Western Governors’ Association hosts workshop at Gillette College and the Wyoming Integrated Test Center

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, chair of the Western Governors' Association (WGA), hosted a workshop at Gillette College and the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC) on Sept. 21. The workshop, the first in a series of four, covered the efforts driving carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology in Western states, and focused on bringing attention to the use and storage of CO₂ (carbon dioxide) in a way that ensures a sustainable energy future. 

The workshop opened with a brief welcome from Jack Waldorf, WGA executive director, and was followed by opening remarks from Gov. Gordon.

“I’m excited to discuss carbon capture on fossil fuel electric generating plants and the issues around CO₂ sequestration,” Gordon said. “There is a difference between trying to stop fossil fuel development and trying to address what I believe is probably the most important issue of our time: how do we get CO₂ out of the atmosphere?” 

The workshop continued with a presentation given by Brad Crabtree, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, who gave an overview of what his department does regarding carbon management and the commercialization of technology to capture and remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. 

Next on the agenda was a panel discussion highlighting the current developers testing technology at the ITC facility, which is a carbon capture and utilization test center located at Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station near Gillette. The center provides space for technology developers to test their technologies using actual coal-based flue gas. It has been an influential fixture in bridging the gap between CCUS technology development and the possibility of commercial-scale deployment. 

Tara Righetti, a University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources professor of law and the Occidental Chair in Energy and Environmental Policies, spoke on regulatory hurdles that slow down research, development, and implementation of CCUS in the West. 

Participants were also given a tour of the ITC and Wyoming CarbonSAFE, which is one of the original CCUS project sites in the United States funded by the Department of Energy. The tour included a safety briefing, tours of both the small and large test centers, and a view of the CarbonSAFE wells. 

“This workshop presented a wonderful opportunity for us to share the work we are doing in Wyoming, to learn from leaders in other Western states, and to work together toward solutions to shared challenges,” said Righetti.