“I believe we need to make hay while the sun is shining. The sun is shining.”- Gov. Mark Gordon
CHEYENNE, WYO – Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) joined Continental Resource Founder and Chairman Harold Hamm at the North American Prospect Expo (NAPE) Summit Governors Forum for a candid energy policy and strategy conversation before an audience of over 500 industry leaders and news media on Tuesday in Houston. Governor of the nation’s second-largest energy-producing state, Gordon is a staunch champion of energy innovation including nuclear and CCUS. “For American energy, this is our Golden Age,” said Gov. Gordon.
According to Energy Industry News, “As a conservative, Gordon has worked to place Wyoming on a sustainable fiscal path. He is dedicated to making government more transparent, accessible, productive and efficient.”
Hamm is known as a bold, energy industry leader and generous philanthropist with a Horatio Alger story; his company is a top-10 publicly traded oil producer (lower 48).
During the panel discussion, entitled Perspectives on Shaping the Future in Energy in America, Mr. Hamm recalled the dinner conversation that led to Chris Wright’s appointment as Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary and stressed the need to change the national narrative regarding energy.
Gov. Gordon and Mr. Hamm spoke optimistically about the energy industry’s ability to increase production with the change of federal leadership in DC, through industry capability, state management and cooperation, and innovation.
“On Day 1, the Biden administration pushed pause on leasing. We immediately entered into expensive lawsuits, and the Biden administration still did not issue leases on a regular basis,” said Gordon. “The new administration — with energy friends Doug Burgum and Chris Wright — understands states know how to manage their resources best. It will take time, but I’m confident Wyoming and the nation’s energy future will grow stronger. The days of Biden — and Obama — handcuffs on fossil fuels are over.”
“Donald Trump listens and he’s so smart. He gets it right now,” said Hamm, “The President listened and created the National Energy Council with Doug Burgum over that, to bring all the agencies together. This is so significant.”
Before explaining why Cheyenne is home to 8 data centers — including newcomer META — Gordon chided moderator Roger Soape, CPL, when queried what makes Wyoming so attractive to data centers. “Well I’ve noticed Texas has a lot of data centers, which I could never quite understand, because it’s hot, humid, and hard to cool. None of those things are true of Wyoming.”
Following the panel, the Governor held an in-depth, roundtable discussion with energy industry media professionals. He took the opportunity to emphasize Wyoming’s significant national energy status: #1 in coal; #8 in oil; #9 in gas and #17 in wind energy. He also fielded questions regarding Wyoming’s open-for-business climate, TerraPower’s Natrium advanced nuclear reactor project, and expounded on the benefits of being able to access the federal mineral estate.
“Just think of what that means for our country, just in terms of revenue. To finally be able to procure minerals in a significant way. It’s a way to help balance the budget and get our country going again,” Gov. Gordon said.
“The NAPE summit provides a good opportunity to showcase Wyoming’s business climate, our energy products, and innovations with top executives, investors, and decision-makers from the upstream and midstream energy sectors,” Gov. Gordon said, “And of course, it was so great to see the UW students associated with our School of Energy Resources (SER) learning and networking as well.”
–Office of Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon