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Pat Maio

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Wyoming Hires Second Powerful Law Firm To Fight Washington's Coal Policies

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has hired another major law firm to fight anti-coal policies from the Environmental Protection Agency. The firm employs former President Trump's former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.

Pat MaioJuly 18, 2024

Casper's Ur-Energy Sees Boost In Uranium Production

According to regulatory filings on Wednesday, Casper-based Ur-Energy is one of the first major uranium mining players in Wyoming to see evidence of stronger demand by electric utilities of its ore, which is needed to power nuclear power plants.

Pat MaioJuly 18, 2024

Drilling rig worker Zachary Christensen stands next to the rig where he was collecting core samples from a mining operation for rare earths planned by Ramaco Resources Inc. in Ranchester, Wyoming.

Ramaco Resources Preparing To Build Plant To Transform Coal

Ramaco Resources is close to starting work on a pilot demonstration plant that will convert coal mined from a Ranchester mine into strategic rare earth minerals. They estimate they'll be pulling up to 2 million tons of coal annually out of the old Brook mine by 2026.

Pat MaioJuly 17, 2024

Wyo-Ben Inc. CEO David Brown standing in front of a newly constructed cat litter processing plant in Billings, Montana, where some of the company’s bentonite ends up getting packaged into bags of cat litter for big retailers like Target or PetSmart.

Mining Company Sees 'Paws-Abilities' In Growing Cat Litter Business

Wyoming's sodium bentonite companies produce over 70% of the world’s supply, with privately held Wyo-Ben going up against larger rivals like Mineral Technologies and Haliburton’s Bentonite Performance.

Pat MaioJuly 16, 2024

Exploring American Rare Earth's operation near Wheatland, Wyoming.

Australian Firm Test Drilling On $456 Million Rare Earths Project Near Wheatland

American Rare Earths' mining project near Wheatland, which could have one of the richest rare earths deposits in the world, on Monday said it had begun test drilling.

Pat MaioJuly 15, 2024

The first vehicle travels over a rebuilt temporary fix for the collapsed section of Teton Pass.

Wyoming Did Propose Drilling A Tunnel Through Teton Pass But It Never Went Anywhere

The former head of the Wyoming Dept of Transportation did submit a request to the federal government to drill a hole through Teton Pass instead of maintaining a road over it. But it never went anywhere.

Pat MaioJuly 12, 2024

Key Legislator Worries Activists Could Hurt Wyoming Economy In Oil And Gas Auctions

State Rep. Cyrus Western, the outgoing House majority whip, is concerned that a Lander-based conservation advocacy organization is waging a war on Wyoming’s middle class through the state’s oil and gas lease auction bidding process.

Pat MaioJuly 11, 2024

Shirley Basin was a Wyoming uranium boomtown that's setting up to boom again. This old photo was shared to the "People That Used To Live In Shirley Basin Wyoming" Facebook page.

No End In Sight For Wyoming’s New Uranium Rush

A rush for producing Wyoming uranium continues with no end in sight. The latest in the mix is an exploration company from Canada that hopes to muscle its way into the state’s Shirley Basin to possibly attract takeover interest.

Pat MaioJuly 11, 2024

Alan Minier, left, former chairman of the Wyoming Public Service Commission and State Board of Equalization, opposes the Rail Tie project because the previous owner, ConnectGen, and current owner Repsol Renewables North America failed to file proper financial statements proving their “financial adequacy” to build the $500 million energy development.

Controversial $500M Wind Farm Gets Go-Ahead After Heated Closed-Door Meeting

The controversial $500 million Rail Tie wind farm in Albany County got the go-ahead from Wyoming regulators Wednesday. Things reportedly got heated at times as the developer and activists met behind closed doors for hours.

Pat MaioJuly 10, 2024

The Red Desert is a high altitude sagebrush steppe and dry landscape in southern Wyoming.

BLM May Limit Plan For 600,000 Acres Of CO2 Storage For Wyoming Ammonia Plant

A Wyoming BLM assessment could severely limit a massive 600,000-acre carbon dioxide storage plan. The CO2 storage would be needed to build an industrial-scale coal-to-ammonia plant in southwest Wyoming.

Pat MaioJuly 10, 2024

Wind turbines stand nearly 300 feet tall in southern Wyoming in this file photo.

Spanish Company To Develop Huge Wind Farm North Of Cheyenne

Spanish energy giant Repsol has plans to build a huge 500- to 600-megawatt wind farm northwest of Cheyenne, Cowboy State Daily confirmed Tuesday. It’s the same company that bought the controversial Rail Tie wind project outside of Laramie in the spring.

Pat MaioJuly 09, 2024

A pair of pronghorn near Pinedale, Wyoming, with several oil and gas rigs in the background.

In Major Policy Shift, Wyoming Redefines Who Can Bid On State Oil And Gas Leases

Wyoming has changed its rules to discourage environmental groups from attempting to lock up state oil and gas leases. That means the Wyoming Outdoor Council can’t bid in this week's state-run oil and gas lease auction.

Pat MaioJuly 08, 2024

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Strata Energy proposes to sell a significant amount of Wyoming uranium to a Belgium company.

Wyoming Uranium Producer Ramps Up To Meet $100M-Plus Sale To European Buyer

Strata Energy is accelerating its uranium production from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin with plans to ramp up to 2 million pounds annually. The company is expected to double its workforce to sell $88 million to $117 million worth of uranium to a European buyer.

Pat MaioJuly 08, 2024

Oil And Gas Producers Say Outdoors Council Bids Up State Lease Sale To Inflate Costs

Casper-based Kirkwood Cos. Is crying foul after it says the Wyoming Outdoor Council duped the company into paying much more for an oil and gas lease by bidding it up during a state-run sale.

Pat MaioJuly 05, 2024

South Cheyenne rancher Ed Prosser looks north of his farmland off of Chalk Bluff Road where 1.2 million solar panels will be visible after Canadian energy giant Enbridge builds the $1.2 billion project starting next year.

Road Deal Clears Way To Build Giant 1.2 Million Panel Cheyenne Solar Farm

Enbridge will pick up $12 million of the $14.5 million needed to upgrade a road south of Cheyenne to access its giant 1.2 million panel solar farm south of Cheyenne. The deal clears the way to start construction on the $1.2 billion project.

Pat MaioJuly 05, 2024

Gordon Issues Order To Keep Environmental Activists From Impacting Wyoming Lease Sale

In preparation for next week’s oil and gas lease auction, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed an emergency order to help keep environmental activist groups from driving up bids and taking energy-rich leases from developers.

Pat MaioJuly 04, 2024

Boar's Tusk in Sweetwater County, Wyoming

Kansas Company Planning Gigantic 600,000-Acre Carbon Capture Project In SW Wyoming

A Kansas-based company is moving forward to build a 600,000-acre carbon capture project in underground caverns in Lincoln, Sweetwater and Uinta counties in southwest Wyoming.

Pat MaioJuly 04, 2024

The Rare Element Resources demonstration processing plant will repurpose an existing industrial site near Upton, Wyoming.

Construction Delays, Inflation Push Back Opening Of $53 Million Upton Rare Earths Plant

Rare Element Resources Ltd. has delayed the July opening of its rare earths plant in Upton, Wyoming. Construction delays and 21% inflation will push the opening back at least two months.

Pat MaioJuly 02, 2024

AES Corp. plans to develop a 150-megawatt wind farm adjacent to its Pioneer wind farm near Glenrock.

Energy Giant Files Permit To Build $233 Million Wind Farm Near Glenrock

Virginia-based AES Corp. says it’s going to build a $233.4 million wind farm near Glenrock, Wyoming. They claim it will bring 200 jobs and produce enough electricity to power 44,000 homes.

Pat MaioJuly 02, 2024

A Dyno Nobel crew of two sits in a pickup truck under the loading dock for ammonium nitrate in Saltdale, California.

Dyno Nobel Keeps Railcars Of Explosive Ammonium Nitrate In Abandoned Calif. Town

Dyno Nobel in Cheyenne made headlines last year when it lost 30 tons of explosive ammonium nitrate. Cowboy State Daily and two industry experts Monday observed railcars of the stuff the company holds in the abandoned town of Saltdale, California.

Pat MaioJuly 02, 2024

With last year’s permanent closing of the Intermountain Speedway in South Cheyenne, the road to the High Plains Business Park where the Meta enterprise data center is being built was recently renamed the High Plains Road. (

Social Media Giant Meta (Facebook) To Formally Announce Massive Wyoming Data Center

Social media giant Meta, formerly Facebook, will make a formal public announcement next week of its plans to build a massive data center in south Cheyenne. The center is expected to guzzle power from a huge new $1.2 billion solar farm.

Pat MaioJune 29, 2024

Wyoming Oil And Gas Producers Fear Tiny Lease Sales ‘The New Normal’

Thursday’s tiny federal oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming was a throwback to pre-2000 levels, and given the political climate for fossil fuels, state producers fear this may be “the new normal.”

Pat MaioJune 28, 2024

Huge 326,000 Panel Wyoming Solar Farm May Be Delayed Over Road Worries

A huge 326,000 solar panel project in Goshen County may encounter delays in construction because of a recent change in road and bridge permitting requirements and concerns about tearing up local roads.

Pat MaioJune 28, 2024

Wyoming Seeks To Beat China To Become Top Rare Earths Producer

The state of Wyoming is financing rare earths mining projects that could eventually become the largest in the United States. The goal is to loosen China’s grip on the market.

Pat MaioJune 27, 2024

This 150-megawatt solar farm along the South Greeley Highway south of Cheyenne is owned by Atlanta-based Southern Co. and is close to supplying Black Hills Energy with power. It's also in the middle of Wyoming's Hail Alley.

Huge Insurance Bills Don't Stop Solar Projects In Wyoming's Hail Alley

Catastrophic hailstorms haven’t been kind to solar developers, and insurance companies have noticed. Premiums to insure the large solar projects planned for Wyoming's Hail Alley continue to rise.

Pat MaioJune 26, 2024

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon speaks at the Campbell County Federal Overreach Town Hall in Gillette on June 25, 2024.

Gordon Vows To Fight Coal Mandates As Wyoming Hires Pedigree Law Firm

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon vowed during a Gillette town hall Tuesday to wage a legal fight with the federal government to rollback on federal mandates on coal and other Wyoming energy industries, and the state has hired a pedigree law firm to do it.

Pat MaioJune 26, 2024

Legal Mess Ties Up $500 Million Wyoming Wind Farm Project

An influential seven-member industrial siting group in Wyoming plans an early July meeting to sort out a legal mess that could determine the future of the $500 million Rail Tie wind farm development in Albany County.

Pat MaioJune 24, 2024

Military Could Invest In Mining Critical Minerals In Wyoming

The U.S. military has a huge interest in rare earth materials, something Wyoming has an abundance of. For instance, the U.S. Air Force’s F-35 stealth fighter takes 850 pounds of rare earths to build.

Pat MaioJune 23, 2024

The intechange of Interstates 25 and 80 in Cheyenne is undergoing construction, but another huge $500 million revamp is in the works.

Overhaul Of I-25/I-80 Interchange In Cheyenne Will Cost $500 Million

The cloverleaf interchange where Interstates 80 and 25 intersect in Cheyenne will get a $500 million overhaul with huge flyover bridges to keep thousands of semitrucks moving freight across the West. It could take up to a decade to complete.

Pat MaioJune 21, 2024

The Dyno Nobel plant in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Coal Downturn Hammers Cheyenne Explosive Maker, Dyno Nobel Sales Fall 19%

Explosive chemical sales are down significantly at the Cheyenne-based Dyno Nobel plant because of declines in coal production in northeastern Wyoming. They report sales to coal markets fell 19% mainly due to power units switching to natural gas from coal.

Pat MaioJune 20, 2024

Gov. Mark Gordon, left, and President Joe Biden.

Wyoming, Utah First To Sue BLM For Putting Conservation Over Mining

Wyoming and Utah have become the first states to sue the BLM over an obscure rule that weighs conservation over mining interests in how 245 million acres of public lands are managed.

Pat MaioJune 19, 2024

Global Uranium Corp. is expanding to Wyoming to take advantage of a uranium boom. The company is seen here drilling at its Enmore Gold Project in Australia in 2022.

Wyoming's Uranium Mining Boom Draws Another Foreign-Owned Exploration Firm

Global Uranium Corp., an exploration company with mining operations in Canada, has become the latest foreign-owned company to expand to Wyoming to take advantage of a uranium mining boom.

Pat MaioJune 19, 2024

In 954-Page Letter, Wyoming’s Powder River Basin Blasts BLM’s War On Coal

The top elected county officials of nearly 70,000 people who live in Wyoming’s coal heartland of the Powder River Basin blasted the BLM on Tuesday for its rules to end coal in a massive 954-page letter submitted to the agency.

Pat MaioJune 18, 2024

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minnesota, and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, stand in the middle of Wyoming coal workers at the base of a haul truck at the rim of the Belle Ayr coal mine owned by Eagle Specialty Materials near Gillette. The lawmakers, who were joined by some staff members of the subcommittee on energy and mineral resources, met on Tuesday with miners and company representatives of Eagle Speciality Materials.

Hageman Says She’ll Invite Trump Back To Wyoming To Visit Coal Country

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman was back in Wyoming on Tuesday visiting the coal-rich Powder River Basin. Hageman said she will be inviting former President Trump back to Wyoming as he, unlike the current president, is a friend of coal.

Pat MaioJune 18, 2024

Concept illustration showing a campus of six BWXT micro nuclear power plants.

Millions More Given To Build Tiny Nuclear Reactors In Wyoming

The Wyoming Energy Authority has approved second phase of a $10 million effort by BWXT Technologies to determine the viability of building tiny nuclear power plants in the state.

Pat MaioJune 18, 2024

The ExxonMobil plant in La Barge, Wyoming, not only is a world leader in carbon capture, it also produces about 20% of the world's helium.

Already A World Leader in Helium Production, ExxonMobil In Wyoming Plans To Expand

One of the largest producers of helium in the world comes from the ExxonMobil plant in LaBarge. Now the facility, which provides 20% of the world’s supply, is set to expand and could double its workforce in the next year.

Pat MaioJune 17, 2024

Passengers board Jackson’s Start bus in Diggs, Idaho, for a two-and-a-half hour trip to their jobs in Wyoming.

Commuters Between Idaho And Jackson Are Giving Up The Drive And Taking The Bus

With their commute time now quadrupled because of the closure of Teton Pass, more and more workers who live in Idaho and work in Jackson are taking the bus rather than making the drive. “I feel more productive on the bus," one worker said.

Pat MaioJune 13, 2024

Reclamation Road is a secret route that goes over the Teton mountains, passes by the Grassy Lake Dam in Wyoming by the southern boundary of Yellowstone National Park, before dumping onto Wyoming State Route 191 just north of Jackson. Above, near the beginning of Reclamation Road near Squirrel, Idaho.

There’s A Secret Road From Idaho To Jackson, But You’ll Probably Need A Jeep

There’s a secret route that people living in Idaho’s Potato Belt all know about to travel over to the wealthy enclave of Jackson to do their blue-collar work. It’s called Reclamation Road, but it’s not for the faint of heart.

Pat MaioJune 13, 2024

Inside The Bill Gates Poker Game In Kemmerer

Kemmerer citizens who played Texas hold 'em with Bill Gates on Monday at the Wyoming Fossils store said the billionaire is shrewd card player who called the "bullsh*t" on one of the player's bluffs.

Pat MaioJune 11, 2024

Bill Gates arrives in Kemmerer, Wyoming, on Monday to break ground on the new Natrium nuclear reactor project for TerraPower.

Billionaire Bill Gates Lands In Kemmerer For Nuclear Plant, Then Plays Poker

Billionaire Bill Gates flew into Kemmerer on Monday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the $4 billion Natrium nuclear reactor project. After the ceremony Gates played Texas hold 'em with some locals.

Pat MaioJune 10, 2024

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman told the 250 attendees at Wyoming Mining Association’s annual convention in Cody, Wyoming, on Friday, that the city of Boulder, Colorado, should step up as a pilot project among urban cities in the U.S. to see how it gets along without fossil fuels. "We’re living in a la-la land. We’re with unicorns and fairy dust. That doesn’t make sense,” Hageman said.

Hageman: Boulder Should Remove Gas Stations & Pavement Because Fossil Fuels Are Evil

Attending the Wyoming Mining Association convention, Rep. Harriet Hageman said if fossil fuels are so evil then liberal "la-la land" cities like Boulder should just give them up proactively. Gas stations and pavement should be removed, she suggested.

Pat MaioJune 07, 2024

Wyoming produces much of America's thermal coal, and also is home to several coal-fired power plants.

‘We Need To Fight Back:’ Wyoming Takes First Step In New Action Against EPA Over Coal Rule

The State of Wyoming unveiled the beginnings of a plan Friday to pursue a new legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency, which wants to kill off coal- and natural-gas fired power plants.

Pat MaioJune 07, 2024

About 250 representatives of the mining industry from coal to uranium gathered in Cody for the Wyoming Mining Association’s 68th annual convention. One of the subtle themes emerging from the WMA convention was a heady conversation of messaging being developed to counter Washington, D.C.’s anti-fossil fuel policymakers.

Wyoming Miners Say U.S. Not Getting Truth About Coal, So They’ll Have To Do It

One of the underlying themes of this week’s Wyoming Mining Association convention in Cody is that the American public is being fed misinformation about coal,so it's up to them to do something about it.

Pat MaioJune 07, 2024

Mark Compton, executive director of the American Exploration & Mining Association, trade group for hard rock mining companies in Spokane, Washington, said the United States needs a central coordinating point for mining policy. “I believe personally that has to be in the White House,” said Compton in remarks at the Wyoming Mining Association’s annual convention in Cody, Wyoming.

Coal Companies Say Claim They’re Not There For Wyoming Miners A Cheap Shot

Coal industry leaders meeting in Cody for the Wyoming Mining Association's annual convention Thursday say cheap shots from Campbell County commissioners who don't feel they're engaged with folks in the Powder River Basin are unfair.

Pat MaioJune 06, 2024

Energy Fuels Inc. mines uranium in Wyoming and other states.

Wyoming Uranium Mining Outfit Expands To Australia For Rare Earths In $140M Deal

Energy Fuels, which is preparing to ramp up its Nichols Ranch uranium mine near Kaycee for production by 2025, has agreed to a $140 million deal to jointly develop a rare earths mining project in Australia.

Pat MaioJune 05, 2024

From left, Wyoming lawmakers Abbie Angelos, R-Gillette, Rep. Chris Knapp, R-Gillette, and Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, who also is chairman of the Freedom Caucus, testify before the Campbell County Board of Commissioners about their opposition to a proposed Bureau of Land Management rule that would end coal mining on public lands by 2041. Bear said that the plan ignores basic “science, economics, and common sense.”

Biden’s BLM Rule To End Coal Casts Ominous Cloud Over Wyoming’s Coal Country

Coal miners from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin are worried and determined to fight a Biden administration rule to end coal mining there by 2041. They spent part of Tuesday responding, while also bracing to cut spending as coal revenues dwindle.

Pat MaioJune 05, 2024

Cattle cancher Ed Prosser’s farmland frontage extends to Chalk Bluff Road in south Cheyenne, where he’s expecting hundreds of cars to travel on their way to work to build a new $1.2 billion solar farm proposed by Canada’s Enbridge Inc.

$1.2 Billion South Cheyenne Solar Project Delayed By Road Upgrade

Enbridge Inc.’s proposed $1.2 billion solar farm development in South Cheyenne has run into a dispute with Laramie County officials over who is pay for a county-owned road needed for huge Microsoft and Meta data centers.

Pat MaioJune 04, 2024

Wyoming Coal Bust Means Budget Cuts Coming For State, Campbell County

Campbell County, located in the heart of the coal-rich Powder River Basin, plans to trim spending by more than $25 million in anticipation of a prolonged coal bust. The State of Wyoming could be short at least $50 million.

Pat MaioJune 03, 2024