Posted inEnergy

Digital gold rush could drive demand for Wyoming’s growing ‘low-carbon’ natural gas industry

by Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile The data center boom continues in Wyoming, and the state’s natural gas industry may play an increasing role in powering the computing systems with electricity. Wyoming’s largest natural gas producer, PureWest, says it’s getting into the data center power supply game and partnering with two other firms on a project near Evanston. […]

Posted inEnergy

Wyoming draws interest in new nuclear and low-carbon fossil fuel investments

by Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile LARAMIE—Wyoming is on the cusp of a nationwide nuclear power resurgence with the backing of a presidential administration that also promises to overhaul federal regulations to ensure the state’s coal, oil and natural gas are positioned to meet booming electrical demand while lowering carbon emissions, Gov. Mark Gordon told an audience of […]

Posted inEnergy

Governor sees ‘opportunity’ for Wyoming in Trump tariff war. Economist sees ‘disaster.’

by Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile Gov. Mark Gordon said he sees “opportunity” for Wyoming in President Donald Trump’s tariff wars. At a press conference last week, he echoed the Wyoming congressional delegation’s praise for Trump’s economic policies as a tool to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and level the nation’s trade imbalance with much of the […]

Posted inCounty Government

Natrona County commissioners to discuss legal staffing, approve energy project moratorium

CASPER, Wyo. — The recent resignations of Natrona County’s top legal officials will be a focus of Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, where the board is set to discuss the county’s legal department with Jill Kiester and John Harlin. The commissioners will meet at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Natrona County Courthouse, 200 N. Center […]

Posted inEnergy

Newcastle oil refinery restarts operations after it ‘went boom’ in February

By Dustin Bleizeffer and Tennessee Watson The Wyoming Refinery in Newcastle has resumed operations months after an apparent explosion in February forced the facility to remain idle for repairs. The refinery shut down following the Feb. 12 incident, which refinery owner Par Pacific of Houston called an “operational upset.” The company would not provide details of what happened […]

Posted inLatest News

Trump-era order removes EPA-mandated environmental review for western oil, gas leasing

GILLETTE, Wyo. — Federal decisions removing the need for environmental impact statements for thousands of oil and gas leases across the West were met with open arms by the Petroleum Association of Wyoming.  Environmental impact statements are required by the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their […]

Posted inEnergy

Wyoming OKs Rocky Mountain Power rate hike, tapping customers for another $85.5 million

by Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile Thousands of Rocky Mountain Power residential customers will see their monthly electric bills jump by about $14 beginning in June.  The Wyoming Public Service Commission approved the rate hike Tuesday, the latest in a series of increases by a company that has pointed to fossil fuel market volatility, skyrocketing insurance for wildfire liability and […]

Posted inEnergy

UW launching nuclear energy certificate program in upcoming fall semester

LARAMIE, Wyo. — As statewide interest in nuclear energy continues to grow, the University of Wyoming is beginning to capitalize off of ensuing workforce needs by launching nuclear energy certificate programs for undergraduate and graduate students this fall. As coal wanes in the Cowboy State, nuclear grows. Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates’s nuclear company TerraPower is […]

Posted inLatest News

Wyoming reps applaud Trump’s ‘pro-coal’ executive order

CASPER, Wyo. — On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order called the “Unleashing American Energy Executive Order,” and Wyoming representatives have applauded the move. By signing the order, Trump has directed government agencies to identify federal lands where coal could possibly be mined. The order also prioritizes federal leasing on those lands. Trump is […]

Posted inEnergy

Coal layoffs leave Wyoming community grappling with good, bad of energy transition

by Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile KEMMERER—Linda Slovernick’s husband works at the Kemmerer coal mine that recently laid off 28 workers. Though he survived the cut, her husband is “the breadwinner of the household,” Slovernick told WyoFile, leaving her worried about the possibility of more layoffs. After living in Kemmerer for decades, the couple’s home is almost paid off […]

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