keith Yosten points to the open land behind his south Cheyenne home where a power transmission line is planned to connect to a Colorado wind farm project. He said he's lived there for 42 years and now fears the impacts the transmission line will have on the area.

Cheyenne Residents Say 16-Mile Power Line From Colorado Wind Farm Will Ruin Area

Some south Cheyenne residents are speaking out against a proposed 16-mile power line from a Colorado wind farm they say will ruin their neighborhood. Laramie County commissioners say interstate rules mean they can't do anything to stop it.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 08, 2026

Wind River Indian Reservation sign 5 20 24

Tribal Data Center Study Had 'A Lot Of Options', But Community Said No Thanks

A Wind River Reservation study proved a small data center could work, a tribal business leader says, but the community remains resistant at a time when other tribes have banned them. One tribal member equated data centers to the Standing Rock pipeline.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 06, 2026

Black Hills and Horse Creek Road 10 5 26

‘Nothing Good About It’: Neighbors Don't Want Rural Power Plant North Of Cheyenne

A planned Black Hills Energy gas-fired power plant north of Cheyenne is still years away from construction, but its potential neighbors aren’t waiting to voice their opposition of it. “There’s just nothing good about it,” said one about the proposal.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 05, 2026

5,000-Gallon Oil Spill Near Riverton Mostly Contained, Cause Still Unknown

A pipeline leak that spilled more than 5,000 gallons of crude onto public land near Riverton has been contained, but how it happened and how long the oil flowed remain unanswered. Pipeline officials say crews worked all weekend to clean up the area.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 05, 2026

The oldest whitebark pine in the world, found in Grand Teton National Park's Paintbrush Canyon. This tree died in 2021 from an infestation of mountain pine beetles, a problem facing old and young whitebark pines throughout North America.

1,289-Year-Old Whitebark Pine — World's Oldest — Found In Grand Teton, But It Was Dead

Two University of Wyoming scientists were excited and dejected after discovering the world's oldest whitebark pine in Grand Teton National Park recently. That's because the 1,289-year-old tree had died in 2021. “Every tree has its limit," said a UW researcher.

Andrew RossiOctober 03, 2026

Torrington residents are getting sticker shock from their electricity bills, which have jumped nearly 190% seemingly overnight after a change in the town’s power provider.

Torrington To Decide Whether To Have Residents Pay $800,000 Electricity Spike

The Torrington City Council will decide Tuesday whether to pass along an $800,000 spike in electricity costs to residents or pay for it from an emergency fund. “They’re telling us it’s on us," says a business owner whose power bills have doubled.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 02, 2026

Forget 8.8% Increase — Watchdog Group Tells Rocky Mountain Power To Lower Rate

Wyoming’s Office of Consumer Advocate is telling regulators that consumers should be paying less for electricity instead of accepting an 8.8% price increase. "We look to make sure they don’t get a dollar more than they are entitled to," a spokesman said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 01, 2026

Calif. Gov. Newsom Puts Up Hurdle To Wyoming Coal Moving Through Oakland Port

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Wednesday that adds environmental reviews that will slow progress on a planned coal terminal at the Port of Oakland. Gov. Mark Gordon says Wyoming’s considering “all options” in response, including a legal fight.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 01, 2026

Barrasso, Lummis Slam Senate Democrats for Sinking Data Center Power Bill

Wyoming’s GOP senators voiced frustration that the Ratepayer Protection Act failed Wednesday because it aimed to make large data centers cover their own electricity costs. “Even AOC and Hakeem Jeffries voted for it in the House,” Barrasso said.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 30, 2026

Inset: Wuling Hongguang Mini EV Macaron taken in Suzhou, China. China’s best-selling EV. Main photo: Welcome to Wyoming sign on Wyoming - Colorado border.

Chinese EVs Are Getting Closer To The U.S., But Would Wyomingites Drive One?

As Chinese EVs head to Canada and President Trump signals openness to domestic production, Wyoming EV owners and industry insiders are mixed on whether they could get traction in the Cowboy State. "It'd have to be a better ride," one Tesla owner says.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 30, 2026

Cheyenne area resident Brian Pixley addresses the City Council about a proposed data center annexation on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. The council approved the 1,260-acre annexation.

Data Center Critics Angry As Cheyenne Council OKs Another Data Center Annexation

Vocal critics of data centers in Cheyenne told the City Council on Monday that many "have totally, completely given up on you." Then council members argued among themselves before approving another 1,260-acre annexation for a data center.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 29, 2026

As Wyoming moves to finally spend nearly $18 million in Biden-era federal money to build fast-charging EV stations, the Trump administration is making clear that it wants the country to move the other way.

As Wyoming Tries Again To Build Out EV Charging Network, Trump Goes The Other Way

As Wyoming moves to finally spend nearly $18 million in federal money to build fast-charging EV stations, the Trump administration is making clear that it wants the country to move the other way. Trump called the Biden-era policy a "backdoor" EV mandate.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 29, 2026

Colorado rancher Scott Saio and his family. A wind project on the Saio ranch, which borders, Wyoming has just been approved.

Ex-Wyoming Family OK'd For Wind Farm Over Objections From Neighbors With Oil Wells

Scott Salo spent years watching neighbors collect oil checks from wells drilled off his ranch just south of the Wyoming line. On Wednesday, commissioners approved a wind project on his land, giving him the first time he had a say in his land's energy future.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 25, 2026

Wyoming Industry Leaders Oppose Reported Trump Plan To Ban Diesel Exports

Wyoming industry leaders and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis oppose a 90-day ban on diesel exports reportedly proposed by Trump’s White House. Critics fear cutting off the supply could backfire and drive fuel prices even higher.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 24, 2026

Wyoming Consumer Advocate Office Will Fight Rocky Mountain Power's 8.8% Rate Hike

Wyoming's Office of Consumer Advocate on Tuesday said it will fight Rocky Mountain Power's proposed 8.8% rate hike — its third in three years. They say they will recommend a significant reduction or an elimination of the proposed increase altogether.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 22, 2026

Cheyenne City Council to Consider 1,200-Acre Solar Project On Belvoir Ranch

Months after the City of Cheyenne cut the ribbon on its new Belvoir Ranch trail system, the city council is set to consider the addition of a 140-megawatt solar and battery storage project on a different part of the 18,800-acre property.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 22, 2026

Lisa Evers has put yellow caution tape around her property, including the tree where her father's ashes are buried, to prevent Rocky Mountain Power from fire mitigation work.

Casper Mountain Residents Clash Over Rocky Mountain Power Coming Onto Their Land

Casper Mountain residents are clashing over Rocky Mountain Power’s wildfire mitigation work on their land. One refuses to let a subcontractor cut down the pine tree where her father's ashes are buried, but a neighbor is thrilled to see her own trees go.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 22, 2026

Construction on the nuclear reactor for the TerraPower Natrium nuclear plant near Kemmerer, Wyoming, is underway. An advanced nuclear test facility also is taking shape at the site.

TerraPower Is Replacing Lead Contractor On Its Kemmerer Nuclear Plant

TerraPower is replacing the lead construction contractor on the next phase of its Natrium nuclear plant being built near Kemmerer, Wyoming. Mayor Robert Brown said he was surprised by the move, and construction on the first-of-its-kind plant is on track.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 21, 2026

Frontieras and Western Fuels are exploring a coal-to-products facility near Gillette that could employ 200 and be part of a $10 billion network.

Gillette Part Of $10B Plan To Make Products From Coal Instead Of Burning It

Gillette is part of a $10 billion plan to build a network of coal-to-products plants that a pair of companies say will do a lot more things with coal than just burning it. Wyoming is “a natural place to prove coal can be commercialized,” they say.

Renée JeanSeptember 18, 2026

‘I Almost Cried,’ Says Torrington Woman After Power Rates Jump 190% Overnight

Torrington residents are getting sticker shock from their electricity bills, which have jumped nearly 190% seemingly overnight after a change in the town’s power provider. “When I got my bill this last time I almost cried,” said one local woman.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 17, 2026

New Plan For Scaled-Down Laramie Range Wind Project Still Bigger Than Cheyenne

A new plan for a scaled-down version of the Laramie Range Wind Project county commissioners rejected a year ago is still larger than the city of Cheyenne. A rancher says leasing land for the turbines will protect his family’s future.

Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 16, 2026