After a flurry of pessimistic reports on the state of Wyoming’s fossil fuel industry, two more analyses aren’t garnering much confidence.
The Wyoming State Geologic Survey has released their annual summary reports which reviews the highlights of Wyoming’s energy industry over the past few years. In 2019, the Greater Green River Basin and Powder River Basin were once again Wyoming’s top gas-producing basin and top oil-producing basin, respectively. Gas production decreased and oil production increased from their respective levels in 2018.
And then there’s coal . . .
Despite the steady decline in production, Wyoming remains the top coal-producing state in the nation, producing about 40 percent of the country’s total in 2018 and 2019. But company bankruptcies and changes in the electricity market have been taking their toll. The report shows how these factors have and will continue to affect Wyoming’s coal production and employment.
These are, in the grand scheme of things, year to year snapshots of the energy industry. As with any industry, fluctuations are expected. But patterns in the data are undeniable and, increasingly, unavoidable.
