State, national and international media frequently feature the University of Wyoming and members of its community in stories. Here is a summary of some of the recent articles where the School of Energy Resources or its scholars are making the news.

 


November

Davin Bagdonas, a UW School of Energy Resources research professional, was co-author of a paper -- with a University of Texas at Austin colleague -- indicating that the national coal ash supply contains enough rare earth elements to significantly bolster the national supply without any new mining. The paper recently appeared in the International Journal of Coal Science & Technology and was published by The Austin Journal and Mining Connection.

UW has received a key gift from Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) to support research in UW’s School of Energy Resources (SER). The gift will establish the Navajo Transitional Energy Company School of Energy Resources Excellence Fund, which will facilitate SER’s efforts to bolster Wyoming’s energy industry. NTEC published UW’s release.

UW’s School of Energy Resources published its first “Consolidated Review of Energy in Wyoming” report that provides regular insights on the state’s energy landscape. According to UW’s media release, published by Cap City, the monthly report offers a summary of Wyoming’s major energy sectors, including crude oil, natural gas, coal, uranium, wind and soda ash, as well as employment trends and tax collections. Coal Zoom also published UW’s announcement.

October

The first-ever Tribal Energy Summit took place last week on the UW campus, according to Wyoming Public Radio. The conference featured representatives of energy-producing tribal nations and tribal energy companies to discuss the future of energy in rural Western communities. The UW School of Energy Resources organized the summit.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published UW’s release noting that a new study from UW researchers features Wyoming’s potential to take a lead role in the advancement of low-carbon hydrogen production from natural gas. Haibo Zhai, the Roy and Caryl Cline Distinguished Chair in Engineering and a UW College of Engineering and Physical Sciences professor, led the study that was published in Environmental Science & Technology. The CS-T published a similar article.

UW researchers published a study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology that addresses resource, environmental, economic, policy and societal issues related to low-carbon hydrogen production by steam methane reforming with carbon capture and storage in Wyoming and other natural-gas-rich states. Marcellus Drilling News published the article.

Tara Righetti, a UW professor of subsurface property law and energy regulation, was quoted in an E&E News article titled “The caveat to Biden’s environmental justice legacy.” Righetti is a chair of a U.S. Department of Energy task force.

SVInews.com reported that Randall Luthi, of Star Valley, was among four UW distinguished alumni honored during the university’s Homecoming for their professional achievements and support of the university.

A gift will enhance the Tomé Scholars to Fellows Program -- one of UW’s premier scholarship opportunities that was established at UW in 2021 by a major gift from the Tomé Foundation. Lander’s Jennifer Bautz was among the four students selected to receive a full-ride scholarship that year, County 10 and The Riverton Ranger reported.

September

John Kaszuba, the John and Jane Wold Centennial Chair in Energy and a UW School of Energy Resources (SER) professor of geology and geophysics, was interviewed by The Crude Life to discuss Wyoming’s energy reality and future. SER and the Wold Foundation recently hosted “Wyoming’s Energy Future” symposium.

Cowboy State Daily included comments from Holly Krutka, executive director of UW’s School of Energy Resources, in an article that focused on carbon capture. Krutka discussed the importance of research being conducted at the Integrated Test Center in Gillette. The facility at Basin Electric Power Cooperative‘s coal-fired plant allows carbon capture technology developers access to scrubbed flue gas that would otherwise be released from the coal plant.

Eugene Holubnyak, director of the Hydrogen Energy Research Center in UW’s SER, has been recognized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers as a 2024 recipient of a regional award for his technical expertise and exceptional contributions to programs focused on hydrogen transportation and storage. Hydrogen Central published UW’s release.

Fred McLaughlin, director of UW’s Center for Economic Geology Research, was among experts who commented on an E&E News story that focused on a boosted tax credit for enhanced oil recovery. The tax credit aims to encourage oil companies to store more planet-warming carbon underground.

UW’s School of Energy Resources and the Wold Foundation will host a joint symposium this week that will focus on the state’s energy future with a specific concentration on economic geology. The Laramie Boomerang published UW’s release.

UW’s School of Energy Resources will receive nearly $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue studying carbon capture and storage, according to an article on Wyoming Public Media. The Wyoming Technical Assistance Collaboration for Carbon Management project looks at what to do with carbon emissions that have been captured.

August

Bryan Leonard, a UW Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources associate professor, is among authors of a paper titled “Economic potential of wind and solar in American Indian communities” that was published in Nature Energy. The paper delves into whether renewable energy development on American Indian reservations can help alleviate poverty.

UW is among eight institutions and an industry-led program that will share $44 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management says the federal funding will advance commercial-scale carbon capture, transport and storage projects across the U.S.

UW’s release announcing that alumni Paul and Judy Lerwick have donated $1 million to UW’s School of Energy Resources was published by The CS-T. The gift, matched by the state of Wyoming, will support applied research on new forms of energy production and technologies specifically in the areas of nuclear, wind, solar and other renewable-related energy.

July

Oil City News added comments from UW’s Tara Righetti, a law professor and Occidental Chair in Energy and Environmental Policies, and energy economist Rob Godby for an article that focused on how a larger nuclear industry will impact state residents.

UW’s School of Energy Resources -- in partnership with the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences -- is establishing the Center of Excellence in Subsurface Energy and Digital Innovation. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published UW’s release noting that the center is dedicated to innovative research and finding solutions to energy development challenges in Wyoming.

The Scientific Journal and ScienceDaily published UW’s release noting that a new analysis by UW researchers examines the impacts of current federal economic incentives on large-scale, blue hydrogen production technologies and estimates the expected outcomes in long-term expenses as those hydrogen production pathways evolve. UW Professor Haibo Zhai led the research.

Inside Climate News featured an article titled “Mining the Sun: Some in the Wyoming Epicenter of the Coal Industry Hope to Sustain Its Economy With Renewables.” The article mentioned UW’s project to turn coal into bricks at the Wyoming Innovation Center in Campbell County.

Cowboy State Daily featured an article on a rare earths mining project that received a $7.1 million matching grant from the Wyoming Energy Authority and technical and scientific guidance from UW’s Energy Resources Council. American Rare Earths, which may have one of the world’s largest rare earths deposits near Wheatland, will provide matching funds for the project in Platte County. Mining.com.au published a similar article.

The Casper Star-Tribune featured a pair of UW public events: an Energy Roadshow sponsored by UW’s School of Energy Resources that will educate the public on energy projects and the UW Biodiversity Institute’s annual Summer Moose Day that will take place over a weekend. The program involves citizen volunteers heading out on various trails to spot and count moose in the mountains outside of Laramie.

June

The Gillette News Record noted that UW’s Center for Air Quality is part of a project seeking to demonstrate a novel methane mitigation technology that would ease compliance with federal methane regulations while harnessing otherwise lost natural gas for onsite energy needs. The Wyoming Energy Authority funds project requests.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported that the Wyoming Innovation Partnership recently held a training conference at UW on integrating immersive technologies in the classroom. Gov. Mark Gordon and UW President Ed Seidel spoke during the three-day event. The state of Wyoming is leading the way in virtual reality in higher education, according to the article.

The Gillette News Record noted that UW’s Center for Air Quality is part of a project seeking to demonstrate a novel methane mitigation technology that would ease compliance with federal methane regulations while harnessing otherwise lost natural gas for onsite energy needs. The Wyoming Energy Authority funds project requests.

May

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported that Kara Fornstrom, director of UW’s Center for Energy Regulation and Policy Analysis, will be the featured speaker of a “Tax Facts: Lunch & Learn” webinar focusing on Wyoming’s renewable energy industry later this month. The grassroots initiative Wyoming Tax Facts and the Equality State Policy Center will co-host the event.

Lily Jackson, a UW School of Energy Resources research scientist, explained the supply chain of critical rare earth elements as it relates to national security in the U.S. during a “UW in Your Community” event in Wheatland. The Platte County Record-Times reported on Jackson’s talk, which was part of a discussion on a possible rare earth elements mine in the area.

April

Fred McLaughlin, director of UW’s Center for Economic Geology Research, told Montana Free Press that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices in Wyoming have fielded three carbon sequestration proposals. He said he anticipates there will be a leasing fee associated with the use of BLM-managed pore space, the empty space in the ground between sediment particles and in air bubbles trapped inside rocks. His comments were part of an article titled “Putting a price on ‘pore space.’”

Goshen County News Now published UW’s release announcing that the UW Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership Program will host a leadership symposium on the UW campus next week. The symposium is titled “Navigating Western Waters: Addressing Water Challenges in the Western Region.” Tri-State Livestock News also published UW’s release. Kara Fornstrom, Center for Energy Regualtion and Policy Analysis director in the School of Energy Resources will be a headlining speaker. 

Fred McLaughlin, Center for Economic Geology Research director in the UW School of Energy Resources (SER), was quoted in an S&P Global article that focused on the Biden administration’s carbon capture plans that are becoming closer to reality amid an uptick in well permits in several states, including Wyoming.

The 3D Visualization Center at UW’s SER developed a powerful outreach and communication application to help the public understand the mechanics of underground carbon storage as part of the Wyoming CarbonSAFE project in the Powder River Basin in Campbell County. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published UW’s release on the interactive tool.

Cowboy State Daily reported that an energy research association and a filtration business have received U.S. Department of Energy funds to continue developing a project in Gillette that could make the Dry Fork Station the largest carbon capture power plant in the world. UW’s School of Energy Resources is a partner in various ongoing Dry Fork Station projects.

March

A post on the Energy Central website noted that University of Texas-Austin researchers are collaborating with UW School of Energy Resources colleagues on research that involves using a natural catalyst to generate hydrogen gas from iron-rich rocks. The project is funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant.

UW law Professor Tara Righetti was the program chair for the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law’s recent Special Institute on Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage. South Texas College of Law Houston’s Harry L. Reed Oil & Gas Law Institute hosted the conference that drew participants from across the U.S., Norway and Germany, according to a news release published by The Southeast Texas Record, a publication that covers the state’s legal system.

Casper Star-Tribune article included comments from Jonathan Naughton, director of UW’s Wind Energy Research Center, for a piece titled “Wind is waning across the U.S. What does it mean for Wyoming?” Wind energy production across the U.S., including in Wyoming, declined in 2023 -- for the first time in years.

FarmProgress and The Powell Tribune noted the research of Resham Thapa, a UW School of Energy Resources research professional 1, who published an article assessing the effects of coal char as a soil amendment in Agronomy, a top-tier journal in the fields of agronomy and crop science.

WyoFile featured an article that focused on recent industry claims of large rare earth element deposits in Wyoming that boast of a potential new mining industry worth billions of dollars. Included in the piece was UW’s School of Energy Resources’ continued research in examining the potential for rare earth elements in coal and coal ash.

Tulsa, Okla., based Williams recently received a $975,000 grant to study carbon capture and storage efforts in Wyoming. The grant -- to study development of a saline CO2 storage hub near Williams’ Echo Springs gas plant at Wamsutter -- is a collaboration between Williams and UW’s School of Energy Resources, according to Oklahoma Energy Today.

Cowboy Clean Fuels was recently awarded $7.8 million in state funding to pursue commercial-scale development of a technology that will produce renewable natural gas and capture carbon emissions using existing coalbed methane infrastructure in Johnson County. The technology, which involves injecting feed-grade sugar beet byproducts into deep coal formations using CBM wells, was developed at the UW’s Center for Biogenic Natural Gas Research, according to a Gillette News Record article.

February

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published UW’s release noting that a $250,000 gift to UW’s School of Energy Resources from energy infrastructure leader Williams will advance carbon capture, utilization and storage within the state and beyond.

The Casper Star-Tribune reported that the U.S. Department of Energy will fund a select set of carbon capture projects at the forefront of climate solutions, such as those at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC) near Gillette. Before grants can be awarded, recipients must submit a Community Benefits Plan (CBP) to enhance project transparency and broaden community involvement. UW’s Christine Reed, the School of Energy Resources’ (SER) outreach director, detailed the “CBP Toolbox,” a resource guide and webpage to help Wyoming stakeholders craft CBPs in Wyoming. SER manages the ITC.

St. Louis Public Radio carried comments from Tara Righetti, UW’s Occidental Chair in Energy and Environmental Policies, for a segment focusing on how the U.S. wants to construct more pipelines for carbon capture in the Midwest, but local farmers are against the proposal. Righetti detailed how CO2 is captured.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published a Buffalo Bulletin article on how Johnson County oil fields are the subject of extensive research by UW researchers who are hoping to boost future energy production on the Mowry Shale formation in the Powder River Basin. The article included quotes from Scott Quillinan, UW SER’s senior director of research. SER leads the early stages of the project.

A measure that would provide a $10 million “stimulus” to encourage more carbon capture for use in the oil industry will advance to the coming legislative session. UW’s Lon Whitman, Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute director, told WyoFile that, for the oil industry, CO2 has always been seen as a valuable commodity.

January

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle published UW’s release noting that the Wyoming Integrated Test Center will host a new $2.5 million project with Colorado State University, UW and Living Ink Technologies to convert an industrial source of carbon dioxide into high-value materials through an algae-based carbon transfer process. The project, also supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, began its initial phase in 2023.

UW’s School of Energy Resources was recently awarded $2.7 million for a pilot project that tackles large quantities of water produced by oil and gas wells. The project -- among six from the Wyoming Energy Authority that will receive matching funds -- was approved by Gov. Mark Gordon, Wyoming News Now reported.

UW is among three institutions that will receive funding for projects that will support humanities-driven science, technology, engineering and mathematics to facilitate interdisciplinary student training and technology development, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. In all, 19 projects will share $17.4 million to support novel, early-stage research at 17 U.S. colleges and universities.

Holly Krutka, executive director of UW’s School of Energy Resources (SER), spoke with Cowboy State Daily for an article focusing on funding a novel process to convert coal to asphalt. The state, along with Peabody Energy Corp., is considering funding millions of dollars to the project at the Wyoming Innovation Center in Campbell County. SER manages the center.

In a Gillette News Record energy roundup forecast article, underground carbon storage projects around the state were mentioned, including the Dry Fork Station in Campbell County, the Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub and the Echo Springs projects. All are DOE-funded CarbonSAFE initiatives administered in cooperation with UW’s SER.

Frontier Carbon Solutions received three Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality permits to drill three deep wells west of Green River, representing the first permits issued for carbon capture in the state, according to SweetwaterNOW. UW’s School of Energy Resources is part of the Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub.

 


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Contact Us

School of Energy Resources
Department 3012
1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-3721
E-mail: seracad@uwyo.edu

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