November 10, 2023 |
Photo – North Antelope Rochelle Coal Mine in Powder River Basin – Courtesy Mining Technology
The Wyoming Republican Party passed a “No Confidence” vote against Governor Gordon following his remarks at a Harvard political talk.
During a meeting at the Newcastle Convention Center, the Wyoming Republican Party Central Committee expressed their disapproval for comments Governor Mark Gordon made about Wyoming’s energy production.
In an October 23rd Harvard Institute of Politics conversation titled Decarbonizing the West, Governor Gordon and Director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government Jeff Liebman discussed the future of energy production in Wyoming. During the event, Governor Gordon focused on his energy policies. The governor spoke about how the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project will be largest wind farm in the United States.
Governor Gordon also pushed carbon sequestration programs. Wyoming is set to become the home of the world’s largest atmospheric carbon dioxide removal plant.
Slated to open in 2030, the plant is predicted to remove five million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year and store it underground.
Governor Gordon said carbon sequestration will buy the state time to switch its energy production methods.
The Wyoming Republican Party has made it clear that it does not agree with the governor’s push toward renewable energy. Last weekend, Park County State Committeeman Vince Vanata issued a vote of “No Confidence” against Governor Gordon.
The vote was a signal that the Wyoming Republican Party no longer supports the governor and that they think he should resign or be removed from office.
Carbon County Republican Party Chairman Paul Metevier attended the state’s Central Committee meeting and supported the “No Confidence” vote.
In a written statement to Bigfoot99, Metevier said the vote was, “focused around the governor talking about people [in] Wyoming being committed to being carbon negative. Our county’s name comes from mining and Wyoming is an energy producing state… most are directly or indirectly connected to… oil and coal.”
At the October 23rd Harvard talks, Governor Gordon expressed his support for the coal industry. However, instead of being used to create energy, the governor said coal can be used to replace oil in certain products, such as asphalt.
The Biden administration is committed to stopping our country from using fossil fuels. The effects of those policies are felt most heavily in places that rely on natural gas, oil, and coal production, like Wyoming. The members of the Wyoming Republican Party Central Committee have let Governor Gordon know that they think he should support the fossil fuel industry in our state.
