LARRY WOLFE: For Wyoming, change is coming. Can the Wyoming Outdoor Council help lead the way?

I came to Wyoming in 1974 and stayed because its future looked promising. The prairies of Campbell County were sprouting surface coal mines, and new power plants were being built to burn the millions of tons that the massive mines produced. Oil and gas had long been here, but we did not yet know of the bounties that fracking, coal bed methane and interstate pipelines would bring. In a state so friendly to the energy industry it was easy to be convinced that riding the coattails of the coming booms would make for a good career. That proved to be true and Wyoming treated me very well. 

But, as Wyoming limps into 2020, every assumption on which the state’s economy is based is being called into question. Coal, natural gas, and oil are in decline. Power plants are closing. The country’s appetite for these products is falling. It won’t be overnight, but the transition is jarring, nonetheless. Wyoming’s economy in 2040 will look a lot different than it does now.

Sadly, small towns that are dependent on mineral extraction and agriculture will lose their populations, leaving communities of mostly old folks to struggle for diminishing essential services. Revenues to state and local governments will continue to slide, and within a few years the rainy-day funds will be spent down as they are used to fill increasingly large funding gaps. 

If I had to predict, modest-sized wind farms will be built, but the huge projects proposed for Carbon County will face uncertain futures. Industrial scale solar may arrive, and unless the Legislature screws it up, rooftop solar will expand. The uranium mining industry will cease, but trona will be stable.

Until the savings are almost exhausted, the Legislature will not impose new taxes to modernize our mineral dependent systems. The Joint Revenue Committee just soundly defeated a measure to raise ad valorem property taxes on homes. Magic elixirs for economic diversification, like blockchain, will fizzle, and they don’t generate any tax revenue. Gov. Matt Mead’s ENDOW initiative will be quickly forgotten, and millennials will continue to leave the state in search of greater opportunities.

Is there reason to be optimistic about Wyoming’s future and the role that the Wyoming Outdoor Council can play? Of course. Wyoming has vast and accessible public lands and residents who are committed to keeping these lands in public hands. Wyoming ranks second, behind Montana, in the economic value of its outdoor recreation economy. For more than 50 years WOC has been at the forefront of telling that story.

People and nature have always been in competition for the soul of Wyoming. While development is apparent across some Wyoming landscapes, I just drove from Cheyenne to Lander and I am reassured by the vast spaces that are relatively unmarred by civilization. You can still go into the Red Desert or Green Mountain south of Jeffrey City and disappear. The future of Wyoming may lie in the millions of people who crave quiet and momentary isolation, and its potential to allow individuals to rub up against nature in raw form. 

We are seeing a revolution in our understanding of big game migration and the critical factors, such as protected habitat and movement corridors, that help ensure their survival. The Outdoor Council is good at persuading people that public land and wildlife protection are vital. 

Wyoming is the headwaters of bountiful interstate streams. But our aging water infrastructure needs large investments. Drought and downstream demand will limit new development and convert existing uses. The Outdoor Council can encourage the state to make wise decisions about how water funds are spent.

Perhaps we will content ourselves to have a smaller permanent population, but more tourists, provided they are well behaved. If we adjusted our tax system, we might be able to get them to help pay for our education needs. Wyoming has a generally excellent K-12 education system, which enjoys broad public support and funding even in tough budget years. This must continue. 

Public understanding of the need to address climate change is growing, and WOC can play a central role in education and by supporting policies that limit emissions and address climate disruptions. WOC’s positive environmental message and its successes at protection can help counter “climate grief and eco-pessimism.”

It would be comforting to end this article with a paean to Wyoming’s mountains and plains and the indomitable spirit of its people. But, securing Wyoming’s future will take leadership, hard work, investment, and a willingness to change. Driving change is the hardest part, and likely the real calling of the Wyoming Outdoor Council.

Larry is a mostly retired natural resources, environmental, and energy lawyer who has practiced in Wyoming for almost 40 years. He is a passionate long distance cyclist and traveler. 

Outdoor Council member donates plug-in hybrid to spark conversation about fuel efficiency

Let’s be honest: We in Wyoming love our trucks and SUVs. It makes sense in a place where the winters tend to stretch on, so many people work in the energy industry or agriculture, and enjoying the outdoors requires getting off the pavement. But can hybrid and electric vehicles have their place on the state’s roads too? That’s the conversation one Wyoming Outdoor Council member wants to jump-start. 

To that end, he donated a Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid to the Outdoor Council. 

If you need a refresher on how these vehicles work, a hybrid car uses a combination of a gas engine and one or more electric motors. The system switches between the two power sources — or uses a combination of both — depending on the car’s speed and battery charge, and recharges itself when the gas engine is running and by recapturing energy while braking. A plug-in hybrid has a larger battery pack and, as the name suggests, can be charged from an electrical outlet. That means it can travel further and faster while relying exclusively on battery power. When that initial charge is depleted it functions like any other hybrid. 

We are grateful for this generous gift and excited for the conversations that are sure to follow as we drive it around the state. The donor of the Prius asked to remain anonymous but was happy to answer a few questions. 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DONATE THE VEHICLE?

Climate change is a big motivator. I’ve had Priuses since 2005, I think, and they’re really fuel-efficient cars.

I just bought a new Prius Prime and when I was looking to donate this one I thought there could be some kind of classes or education locally on the new generation of fuel-efficient cars. WOC had some seminars last year, talking about the nuclear fuel storage issue, climate change, and the solar net metering issue that [they were] instrumental in getting some action on. I thought they would be a good group to talk about fuel efficiency also. 

WHAT DO YOU HOPE WE CAN ACCOMPLISH? 

Teach people that hybrids and plug-ins can be used here in Wyoming. That’s what I’d like to see. At least get people to try it. This could be a way to start that. It’s a great car to take to Casper, it’s a great car to take to Cheyenne. But more than that, you can show people we’re making progress one car at a time. What if everyone on staff took it home for a night, plugged it in, used it? Told their family and friends about it. The best advocacy is to have one yourself. 

WHAT IMPACT HAS DRIVING A HYBRID CAR HAD ON YOU? 

I had this car for about two years. I keep meticulous records: 148 gallons of gas, $361 spent on gas. And I drove it 18,191 miles. If you just consider the gas, the car averaged 122 miles per gallon. I don’t have accurate data for this, but the electricity cost was about $4-6 per month. 

Just to compare, if you had a Subaru, which many people here drive, it would have used 627 gallons of gas to travel the same distance. This Prius used 75 percent less gas. I’ve kept these kinds of records for every car I’ve ever had and when you get done with it you say, “Hey, I really did save a lot of money.” Basically at the end of the year, it pays your entire car insurance bill. 

In the summer, a plug-in Prius has a range of about 40 miles on battery power alone. In the winter it’s about 20 miles. For most people, that’s enough to commute. If you’ve got an outlet or charging station at your place of work, 80 percent of the population would never need the gas engine. 

WHAT PLACE DO HYBRIDS HAVE IN WYOMING? DO YOU THINK THAT CAN CHANGE?

Wyoming runs the whole gamut, from people who drive fuel-efficient cars to people who think electric cars are not the wave of the future and are going to ruin Wyoming’s economy. But there are a lot of Priuses around.

The problem is, people don’t like to change. They think it’s not suitable for them and they don’t want to make the transition from gas to electric or hybrid. The president of Ford came out and said electric and hybrid vehicles haven’t made it mainstream because people are worried about them. They worry, “What if I run out of electricity? What if I can’t find a place to plug it in?” 

It’s this mindset that people have. Some people don’t understand that a hybrid still has a gas engine. If it’s got gas in it you’re going to get wherever you’re trying to go just like in your old car. 

Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.