SPOTLIGHT ON MINING IN WYOMING

We dig deep into the fraught context of the North American mining industry and the quandary facing Wyoming as the nation’s largest coal producer

Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Krisha Canlas

The state of Wyoming is the powerhouse of the North American mining sector.

Blessed with a unique geology and a wealth of diverse mineral deposits, Wyoming produces raw materials for industry, energy development and a host of other sectors. Indeed, it was the potential of its vast mineral resources that led to Wyoming’s original successful campaign to gain individual statehood in the 19th century. Today, the mining industry accounts for 30 percent of annual state budget revenue.

As North America’s largest coal producer, Wyoming contributes approximately 40 percent of the nation’s coal.

However, in the current environmental context and the overwhelmingly negative perceptions surrounding the resource, federal legislation is placing this critical industry under threat.

In addition, Wyoming stands out as the leading producer of both trona – processed into natural soda ash and the state’s top international export – and bentonite. Otherwise known as ‘miracle mud’, due to its host of applications, bentonite finds myriad uses in everything from cosmetics to environmental sealants, and is primarily used as the clumping component in cat litter. Both are considered steady industries that are unlikely to diminish in relevance and importance.

Despite the complications facing the state’s coal mining industry, unlocking the full potential of Wyoming’s unearthed resources will be instrumental in driving a renewable, low-emission future.

The US currently relies on nuclear generation for about 20 percent of its energy, and Wyoming represents the leading domestic producer of uranium. But the industry’s heyday of the 1970s is long gone. At that time, Wyoming produced 10 million lbs of uranium a year and the industry employed 5,000 people; today those figures have plummeted to an almost non-recordable level. With nuclear holding the key to emission-free energy, and environmentally-friendly mining techniques now available using well-fields and pumping techniques, the industry is poised for a comeback.

Similarly, Wyoming boasts significant potential in rare earth minerals – the mining of which is fundamental to the development of electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy. The state hosts many companies currently undergoing exploration and development in this future-facing field.

Amidst fraught geopolitical tensions and the imbalance of markets towards China and Russia, the answer for Wyoming, and indeed the US, lies in domestic production.