Rusty Bell & Justin Loyka - Economics, Energy, and Community Pride

Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

Rusty Bell is the Director of Gillette College’s Office of Economic Transformation, and Justin Loyka is the Wyoming Energy Program Director at the Nature Conservancy. Rusty and Justin are working together to find sustainable, economically viable solutions to the energy transition that is currently taking place in and around Gillette, Wyoming. Gillette and Campbell County, Wyoming have long been leaders in the United States’ coal production business and have been a foundation of West’s economy for decades. But over the past 15 years or so, coal production has decreased by approximately half, which will have far-reaching consequences for Gillette, the state of Wyoming, and the West.

But as coal mining scales back, Gillette is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the rise of renewable energy and the many positive economic and environmental ripple effects that it creates. Campbell County’s landscape, workforce, infrastructure, transmission capabilities, and wildlife migration patterns offer huge opportunities to be a future hotbed of renewable energy. By transitioning reclaimed coal mines into renewable energy sites, Campbell County will not only be able to fill in the economic gap created by the contraction of the coal business, but will be able to allow Gillette to continue its culture of innovation, hard work, and community pride for decades to come.

Rusty was born and raised in Gillette, and Justin’s been living and working in Wyoming for almost 15 years. As you’ll hear, they’ve formed a partnership based on optimism, creativity, respect, and pragmatism, and they are making great strides to bolster the economic and environmental future of northeastern Wyoming. We talked about a lot in this conversation, including: A history of Wyoming’s coal mining business; the culture and community pride of Gillette; why Gillette is a perfect place for renewables; cultural and political views on renewables; wildlife considerations; details around coal mine reclamation; ways to build trust and lasting relationships; and more. Justin and Rusty also share ideas about why they work so well together, and they both offer some great book recommendations and wise parting words.

I loved this conversation and learned so much about not just energy production, but also community pride, pragmatism, problem-solving, and respectful, productive relationships. A huge thanks to Rusty and Justin for joining me, and thank you for listening.

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• Rusty Bell
• Justin Loyka
• Wyoming’s Energy Transition Plan
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/rusty-justin/

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:30 - A brief history of the coal business in Wyoming
• 10:00 - The unique culture and economy of Gillette, Wyoming
• 16:30 - Some background on coal mine reclamation
• 22:30 - Why Gillette is such a prime location for renewable energy
• 26:00 - Wildlife considerations
• 29:45 - Transmission capacity considerations
• 31:30 - What is a megawatt?
• 34:00 - The cultural and political acceptance of renewables
• 38:30 - Justin’s approach to building trust in Wyoming communities
• 43:30 - The positive ripple effects of a renewable economy
• 48:30 - What Justin admires about Rusty
• 51:30 - What Rusty admires about Justin
• 53:45 - TNC’s role in this energy and economic transition
• 57:30 - How the new Presidential administration will affect this work
• 1:03:30 - Favorite books
• 1:07:15 - Parting words

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