WHEREAS, the State of Wyoming’s geographical climate zones consist primarily of areas of arid desert, semiarid steppe (short-grass prairie), and alpine climates; and,
WHEREAS, considering the nature of our state, water is considered a precious resource, overseen and extensively managed and studied by authorities such as local irrigation boards, the Wyoming State Climate Office, the Department of Environmental Quality, Wyoming Game and Fish, the State Engineer’s Office, Wyoming Legislature, etc.; and,
WHEREAS, without the precious resource of water, which Wyoming has worked extensively to protect through the State Constitution, statutes, advisory boards, and lawsuits, Wyoming’s agricultural activities would be virtually impossible and would significantly impact the landscape and economy; and,
WHEREAS, water reserves such as ground-water aquifers, rivers, and other storage basins are “communal” resources that provide thousands of Wyomingites, millions of livestock, and countless acres of cropland with life-giving water; and,
WHEREAS, in response to the media’s, corporate giants’, and government’s gaslighting of consumers about fossil-fuels, pushing for “renewable, green, clean fuels”, foreign based companies such as Nordex-Acciona (Germany) propose building “clean” hydrogen fuel plants in Eastern Wyoming; and,
WHEREAS, the process of producing hydrogen fuel requires separating the hydrogen and oxygen molecules in a water compound, meaning no water is returned back into the ecosystem; and,
WHEREAS, the project that Nordex-Acciona proposes building in West-Central Niobrara County or East- Central Converse County would pump 700/gal/minute, 24/7, 365 days/year or 1,200 ac. ft./year, which would draw from the Madison aquifer or be piped 20-30 miles using Dave Johnson powerplant water rights (should they be decommissioned), resulting in a draw of 367.9 million gallons of water yearly for the 30 - 50 year life-span of the project; and,
WHEREAS, local ranchers and irrigators have acknowledged the value and significant benefit to allowing the aquifers to “recharge” during the off-season/winter months, and projects like these would negate this restful benefit to the groundwater supply; and,
WHEREAS, the former statement has grounds for significant consideration as a recent article published by WyoFile.com in the Gillette News Record, Study: Up to 144 years for aquifers to recover from methane gas development, Pub. Jan. 26, 2022, reported that the Wyoming State Geological Survey found that the methane water wells in Campbell County had reduced the aquifer levels by more than 100 feet and the recovery of the aquifer would take 20-144 years; and,
WHEREAS, Nordex-Acciona hopes to be “independent” of the electrical grid, utilizing 180-200 wind turbines plus solar generators to power the hydrogen plant. In total, such an endeavor would require a footprint of 80,000–100,000 acres which would be leased from cooperating private landowners but creates a viewshed for 3-15 miles. Structures and roads to such devices would impact land available for livestock grazing, wildlife habitats and migration patterns, and tourism dollars from sightseers and hunting enthusiasts alike; and,
WHEREAS, hydrogen is a highly corrosive and volatile substance that is transported via truck or rail, posing new and significant dangers to communities in the event of an accident involving the substance; and,
WHEREAS, the market for hydrogen fuel is virtually non-existent in America, and largely experimental in maritime, aviation, and fleet trucking industries in Europe; and,
WHEREAS, the building and promotion of hydrogen fuels preys on the supposition that the fossil-fuel industry will have to be crippled in order to create a market for this fuel; and,
WHEREAS, on Dec.15, 2021, Governor Gordon proposed $100 million of the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds be set-aside “to match private-sector or federal funds for large-scale energy projects” including “a hydrogen hub”. Additionally, on Feb. 24, 2022, Governor Gordon’s office published a press release announcing a coalition between Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah for developing a regional hydrogen hub; and,
WHEREAS, state officials, including Governor Gordon, the State Engineer’s Office, the UW School of Energy, and the Department of Environmental Quality fail to acknowledge the virtually non-existent market for hydrogen, the detrimental impacts to agricultural and mining communities, and the effects on our Wyoming landscapes; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Wyoming Republican Party strongly opposes the development of hydrogen plants and hubs in Wyoming due to the detrimental impact they pose to agriculture livelihoods and local communities; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED we call upon Governor Mark Gordon, the State Engineer’s Office, the Department of Environmental Quality, the UW School of Energy, and other significant Wyoming government agencies involved in the promotion of hydrogen projects, to acknowledge the potential harm hydrogen poses to Wyoming communities and to repeal their unjustified support of these efforts.
Passed:
Wyoming Republican Party, 19 Apr 2024 WYGOP State Convention
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