Wyoming, Russia and Saudi Arabia; Three approaches to fossil fuel decline

As a state that relies on fossil fuels for much of its economic success, it is interesting to equate Wyoming’s energy job recession with nations with a similar destiny such as Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Here in Wyoming, the recent layoffs in the Powder River Basin coal mines and at railroads that haul our coal, plus steep declines in oil and natural gas prices, have sent shock waves throughout the state’s economy. Until those coal jobs were lost, the state seemed to be more concerned about losses of tax revenue. But when over a thousand people actually lose their high-paying jobs, well,...