An effort to ban new large wind or solar projects in Wyoming has failed amid large public pushback.
Sen. Larry Hicks (R-Baggs) pitched the ban to fellow lawmakers on the Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee on Feb. 3.
“It’s a simple little bill,” Hicks said, “It does one thing: puts a moratorium on wind and solar for the next five years.”
SF183, ‘Moratorium-solar and wind projects’, was sponsored by Hicks, Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander) and Sen. Cheri Steinmetz (R-Torrington).
Hicks testified that they have two main concerns: Wyoming’s landscape and the state’s legacy energy industries, like coal, gas and oil.
“Let’s slow down and let's analyze the ramifications to all of the things going on out there,” Hicks said.
He said he’s worried large wind and solar projects are fundamentally changing the look of Wyoming’s wide open spaces. Also, that they’re being subsidized at the expense of the coal industry.
“Our friends on the ‘left coast’ with their renewable portfolio demands, eliminating fossil fuels and moving in a direction that’s unsustainable – Wyoming’s been at the brunt of that, quite frankly,” Hicks said.
The governor’s office testified in a separate committee hearing that other states are driving Wyoming’s coal market, because Wyoming exports most of its coal. Federal data show the U.S. doubled annual renewable subsidies between 2016 and 2022, to $15.6 billion.
But droves of stakeholders testified against the bill.
“It's truly choosing winners and losers by flat out banning an entire industry to participate in the market there in Wyoming,” said Bo Downen, representing the American Clean Power Association’s Western states.
Downen said the renewable industry is actively investing in Wyoming. He specifically highlighted programs at Western Wyoming Community College.
The sentiment was echoed by Chris Brown, representing Powering Up Wyoming.
“I can’t imagine an instance where we hang a closed sign on the state – closed for business,” said Brown. “Especially to an industry that invests billions in our state.”
Others added that there would be a loss in tax revenue, payments to ranchers leasing their land for wind and solar, and a loss of in-state jobs. The state estimates wind projects currently under construction will invest $10 billion in Wyoming.
Aside from the economics, landscape impacts were a recurring theme. Sen. Case expressed concern to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), saying that the state’s last resource is its “wide open spaces.”
“A couple of wind turbines is one thing – it has very little marginal changes,” said Case. “The next one has very little marginal change, and then it becomes cumulative and all of a sudden we have gigantic changes in our Wyoming.”
Jenny Staeben, DEQ’s Industrial Siting administrator, said large wind and solar projects undergo a lengthy review process.
“You have 19 state agencies looking at when this project comes in, how does that impact the landscape,” Staeben testified. “The landscape being wildlife, water, jobs, school districts, hospitals.”
She added that there are current projects underway that could’ve been halted due to the bill. Staeben highlighted eight wind and solar projects that are permitted and need to be completed by 2027 – the bill’s moratorium lasted until 2030.
Ultimately, the bill failed to pass the committee. However, a similar effort is moving forward that asks the governor to put wind and solar on the backburner to other energy projects.
