Ongoing Projects
Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc. Economic Impact (ongoing Project)
Project Lead: Alex Specht
Contributors: Tyler Brown and Daniel Ratajczak
The CBEA will provide an economic impact analysis of the Sponsor’s mine construction and operations in Albany County, WY and the Sponsor’s processing operations in Platte County, WY.
Contribution Analysis of Wyoming’s Banking Industry (ongoing Project)
Project Lead: Morgan Holland
Contributor: Alex Specht
The CBEA will provide a contribution analysis of the banking sector to Wyoming’s economy.
National Outdoor Leadership School Economic Impact (ongoing Project)
Project Lead: Morgan Holland
Contributor: Reepa Das
The CBEA will provide an economic impact analysis of NOLS’ operations in Wyoming.
Prometheus Hyperscale Datacenter Economic Impact (ongoing Project)
Project Leads: Alex Specht and Daniel Cooley
The CBEA will provide an economic impact analysis of a proposed data center in southwestern Wyoming. A second report will also include a housing and demographic analysis.
Wyoming Public Health Risk Preparedness Assessment (ongoing Project)
Project Lead: Nida Zafar
Contributor: Alex Specht
The CBEA will provide a risk analysis of Wyoming’s public health preparedness.
Wyoming Associate of Municipalities (ongoing Project)
Project Lead: Alex Specht
Contributor: Aaron Kuhn
The CBEA will provide an update of the municipal public finance handbook.
Industry Gap Analysis for Wyoming’s Creative Economy (ongoing Project)
Project Lead: Bailey Kirkland
Contributor: Alex Specht
The CBEA will provide an industry gap analysis for Wyoming’s creative economy.
Economic Impact of Hughes Charitable Foundation (ongoing Project)
Project Lead: Alex Specht
The CBEA will provide an economic analysis of the Hughes Charitable Foundation’s philanthropic activities in Wyoming.
Cheyenne Fair Housing Project (ongoing Project)
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming (UWyo) will produce a 2025 update to the City of Cheyenne’s Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice report as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Resilient Energy Economies Initiative Research Grant
A challenge for Wyoming is that the production and use of traditional fossil fuels has been steadily declining and is predicted to decline even further in coming decades. This decline in traditional fossil fuel production and consumption necessitates adaptation of current fiscal policy and the diversification of the state’s economy to maintain employment and economic growth under this transition. To address these concerns, we will answer the following questions: 1) How can local, state, and tribal governments mitigate risks to public finances caused by the energy transition? And 2) What are promising new economic growth engines in Wyoming, and how can policies help communities take advantage of these opportunities? Our team of researchers will undertake two independent projects, each designed to address these questions from multiple angles. The objective is to support Wyoming policymakers, industries, and households to adapt to the energy transition and to move beyond reliance on fossil fuels.
Laramie Jubilee Days (ongoing Project)
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming (UWyo) will produce an update of a previous report on the economic impact of the Laramie Jubilee Days celebration.
UW Giving Day (ongoing Project)
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) plans to produce an economic impact analysis of UW’s Giving Day. The report will focus on economic indicators such as total output, value added, new jobs, and tax revenue. The economic impact will include the direct economic impact of Giving Day (capital expenditures, operations, employment, etc.), as well as the indirect business-to-business spending and the induced household spending resulting from additional income generated from Giving Day.
UW School of Energy Resources (CORE-CM) (ongoing Project)
The CBEA is supporting the School of Energy Resources (SER) at UW which is leading a coalition team that includes the Colorado Geological Survey, Colorado School of Mines, Los Alamos National Labs, local community colleges, and other experts with the goal of designing an economically viable Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) industry in the Greater Green River Basin and Wind River Basin (GGRB-WRB). This project's Principal Investigator is Davin Bagdonas. More information can be found in this press release.
Wyoming Prevailing Wage (ongoing Project)
The CBEA provides a determination of the Prevailing Heavy/Highway and Building Construction Wages in the State of Wyoming. The project includes administering online and print surveys as well as calculating wages using methodologies consistent with State statutes.
Completed Projects
Big Horn Dinosaur and Geological Museum Economic Impact
Project Lead: Nida Zafar
The CBEA will provide an economic impact analysis of a newly proposed Dinosaur and Geological Museum in Greybull, Wyoming.
Cheyenne Fair Housing Study
Laramie Jubilee Days Economic Impact
Project Leads: Bailey Kirkland and Morgan Holland
The CBEA provided an economic impact analysis of Laramie Jubilee Days celebration for the years of 2022-2024 using a methodology based on visitor counts from cell phones and visitor spending from household surveys.
8Rivers Economic Impact Analysis
Project Lead: Daniel Cooley
Contributor: Klaas van ‘t Veld
The CBEA will provide an analysis of the potential economic impact of a carbon capture and enhanced oil recovery project in Converse County, Wyoming.
Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County Economic Impact
Project Lead: Alex Specht
Contributors: Daniel Ratajczak and Nida Zafar
The CBEA will provide an analysis of Memorial Hospital’s economic impact on Sweetwater County, WY.
Updated Economic Impact of Cowboy Clean Fuels Operations
Project Leads: Alex Gebben and Daniel Cooley
The CBEA will provide an updated economic impact analysis of Cowboy Clean Fuels operations in Wyoming.
The Scope and Economic Impact of Wyoming’s Creative Economy
The Wyoming Arts Alliance contracted with the CBEA to produce a report quantifying
the scope of the arts and culture economy in Wyoming at the state and county level.
The CBEA used data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Lightcast, CVSuite,
and the American Community Survey (ACS) to estimate several measures of the size of
the arts and cultural economy.
The Scope and Economic Impact of Wyoming’s Film Economy
The Wyoming Arts Alliance contracted with the CBEA to produce a report quantifying
the scope of the arts and culture economy in Wyoming at the state and county level.
This report is an addition that focuses in on the film industry in Wyoming.
Evaluating the Economic Impact of Goshen County’s Economic Development Retail Sales Tax
Goshen County has a quarter-penny sales tax in place whose revenues are invested back
into the county for economic development purposes through Go Goshen's Progress Program.
In this report, the Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University
of Wyoming examines the economic impact of the ¼ percent retail sales tax for economic
development in Goshen County over the period FY 2019 to FY 2023.
Economic Analysis of Wyoming’s Manufacturing Sector
The University of Wyoming Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) conducted an economic analysis of Wyoming’s manufacturing sectors for Manufacturing Works. The CBEA also undertook a traditional economic contribution analysis for the state’s manufacturing sector. The contribution to the economy is measured in terms of jobs added, employee compensation, value added, total output, and tax revenue generated.
The Economic Impact of the University of Wyoming
In this report, we summarize the economic impacts that would not occur in Wyoming
but for the university and directly attributable to external funding coming to Wyoming
and/or as a result of the university’s varied and distinct activities. These include
direct expenditures by UW Athletics, UW employees, nonresident students and visitors,
externally funded research support, spin-outs and startup businesses directly resulting
from UW research, and UW alumni living and working in Wyoming.
Cheyenne LEADS ROI update
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming (UW) will produce a report that examines the updated ROI estimates for Cheyenne LEADS. This project will update the previous return-on-investment (ROI) study for the city of Cheyenne and Laramie County throughout Cheyenne LEADS’ history. The study will identify and highlight key companies Cheyenne LEADS has assisted over their 30-plus years of business.
Casper Shooting Complex
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming examines the potential economic impact of locating the forthcoming Wyoming Shooting Complex in Casper, Wyoming. The planned Wyoming Shooter’s Complex will compete nationally and internationally for shooting tournaments that will be hosted in the state of Wyoming.
Return-on-Investment (ROI) for the Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP) Initiative
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming will estimate the ROI for the WIP initiative using both short- and long-term metrics.
Gap Analysis for the Wyoming Quantum Economy
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming (UWyo) will produce a capabilities analysis of Wyoming’s quantum economy. The analysis will involve a survey of the current state of the infrastructure and workforce available for the quantum economy in Wyoming.
Economic and Demographic Data Analysis for Forward Cody
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming (UWyo) will compile data and trends of the Cody area economy.
Manufacturing Works: Gap Analysis for Wyoming's Nuclear Industry
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming (UWyo) will produce a report that conducts an analysis of Wyoming’s manufacturing industry/supply chain focusing on a new microreactor supply chain.
UW Financial Planning Project
In this report, the Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming will produce a financial planning model and report for the University of Wyoming.
Cowboy Clean Fuels: Economic Analysis for the Sugar Beet Industry
In this report, the Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming will produce a report that examines the economics of the sugar beet industry. This analysis will focus on a production and market assessment of the sugar beet industry in Wyoming and the surrounding region.
Grid United
In this report, the Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming examines the economic impact of Grid United’s Wyoming Intertie High Voltage Transmission Line.
Wind Cost Study
CBEA researchers develop a detailed model describing the financial structure of typical
utility-scale wind development to determine how changes in local and state policies
concerning wind energy affect developers’ costs across the states in the Western Electricity
Coordinating Council (WECC) region.
Fremont County’s 2021-2023 Retail Sales Tax
In this report, the Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University
of Wyoming examines the current economic impact of the 2021-2023 retail sales tax
for economic development in Fremont County. In addition, the report will provide a
projection of the continuing economic impact if the sales tax were to remain in place.
Williams’ MountainWest Overthrust Pipeline Expansion Project
In this report, the Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming examines the potential economic impact of Williams’ MountainWest Overthrust Pipeline expansion project in Southwest Wyoming.
Market Analysis for Rare Earth Elements
The CBEA will produce a report that examines the domestic and international market outlook for rare earth elements as it relates to Rare Element Resource’s Bear Lodge Project.
North Platte River Park No. 2 Subdivision
In this report, the Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University
of Wyoming examines the potential economic impact of private development within the
North Platte River Park No. 2 Subdivision.
SparkTank
The CBEA will investigate the economic impact of UW’s SparkTank program. SparkTank is the University of Wyoming Ethics Club’s philanthropic campaign to support local nonprofits.
Project West
The CBEA will analyze data provided by Project West’s new greenfield soda ash project to determine the economic impact to Wyoming’s economy. In addition, the CBEA will research regulatory constraints and considerations pertinent to Project West to inform models of regulatory delay.
Cowboy Clean Fuels
The CBEA will determine the economic impact of Cowboy Clean Fuels' future operations on Wyoming's economy.
Cheyenne Mayor's Office
The CBEA conducted an analysis of providing municipal water to housing developments in Laramie County.
Manufacturing Works
The CBEA is undertaking a traditional economic contribution analysis for the state’s manufacturing sector. The contribution to the economy is measured in terms of jobs added, employee compensation, value added, total output, and tax revenue generated. The results include the direct effects of the firms, as well as the multiplier effects of business-to-business spending.
Wyoming Rural Electric Cooperative
The CBEA is undertaking a traditional economic contribution analysis for Wyoming’s rural electric association. The contribution to the economy is measured in terms of jobs added, employee compensation, value added, total output, and tax revenue generated. The results include the direct effects of the rural electric cooperatives, as well as the multiplier effects of business-to-business and household-to-business spending.
Cheyenne LEADS
Economic development incentives are used to encourage activity or economic investment
that might not otherwise take place. This analysis evaluates one such economic development
incentive in Laramie County, Wyoming: the use of free and discounted land to facilitate
job creation and retention. At the request of Cheyenne LEADS, a non- profit organization
housed in Laramie County that offers this incentive, the CBEA conducted an analysis
to assess the return-on-investment (ROI) of providing free and discounted land.
Wyoming Hospitals and Nursing Homes
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at the University of Wyoming plans to produce a report that examines the economic impacts of hospitals and nursing homes in Wyoming. This analysis will focus on the impact of operations, construction, and visitor spending. It will consist of an estimated impact of these activities on regional economic output, employment, and labor income at the institution, county, and state levels. In addition, the analysis will estimate the local and state fiscal impacts of these activities.
Newcastle, WY Community Park
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis (CBEA) at University of Wyoming will produce a report that examines the regional economic impact from construction and operation of the proposed Newcastle, WY Heritage Park.
UW School of Energy Resources (Wind)
The CBEA is measuring the economic impacts of wind energy projects in Wyoming. The
project includes an examination of the differences in permitting requirements and
timelines across land and project type and how these differences interact with the
economic and fiscal impacts realized in the state.
Department of Energy (Lithium)
The CBEA is providing a Techno-Economic Analysis of a lithium extraction process that plans to use membrane substrates to produce an energy efficient, cost-effective, and easy-to-scale module to directly extract lithium from the Salton Sea. This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Principal Investigator is Katie Li- Oakey.
Backcountry Discovery Routes
The CBEA will examine the economic impact from visitor spending of motorcyclists traveling on off-highway routes. The project involves surveying 40,000 riders on BDR’s mailing list and then using the revealed spending patterns to model the economic impact in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. In addition, the CBEA will use hypothetical visitor scenarios to model the economic impact from new routes in California, Oregon, and Wyoming.
WY State Parks & Cultural Division
We analyze the economic impact of Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Cultural Resources (SPHSCR) from 2010 to 2019. The last economic impact analysis was conducted in 2010, analyzing data from 2009, with a value- added estimate of $47.4 million for visitation to state parks and historic sites. This report shows the impact over the last decade (2010-2019) and provides an annual snapshot from 2019. The report includes a traditional economic impact analysis, calculating the economic impact of SPHSCR by measuring the re-spending effects of non- residents coming to Wyoming to recreate within the SPHSCR system and spending money in the local economies. The report also includes an economic analysis of resident spending on state parks and historical sites, as well as an economic analysis of Wyoming’s cultural resources using U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data.
U.S. Gold Corp.
This analysis will focus on the impact of the project’s construction phase and subsequent operation phase. It will consist of an estimated impact of these activities on economic output, employment, and labor income in Laramie County as well as the State of Wyoming. In addition, the analysis will estimate the local/state and federal fiscal impacts of these activities.
Wyoming Nonprofit Network
The CBEA is examining the contribution of the nonprofit sector to the State of Wyoming. The purpose of this project is to quantify the benefits that accrue to the economy and communities served by nonprofit organizations in the state.
Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power Company
This analysis will focus on the impact of the project’s construction phase and subsequent operation phase. It will consist of an estimated impact of these activities on economic output, employment, and labor income in four Wyoming Counties: Albany, Converse, Laramie, and Goshen. In addition, the analysis will estimate the local/state and federal fiscal impacts of these activities.
Pilot Hill
This project models the economic impacts of hypothetical visitor scenarios and surveys
households to estimate the valuation of different Pilot Hill attributes through hypothetical
choice experiments.
UW School of Energy Resources (Energy Focused Applied Research)
The CBEA is developing the necessary data models and methodology necessary to conduct the energy portfolio “economic impact assessments” that have been flagged as a critical component of future Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) filings to the Wyoming Public Service Commission (PSC).
WyoTech
The CBEA is modeling the economic impact of WyoTech. This analysis will focus on the impact of WyoTech’s operations, construction, student, and visitor spending for FY 2020, FY 2025, and FY 2030. The analysis will demonstrate the estimated direct, indirect, and induced impacts of these activities on regional economic output, employment, value added, and labor income. The analysis will also estimate the local/state and federal fiscal impacts of these activities.
Wyoming Business Council
The CBEA conducted two analyses for the Wyoming Business Council (WBC). In the first, the CBEA performed an econometric analysis of Wyoming’s economy. The study contained three types of analyses: (1) an overview of Wyoming’s economy, both historically and currently; (2) an analysis of Wyoming’s economy that controls for variation in the energy sector; and (3) correlation of Wyoming’s economy with investments made by the WBC. In the second project, the CBEA created an amenity index for 23 of the most populous cities in Wyoming to help the WBC strategically invest in community amenities. The index is composed of two parts: 1) a survey that asks individuals which amenities are most important in the decision of where to live, and 2) an inventory of outdoor and urban amenities in each of the 23 communities.
Pace-O-Matic
The CBEA estimated the economic impact of Pace-O-Matic electronic “games of skill” in Wyoming. The economic impact (i.e., direct, indirect and induced effects, as well as employment gains) of such games is estimated based on 2019 and 2020 revenue data, predicted out to the year 2029 using county-by-county population projections and Pace-O-Matic growth scenarios.
Laramie Jubilee Days
Laramie Jubilee Days started in 1940 and has been running for 78 years as a celebration of Wyoming statehood and our local community. The CBEA surveyed Laramie businesses across a variety of industry classifications and found that generally they indicated a positive attitude regarding Laramie Jubilee Days, both in terms of economic stimulus and community identity.
UW INBRE
This analysis estimated the economic impacts of the NIH/INBRE funding received by the University of Wyoming over the period 2004-2017. Standard economic impact analysis is applied using regional economic expenditure multipliers. The project also highlights positive impacts from INBRE funding, such as economic diversification and human capital accumulation, which are more difficult to quantify.
