Governor Matt Mead has chosen Erin Campbell as the new state geologist and director of the Wyoming State Geological Survey, or WSGS. A role responsible for studying the state's mineral resources and advising the government.
Erin Campbell will enter her position with a background in government, industry, and education. She taught geology at the University of Wyoming for 15 years and is currently the manager of energy and natural resources at the WSGS. She’s also the first woman to hold the position.
Campbell said she hopes to continue down the path set by her predecessor Tom Drean, but she also hopes to stoke interest in the state’s energy industry.
“What we hope to do at the geological survey are studies that lay the groundwork for companies to come in and do the drilling in unconventional reservoirs. We hope to increase industry's interest in Wyoming,” Campbell said.
She said that could help increase oil and gas revenue since older technology struggled tapping into those reservoirs.
“But with the new techniques, we’re able to recover enough oil to make those wells economic and that increases the production in drilling in Wyoming and increases the revenue in the state,” Campbell said.
She expects to see a rebound in oil and gas production thanks to new techniques and an increasing rig count. Campbell is set to take over as the state geologist on November 21 of this year.
