Gordon “Sick And Tired” Of Criticism For Harvard Visit, Carbon Negative Comments

GILLETTE — Nearly a year after he caught heat for remarks made during a visit to Harvard University about why Wyoming should go carbon negative to address climate charge, Gov. Mark Gordon said he’s “sick and tired” of hearing about it.

He struck his most defiant tone on the issue at a town hall energy-focused event at Cam-plex in Gillette on Tuesday night.

His voice elevating, Gordon used the analogy of trying to get a bull into a trailer for why he went to Harvard and made his comments that Wyoming needs to urgently address climate change by going “carbon negative.”

“If you don’t have a better plan to get that bull to understand how important it is to get in that trailer, you’re not going to have a very good day,” he said.

Gordon said he’s also inspired to pursue carbon capture efforts because of the 2019 Blackjewel coal mine closures and bankruptcy that led to about 700 layoffs.

The last day of March 2016 was also referred to as "Black Thursday" in Gillette's Powder River Basin when the two largest coal mines in the United States announced massive layoffs, sending shockwaves through the industry. Peabody Energy laid off 235 workers at North Antelope Rochelle mine and Arch Coal let go 230 workers at Black Thunder mine. The numbers amounted to about 15% of the workforce at each mine.

“It’s really critical, it’s urgent that we keep these companies vital,” Gordon said.

Gordon later apologized for being “as aggressive as I am” with his comments.

“But I’m sick and tired of being criticized for trying to help this industry, and I’m going to do my best to make sure this industry stays afloat,” he said, which was followed by a short applause.

Why Do It?

Gordon hosted his town hall Tuesday night to highlight some of the carbon capture and sequestration efforts taking place north of Gillette at the Integrated Test Center, and how he views those as a way to keep the coal industry running, rather than fight against it.

During a press conference after the town hall, Gordon said there’s been some efforts to “mischaracterize” what he’s trying to do with these projects.

In addition to carbon capture, Gordon mentioned other efforts to repurpose coal production, such as using it for home construction and carbon engineering to make plane wings.

Gordon said he wants to specifically find audiences like Harvard that are opposed to coal to showcase the efforts taking place to produce this form of energy in Wyoming.

“If you guys don’t want me to do that, that’s fine,” he said.

About 90% of Wyoming’s coal is exported out of state, and Gordon said a single coal plant in Wyoming could support the entire state’s energy grid.

“It’s our ability to sell outside that makes this market strong, keeps our workers working, keeps our families moving,” he said. “That’s why I’m working so hard.”

Campbell County Commissioner Del Shelstad said he was glad Gordon came Tuesday because of his community’s large dependence on the energy industry.

Shelstad expressed skepticism to Cowboy State Daily that many people in his community understand carbon capture.

“The people need to hear from him (Gordon),” Shelstad said.

Fighting Battles

Gordon also mentioned how Wyoming is fighting around 50 ongoing energy-related lawsuits now in federal courts. One of these lawsuits is challenging a new rule from President Joe Biden’s administration that would end all coal production in the Powder River Basin by 2041.

Because of the unpredictable and slow-moving nature of the courts, Gordon said Wyoming can’t depend entirely on taking this route to protect its energy future. Effective marketing, he said, also must play a role.

“We’ve got to get people to wake up in this nation,” he said.

Mike Nasi, a pro-coal attorney with law firm Jackson Walker and a leader with the Leadership Energy Policy Network, said that investing in carbon capture is simply a pragmatic investment for America’s energy future “that doesn’t give the doubters any room.”

Although Nasi said Wyoming can win in the courtroom and to a certain extent with the federal government, it can’t fight the momentum of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement.

“We want to use fossil fuels all around the world to liberate people out of energy poverty, but there are a number of things going on in the world that we can’t control,” he said.

Betting on carbon capture, he said, will help turn the scales.

Gordon also brought up the example of the state of Washington blocking Wyoming efforts to ship coal out of a proposed coal port there despite it having some of the cleanest coal.

“Our future depends on our ability to market that coal,” he said. “We have got to have people understand that coal is the future, and it’s important.”

State Rep. Chris Knapp, R-Gillette, secretary of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, somewhat pushed back on Gordon’s comments Tuesday.

He mentioned a law passed by the Wyoming Legislature and signed into law by Gordon in 2020 that requires power plants in the state to generate electricity using carbon capture with fossil fuels by 2030. During this year’s legislative session, the law was softened by reducing the amount of carbon that needs to be captured and pushing back the deadline to 2033.

Knapp said he would have opposed the 2020 law if he was in the Legislature at the time because he believes it supported Environmental Protection Agency rules he sees as unconstitutional.

“We’re all a cog in the wheel that continues to allow the federal government to take away our freedoms,” he said. “It starts with yourself, it starts with committee, it starts with the state.”

Knapp believes that facilitating pilot projects for carbon capture will end up being paid for by the consumer and increase the costs of coal.

“I caution pouring hundreds of millions of dollars, and in the nation’s case trillions of dollars, into thinking that somehow because we do our part in the world that the rest of the world won’t move on without us,” he said.

Knapp believes Wyoming needs to lead the way on energy defiance.

“We are ground zero for what the federal government wants to do,” he said. “The federal government wants to create a situation in which fossil fuels are so expensive, so expensive while they subsidize green energy so they can say, ‘We told you so.’”

Green Energy Policies

Gordon also took some shots at green energy efforts and expressed skepticism about the seriousness of climate change.

He called America becoming completely dependent on renewable energy a “fantasy” and said he doesn’t want the state to turn into a “pinwheel lawn.”

Gordon, Nasi and Knapp also expressed frustration with the Biden administration and the way it has been managing energy policy in America, exceeding the black-and-white letter of the law in some of its federal energy interpretations.

Nasi believes this type of management will continue to be struck down in the courts, as already seen in the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of the landmark Chevron doctrine this summer.

Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.