Wyoming, long known as a top coal producing state, makes a big move into wind energy
Wyoming, long known as a top coal producing state, makes a big move into wind energy
In the sagebrush desert of southeast Wyoming in Carbon County, federal and local officials recently broke ground on the TransWest Express Transmission project. United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland spoke to a crowd about the 730-mile power line, as wind ripped through flags behind her.
“We know that clean energy transmission lines on public lands will help communities across the country to be part of the climate solution while creating good paying jobs,” Haaland said.
In this same area, which is along the I-80 corridor and is known for its 20-plus mile an hour winds, a wind farm is also under construction. The power line will eventually transmit that electricity to about a million homes located in places like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. It is just one way the Biden administration is hoping to achieve 100% “clean energy” by 2035.
Wyoming has been at odds with the Biden administration’s push to move away from fossil fuels. The state has sued the federal government over the pace of leasing to allow drilling for oil and natural gas on public lands.
But, Wyoming’s Republican Governor Mark Gordon came to the groundbreaking.
“Because there’s an urgency as we see climate change, we know that we don’t have time to waste, we have to move with diligence forward to make sure that we address the issue of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” Gordon said.
It is a stark difference from Carbon County’s energy history, which is all about oil, natural gas and coal. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said that needs to change.
“We want people to say yes, yes to clean energy, in the same way people have said yes to fossil energy,” Granholm said.
And some people are saying yes, like Terry Weickum, the mayor of Rawlins, which is the county seat.
Weickum wore a windmill pin on his shirt. He said the town has been in a bust, as people lost jobs from the local coal mines closing and the oil fields slowing.
“It is a lucky break for us to get this incredible thing in our mix,” he said. “Some people don’t like it. Some people don’t like ice cream. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Weickum said people do not like it because, “They feel like it’s replacing — well the coal is gone. And they’ve been closed. It’s, we need it all. You know, we need all the energy sources we can. It’s not a competition.”
The TransWest project will bring about 1,000 construction jobs over the next decade to build the line. And by then, it will be delivering power to the Southwest.
At a post-groundbreaking celebration at the Rawlins train depot, dozens of people gathered — eating cake, drinking champagne and talking energy. Damien Cesko has lived in Rawlins most of his life and runs a music academy.
He said he is glad the project is coming to the area, but, “One of the reasons we live here is the wide open spaces, you know, not everybody in the world necessarily wants to look at windmills.”
Cesko is talking about that nearby wind farm that is under construction. With 600 windmills, it is slated to be the largest in the country.
Even so, Cesko said the power line and wind farm are needed for the struggling economy.
“Obviously it’s going to be different. But change is always different,” he said.
And this change came slowly. It took 18 years for the federal government to get all the permits and land agreements in place to build this transmission line. Officials pointed out future projects will need to be streamlined to meet the Biden administration’s clean energy deadline of 2035.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
