Wyoming residents are sick and tired of Washington’s efforts to phase out the state’s prolific coal industry that many rely on for their livelihood. This was a key theme during the Wyoming Mining Association’s (WMA) 68th annual convention held in Cody on Thursday.
In mid-May, the Biden Administration and Bureau of Land Management proposed legislation that would abolish coal leases in the Cowboy State’s section of the Powder River Basin by 2041. The move was met with outrage from Wyoming’s Governor Mark Gordon, who said “blackouts and energy poverty for Wyoming’s citizens and beyond,” would be the legacy of the administration.
Gordon has already sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their role in trying to abolish state coal. Wyoming Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis share Gordon’s animosity.
Others join the legal battle
Now, additional key influences in this state’s industry have decided to take legal action over the proposal too. Rob Creager, Director of the Wyoming Energy Authority, said that his organization would utilize reserves from a US$1.2 million litigation fund set up a few years ago for that purpose. The Wyoming State Legislature put the sum aside to defend the industry, and now the industry needs it.
“We need to fight back,” Creager told Cowboy State Daily this week. “We don’t want coal to go anywhere but up, it’s very dangerous what they’re doing.”
Over 4,000 Wyoming residents are employed in the Powder River Basin’s coal operations. Moreover, an attorney from the Texas law firm Jackson Walker LLP said the proposed rule from the administration and bureau would be a “fatal blow” to the state’s revenue sources.
“We’re using every available tool at our disposal, and we’re all in this fight together,” WMA Executive Director Travis Deti said. Wyoming churned out a record amount of coal exports last year totalling 1 billion tons, according to a representative from Consol Energy Inc (NYSE: CEIX).
Great to visit with the Wyoming Mining Association today. Mining in our state and throughout the country is under constant attack by the Biden Administration. We must be able to extract and use these precious resources to ensure our energy independence. pic.twitter.com/DwgWT48LSw
— Rep. Harriet Hageman (@RepHageman) June 7, 2024
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Coal isn’t Wyoming’s only commodity
Representatives from mining companies involved with uranium, trona and bentonite also attended the convention this week.
Wyoming holds the largest uranium resources in the entire country actually. Furthermore, the state has the world’s largest trona deposit in the world and is the leader in United States bentonite production. Additionally, bentonite has earned the nicknames “clay of a thousand uses” and “miracle mud” for its diverse array of applications.
Wyoming will soon be home to a robust gold-copper project as well: the CK Gold Project being developed by U.S. Gold Corp. (Nasdaq: USAU). Shovels will hit the ground at the site later this year once a couple final permits have been obtained.
“There’s no place in America more important in mining than the great state of Wyoming,” Rich Nolan, President of the National Mining Association in Washington D.C., said during a keynote address at the WMA event.
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rowan@mugglehead.com
