State officials rescind wind leases for Pronghorn and Sidewinder

As the Trump administration looks to further defund renewable energy, officials, experts and the public were at the Capitol to discuss the wind lease permits during Thursday's Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners meeting.

The board, comprised of the state’s five top elected officials, voted to rescind the wind leases 3 to 2, after initially approving them last spring by a vote of 4 to 1. That decision was overturned by District Court Judge Scott Peasley in a Dec. 5 ruling, saying the board violated its own rules by approving the leases. Gov. Mark Gordon had directed Attorney General Keith Kautz to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court, but the board asked Kautz to withdraw after overturning their own decision last Thursday.

These contracts were granted last April in spite of two years of pushback, locals said during public comment.

"That President Trump has vacated like $30 billion worth of wind energy, and the discussion I had with the gentleman from JPMorgan is that, you know, let's take that $30 billion and let's build mouth-to-mine coal-fire plants in Wyoming," said Curtis Meier, state treasurer.

The dual meeting of the State Board of Land Commissioners and the State Loan and Investment Board took public comment on wind leases, hearing from citizens concerned about its effects, and from the businesses that stand to lose a lot.

"Particularly with Trump taking down some of these subsidies, these projects don't necessarily pencil out without these subsidies, " said Kristie Racines, state auditor.

Paul Martin, president and lead developer of the Pronghorn and Sidewinder projects in Converse and Niobrara counties, said he's disappointed in the board's decision.

"We had a contract that the state signed,” he said. “We relied on that. We invested millions of dollars in each of those two contracts, and now the state is reneging on that commitment.”

When asked about public outcry over the impact of wind energy jobs on our state and economy, State Auditor Racines and project developer Martin said the pushback has only recently begun.

"Ninety-five percent of the public comments and reach out about wind energy have only been in the last two months," said Racines.

"It's really ramped up recently as we get closer to election season,” said Martin. “I think that some people like to make as much hay as they can, and we're seeing some of that.”

The decision now appears to be heading to the courts.

"It really forces us into a corner, unfortunately," Martin said.

Critics are concerned about the effects of shrinking pasturelands, fiberglass sheds and windmill vibrations on livestock reproduction, as well as the loss of water from the side hydrogen production project associated with the wind lease – though that component was removed last month.

The wind projects were initially designed to power a hydrogen production facility. The hydrogen component was removed in January. The project will now focus on wind and solar electricity generation, with a 30% smaller footprint and no wind turbines in areas like the state-owned Duncan Ranch.

Ranch chair Bobby Giesse at Macgoon Ranch said these projects surround their ranch.

"If we do not have water, that's one of the most important aspects of a ranch or a farm, water. And without water, you're pretty well dead," said Giesse.

He went on to say there's been pushback all along on these projects, and that their concerns have been ignored for the sake of the state's profit.

"The people of Wyoming do not want this, yet it keeps getting rammed down our throats. April, when we had that meeting here, there were like 29 people that testified, I think there was two that testified for it," said Giesse.

But Giesse said the promise of prosperity hasn't trickled down to locals, and history repeats itself, citing the Medicine Bow Project, which installed wind turbines 40 years ago.

"Have you seen big prosperity in Medicine Bow, Wyoming? No. It has done nothing for it. I've talked to some past county commissioners from Carbon County, where this project is big, and they say they have not seen one one-tenth of what they were promised," said Giesse.

Carbon County commissioners said last July the county receives 60% of the wind tax revenue while the rest goes to the state’s general fund, according to Big Foot 99. In fiscal year 2024-25, the country received about $800,000 from wind energy.

Martin said this now stops tens to hundreds of millions of dollars from coming into state taxes, royalties and trusts that fund schools. Also employing state biologists, locals and businesses.

"I'll certainly never want to sign another lease with the state of Wyoming. With any trading partner, once you get burned, you've learned that you can't trust them anymore," said Martin.

State officials said in December a Wyoming delegation was invited to the White House in D.C. to review Trump's initiatives and push for the upcoming election season.

This cancellation of the wind lease could now put the state in another lawsuit over renewable energy.