News February 2021

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle republished an article that quoted a number of experts on whether Wyoming residents will get the COVID-19 vaccine. Discussing the economic side, UW economist Rob Godby said it is possible that the longer people resist being vaccinated, the longer the pandemic will last -- and the greater the economic fallout will be.

A UW study, which forecast that a federal leasing moratorium could cost Wyoming governments $300 million a year, was cited in a National Public Radio piece focusing on Biden’s nationwide 60-day moratorium on new oil and natural gas leases and drilling permits. UW economist Rob Godby was quoted in Inside Sources on a related article.

Wyoming Public Radio interviewed Godby about a report that coal production will be gone by 2033. Godby said this is the first time he’s heard a prediction this soon, and he is skeptical coal’s use in the U.S. could completely dry up by then.

Godby, a member of Power Wyoming, an interdisciplinary group tasked with analyzing the state’s economic future, discussed with The Wyoming Tribune Eagle a recent poll by the group that indicates state residents are concerned about K-12 budget cuts and possible tax increases.

WyoFile spoke with UW economist Rob Godby about the ramifications of Arch Resources closing its Coal Creek mine next year. Godby discussed the future of the Powder River Basin’s coal mining industry. PolitiFact quoted energy experts, including Godby, on how President Joe Biden’s order to halt the Keystone oil pipeline project will affect prices.

Rob Godby, UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources acting associate dean and an economics associate professor, has been named interim dean of the College of Business. The CS-T reported that David Sprott, the outgoing dean, has accepted a similar position at Claremont Graduate University in California.