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 energy enthusiasts.
In Wyoming, he said, “We talk about what’s practical, what’s good and what can we accomplish if we really put our minds to it. That has been, I think, the hallmark of what has driven so much of American energy [innovation] over the years.”
Gordon spoke to about 350 attendees of the Next Frontier Energy Summit, an annual event organized by the Wyoming Energy Authority, at the University of Wyoming on Tuesday. The two-day conference featured speakers representing utility giant PacifiCorp, nuclear energy manufacturer BWXT Advanced Technologies, and leaders in the oil and gas and uranium mining industries. The governor suggested that, after decades of visionary work by state leaders to create regulatory pathways and boost investor confidence to scrub carbon from fossil fuels, markets and national policies are finally beginning to align with Wyoming’s attitude to “find a way forward.”
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 Administrator Cyrus Western, in the red tie, joins a panel discussion at an energy conference in Laramie on May 6, 2025. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile)
In fact, Gordon said, he’s recently modified his long-touted mantra of an “all-of-the-above” energy and environmental strategy: “Now, we need to talk about the best of all-of-the-above.”
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“We have opportunities to innovate,” he said, “to make mistakes, to correct from those mistakes and to really drive through to a future that is efficient, that is environmentally sound, that has a mix in the energy portfolio — everything from renewables in the appropriate place to fossil [fuels] done right to nuclear done right.”
Faith in Wyoming nuclear, natural gas and coal
As evidence of Wyoming leading on the next generation of energy, PacifiCorp CEO Cindy Crane noted the utility’s tentative agreement to take on TerraPower’s Natrium nuclear power plant under construction near Kemmerer. Not only will Natrium — among the first “advanced small modular reactors” in development in the nation — help the six-state utility secure reliable, low-carbon electricity, it fits within PacifiCorp’s penchant for proven technologies over more speculative endeavors and political favor.
“We don’t shift our strategy based on who’s in the White House,” Crane said. “We don’t manage our business on politics. We manage our business for our customers, first and foremost, and for our states and their energy policies, not the federal government’s policies.”
A big part of what makes advanced nuclear attractive to PacifiCorp, according to Crane, is the partnerships between the utility, TerraPower, the state, federal agencies and the University of Wyoming to build a domestic nuclear energy supply chain and workforce to back it up.
“We don’t shift our strategy based on who’s in the White House. We don’t manage our business on politics.”
Cindy Crane, PacifiCorp
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“It is elevating education and job training for Wyoming, as well as a future U.S. workforce,” Crane said. “It is building a transition for our existing and experienced workforce, and it is positioning Wyoming to continue and grow its electrification and supply of power throughout the western U.S.”
After burning more than $5 billion worth of Wyoming coal at its power plants over the decades, PacifiCorp is making the shift — although critics say too slowly — to not only renewables backed by energy storage, according to Crane but to nuclear and natural gas.
In fact, PacifiCorp has converted two of four coal-burning units at its Jim Bridger power plant outside Rock Springs to natural gas, and will convert the final two coal-burning units at the Naughton power plant near Kemmerer to natural gas in 2026. However, Crane noted, PacifiCorp isn’t giving up on Wyoming coal. The company is still evaluating whether it makes sense to retrofit coal units at its Jim Bridger and Dave Johnston power plants with carbon capture, use and sequestration technologies.
Despite a steep price tag for such retrofits, if they move forward — estimated at over $1 billion — the efforts would create thousands of construction jobs and sustain hundreds of existing jobs in the state, Crane said.
“This is truly an example of planting the seeds for long-term jobs and economic prosperity in the state,” she said.
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Gordon noted that such efforts to push new commercial-scale technologies are expensive, including for customers, but suggested it is worth the investment.
“The technologies that have come along over the last couple of years are remarkable,” Gordon said. “Yes, some of them are very expensive. First-generation stuff generally is. But we’ve all had the benefit of lessons of time to develop the technologies and see what can be done better.”
This month, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, is a fitting time for reflection. Our focus turns toward family and community, and the changing weather causes us to slow down. It is a good time to take stock of the society around us. The Thanksgiving holiday naturally turns our minds to what we are grateful for — what already exists that we cherish. Christmas is a holiday of hope, focused on the promise of what is yet to come. With these holidays in mind, let us reflect on what parts of our state we are thankful for and hopeful about.
Perhaps the thing Wyomingites hold most dear is our heritage. Culturally, we are descended from pioneers and settlers — or from those who came before — and we take that frontier heritage to heart. We value independence, community and overcoming challenges. We are willing to endure hardship to build a life that we want, and we are closely attuned to the natural world and the benefits that it provides. Above all else, we know that our perch in this place is still precarious. These are perspectives that are hard to find elsewhere. They set us apart. By embracing these values, we create a society that fits our circumstances. These ideas would not fit in other places, but they fit here, and for that I am grateful.
I am also thankful for the good stewardship of our forefathers. Wyoming is a harsh place and it’s challenging to thrive here. Most of our land is arid and inhospitable, our physical conditions are difficult, and we are remote from most modern conveniences and luxuries. With poor planning or shortsighted leadership, this place could easily fall into decline.
Fortunately, we have been blessed with the opposite. The state’s early settlers understood the importance of building the infrastructure that would allow for growth. When it became clear that natural resources would power our economy, our leaders decided to set aside large portions of the state’s mineral revenue to support us in perpetuity. The easy decision — the short-sighted decision — would have been to spend those dollars on the needs of the day. They certainly could have built some nice things, and those projects would have been popular. They also would have been fleeting. Because of wise leadership and decisions that focused on the long-term, we all benefit from our state’s bounty.
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Just as we are grateful for the good decisions of the past, we should be hopeful for the future. Despite our state’s challenges, there are many good reasons to have hope. First, our state is full of opportunity. We have space, natural resources, and the ability to be nimble when it comes to building regulatory structures that can support new industries. Our people are hard-working and determined. We have existing expertise in manufacturing and mining that is missing in many other parts of the country. Our climate and location give Wyoming an advantage in attracting computing facilities to locate here. If we take advantage of the opportunities in front of us, Wyoming is poised to thrive, and that gives me hope.
I am also hopeful because there appears to be a growing consensus on the issues we face, which allows us to better meet these challenges. In surveys and conversations about Wyoming’s future, the challenges of economic diversification and talent retention quickly rise to the top. We recognize where our weaknesses are, which is a significant part of the battle. Once we agree on the problem, we can work to find solutions.
Finding a fix is often an easier undertaking than identifying the problem itself. Already, drilling into these challenges has helped us recognize the underlying problems connected to affordable housing, livable spaces, health care access and education. Understanding how these fit together and how improvements in one area can lead to improvements in others puts us on a much more manageable path. It will still not be easy to overcome our hurdles, but the fact that we must wrestle with difficult problems is not unusual or unique. We have answered big questions before. Now that we have a growing consensus on what those problems are, I am far more hopeful about our ability to move forward.
In this holiday season, we should take the time to contemplate the world around us. Self-reflection is important. We should look both behind us and ahead of us, toward the past and gratitude and the future and hope. Our state gives us plenty to consider on both accounts.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Transportation has reported that the ongoing high wind speeds throughout the state have caused 39 vehicles to crash on Wyoming highways so far this week, primarily between Dec. 9 and Dec. 11.
According to a report from WYDOT, most of the crashes occurred on Interstate 80 near Cooper Cove west of Laramie, on I-25 on Wyo Hill south of Cheyenne and along I-25 near Wheatland at Bordeaux. Many blown-over vehicles were underweight, and some trailers were even empty.
WYDOT updates the minimum weights listed on overhead digital messaging signs based on real-time wind speeds. Drivers are encouraged to check weight-based wind closure information often to ensure travel is permitted.
It’s not just commercial vehicles that are at risk, either; the department reports that campers, toy-haulers and other large trailers are also susceptible to blowing over in strong winds.
June skiing and pond-skimming at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado
Skiers and snowboarders soak in the sun and attempt to make it across a pond on a June day at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado
Snowy Range ski area is scheduled to open for the season on Dec. 12.
Daily lift ticket prices range from $40 for children to $69 for adults.
Snowy Range, one of the closest ski areas to Fort Collins, is scheduled to open for the season Dec. 12 and remain open through April 12, 2026.
The ski area had a snow depth of about 30 inches on Dec. 9, spokesperson Kate Lessman told the Coloradoan in an email.
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Daily lift tickets range in price from $59-$69 purchased onsite for adults, $52-$62 for teenagers ages 13-17 and $40-$50 for children ages 5-12. Children age 4 and younger and senior citizens age 70 and older can ski for free. Tickets purchased in advance online are discounted $5.
More: Complete Colorado ski resort guide
Snowy Range Ski and Recreation Area is located about 100 miles northwest of Fort Collins and 36 miles west of Laramie, Wyoming.
For additional information, visit the ski area’s website.
Coloradoan reporter Kelly Lyell can be reached at KellyLyell@coloradoan.com. Follow him on x.com/KellyLyell, threads.net/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.
