THURSDAY, October 22, 2026|
Photo – Proposed location of Miller Generating Station – Courtesy Seminoe Power Company
Local governments are asking for $28 million in impact‑assistance funding to offset the added pressure the Miller Generating Station will place on Carbon and Sweetwater Counties.
Seminoe Power Company, an affiliate of Power Company of Wyoming, is preparing to build a 2,000‑megawatt natural‑gas powerplant south of Sinclair called the Miller Generating Station. Last month, the company applied for an Industrial Siting Permit from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to build, operate, and maintain the facility. Construction is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2027, reaching a peak workforce of 914 workers. On average, 492 workers will be onsite during the 70‑month construction period. Seminoe Power Company estimates that 42 full‑time employees will be needed to run the facility once it is complete.
As part of the permitting process, the Industrial Siting Council must determine the project’s impact on local roads, housing, and emergency services. The Council allocated roughly $54 million of impact assistance funding to be divided between Carbon and Sweetwater Counties.
During Tuesday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting in Hanna, County Clerk Lisa Smith explained that the Board met on October 13th with representatives from Elk Mountain, Encampment, Hanna, Medicine Bow, Riverside, Saratoga, Sinclair, Wamsutter, and Sweetwater County to determine how much of that $54 million each entity would request from the Industrial Siting Council to address costs directly tied to the project. After reaching an agreement, Clerk Smith said each local government was presented with a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, stating that they are submitting their $28 million impact‑assistance requests together.
The Board of Commissioners voted to sign the impact‑assistance MOU. The matter was also discussed during Tuesday evening’s Rawlins City Council meeting, where City Attorney Pinita Maberry‑Nave said construction and operation of the Miller Generating Station will affect Rawlins and that the MOU will ensure the city receives impact‑assistance funding to mitigate those added demands.
Attorney Maberry‑Nave noted that from the approximately $28 million in impact‑assistance funding requested by Carbon and Sweetwater Counties, Rawlins is seeking for $5,885,760 to address increased demands on its law enforcement, firefighting, and public‑works infrastructure.
The Rawlins City Council also voted to sign the MOU as well as have City Manager Matt Hall testify at the January 19th Industrial Siting Council meeting.
The Hanna Town Council discussed its requested portion of the Miller Generating Station impact‑assistance funding during its October 13th meeting. Treasurer Ann Calvert said the town is seeking $969,903 to cover added strain on its water and sewer systems, law enforcement, and the increased wear on Jefferson Street, which provides access to the Kortes and Seminoe Reservoirs.
Treasurer Calvert said the town can change its impact‑assistance request since a portion of the Industrial Siting Council’s original allocation is still available. She added that any money the town is awarded will be received in monthly payments over the course of five years.
Calvert explained that the impact‑assistance funding doesn’t need to be spent by a certain time, but it can only be used for the purposes outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding. The Hanna Town Council voted to sign the MOU.
As previously stated, Rawlins is requesting $5,885,760 in impact‑assistance funding from the Miller Generating Station project. Hanna is seeking $969,903, Elk Mountain $596,000, Encampment $297,159.99, Medicine Bow $500,000, Riverside $15,000, Saratoga $5,365,000, Sinclair $1,885,562.12, and the Board of Carbon County Commissioners is requesting $12,600,310.34.
Sweetwater County is seeking $80,000, and Wamsutter is requesting $250,000. In total, the 11 requests add up to $28,444,695.45. Each entity must justify its request before the Industrial Siting Council, which is set to consider the Miller Generating Station’s impact‑assistance funding on January 19th and 20th at the Jeffrey Memorial Community Center in Rawlins.
