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.

 

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May

As the data center boom continues in Wyoming, the state’s natural gas industry may play an increasing role in powering the computing systems with electricity. One such project noted in a WyoFile article is a collaborative “large-scale” commercial carbon storage hub near Granger -- involving UW and others -- that will capture and permanently store the natural gas generator carbon emissions.

UW’s Matt Fry, Center for Energy Regulation and Policy Analysis director, and Lon Whitman, Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute director, both were quoted in a Cowboy State Daily piece titled “Pumping CO₂ Into Wells Helps With Recovery But Wyoming Energy Leaders Say Cost Is High.”

Cowboy State Daily also published an article focusing on the discovery of massive oil and gas reserves in southwest Wyoming. The article cited UW’s research on the discovery, partially from data obtained on the Mowry Shale.

Even though it is declining, coal is still a major industry in Wyoming and is not close to extinction, Holly Krutka, executive director of UW’s School of Energy Resources, said in an interview with Cowboy State Daily. The article focused on the Powder River Basin’s two largest coal-producing companies that still dominate production in the state but have been in decline the past decade.

Wyoming Public Radio interviewed Tara Righetti, co-director of UW’s Nuclear Energy Research Center, about the university offering a nuclear energy certificate for undergraduate and graduate students this fall.

In an MSN piece titled “Could coal plant landfills be the answer to the rare earths supply problem?,” an industry expert says it is essential that coal companies continue to collaborate with universities to research how to utilize coal ash to extract critical minerals. UW was mentioned among universities already conducting such research. The Washington Examiner originally published the article.

WyoFile covered the national Next Frontier Energy Summit at UW last week that drew hundreds of energy innovation leaders to Wyoming’s annual conference to tout the state’s potential role in national energy transition. The article mentioned UW’s involvement is several projects around the state, including TerraPower’s Natrium nuclear power plant under construction near Kemmerer.

Madeleine Lewis, an attorney and research scientist in the School of Energy Resources, offered comments on the importance of interstate collaboration in an interview with Wyoming Public Media following Gov. Mark Gordon's announcement that he had signed an MOU agreement with the governors of Idaho and Utah to collaborate on energy policy and projects. 

Gov. Mark Gordon recently discussed a successful trade mission to Japan and Taiwan that could increase Wyoming fossil fuel exports, according to a Wyoming Tribune Eagle article. Officials from UW and the Wyoming Energy Authority, as well as representatives of energy companies, also were part of the Cowboy State delegation.

Holly Krutka and Christine Reed, School of Energy Resources executive director and director of outreach, respectively, were among those offering comments for a Cowboy State Daily article titled “State Wants to Know How Much Coal Is Left In Wyoming, And Who Will Buy It.”

April

Cowboy State Daily published an article that focused on the Dave Johnston Power Plant near Glenrock and if new technology can achieve emissions-free coal burning. Some experts are optimistic, while others question the cost of achieving that goal. Holly Krutka, UW School of Energy Resources executive director, offered comments for the article.

UW Extension’s office in Buffalo will offer a class on home food preservation next month, according to Sheridan Media. The news outlet also interviewed Chad Baldwin, UW associate vice president for communications and marketing, about the School of Energy Resources’ selection of faculty-led proposals related to nuclear-related research.

UW’s School of Energy Resources is launching nuclear energy certificate programs for undergraduate and graduate students this fall. Oil City News published part of UW’s release on the announcement.

Cowboy State Daily noted that a Denver-based company is working with UW’s Center for Biogenic Natural Gas Research to increase natural gas production using agricultural byproducts and microorganisms. Cowboy Clean Fuels is developing a facility about 30 miles southwest of Gillette to work with UW to increase natural gas production.

The Gillette News Record publicized a UW Pre-K Roadshow program recently to one of Campbell County’s elementary schools. Teams of UW undergraduate and graduate students, along with faculty members, travel throughout the state facilitating hands-on learning in pre-K-12 STEM classrooms using active-learning techniques through the Science Initiative Roadshow.

March

UW’s Holly Krutka, School of Energy Resources executive director, and Fred McLaughlin, director of the Center for Economic Geology Research, were both interviewed for a Cowboy State Daily piece that focused on President Donald Trump’s proclamation to increase the nation’s production of rare earth elements that could be a major boon for Wyoming to become a leader in that energy sector.

SVI.news, in Afton, interviewed Chad Baldwin, UW associate vice president for marketing and communications, who provided various university updates, such as the significant advancements in nuclear energy research at UW and the announcement that six innovative nuclear-related research proposals have been selected for funding by UW’s School of Energy Resources.

Comments from Davin Bagdonas, a UW School of Energy Resources research professional III, have been included in a widely published article, including Interesting Engineering, which focuses on the work from University of Texas at Austin researchers who have identified $8.4 billion worth of rare earth elements locked within the country’s coal ash deposits. The discovery was published in related articles by MSN and Coal Zoom.

Peter Gottfried, president of Natural Systems Analysts Inc. in Dubois, was among four individuals appointed to the UW School of Energy Resources’ (SER) Energy Resources Council (ERC). The ERC plays a vital role in advising SER on its research priorities, educational programs and outreach initiatives, according to a UW media release published by WyoToday Media.

Davin Bagdonas, a UW research scientist, offered comments in a SciTech Daily piece that focused on the more than $8 billion cache of rare earth elements that has been discovered in the U.S. Bagdonas discussed coal ash as a readily available rare earth elements resource.

February

The Wyoming Integrated Test Center, managed by UW’s School of Energy Resources, has been selected to negotiate a substantial funding award to continue and expand testing operations for carbon dioxide capture, removal and conversion. The High Plains Journal reports that the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management has invested $101 million in five selected national test centers.

The Riverton Ranger published UW’s release noting that the Center for Energy Regulation and Policy Analysis at UW’s School of Energy Resources released a white paper exploring spent nuclear fuel management as part of a set of six articles delving into the economic feasibility of developing an integrated nuclear sector in Wyoming.

Coal Zoom published UW’s release reporting that the School of Energy Resources, in collaboration with the National Energy Technology Laboratory, is developing technologies and methods for extracting rare earth elements from coal fly ash. Testing on a pilot-scale production facility at the Wyoming Innovation Center near Gillette recently began.

January

The Wyoming Integrated Test Center, managed by UW’s School of Energy Resources, was provisionally selected to negotiate a substantial funding award to continue and expand testing operations for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture, removal and conversion. Other entities also will receive funds, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Also publishing the news were National Energy Technology Laboratory, Carbon Herald, Innovation News Network and The Casper Star-Tribune.

In Cowboy State Daily, the science of cracking the Mowry shale was part of a lengthy article that focused on Wyoming’s Powder River Basin’s oil and gas potential. The article noted that the Wyoming Legislature granted $2.5 million to UW’s School of Energy Resources to study the Mowry shale.

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SER in the News Archives

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