Resolution Against Wind/Solar/BESS Projects in Wyoming

Whereas, Wind/Solar/BESS electricity are dilute, intermittent, unrealiable forsm of energy - available only when nature allows – that require vast amounts of land, land that is often critical for agriculture and wildlife; and

Whereas, Large-scale deployment of solar, wind, and batteries increases demand for critical minerals (lithium, nickel, rare earths) that entail extensive mining, processing, and supply-chain externalities, often offshore, and impose environmental and human-health costs before components even arrive here; and

Whereas, BESS using lithium-ion chemistry have documented fire and thermal-runaway risks at utility scale while local first responders may lack training, equipment and access to sites for safe firefighting and prolonged cooling, and

Whereas, wind turbine noise and low-frequency sound can produce annoyance and sleep disruption for nearby residents at certain exposures as well as many other documemed negative health symptoms; additionally, the infrasound from wind turbines causes groundwater and aquifer destabilization; and

Whereas, wind turbines are indiscriminate killers of golden eagles, other raptors, and migratory bats while wind projects fragment crucial habitats and disrupt and block migration routes of Wyoming's pronghorn antelope, mule deer, and elk; and

Whereas, the conversion of prime agricultural soils and loss of irrigated acreage in Wyoming diminishes local food production capacity and resilience; and

Whereas, local agricultural economies and food security produce long-term, stable economic value, intermittent energy projeccs often bring temporary construction jobs and limited permanent employment while permanently reducing productive farmland, and

Whereas, public policy that prioritizes the siting of wind, solar, and BESS on prime farmland without demonstrated net benefits to local food security and without full accounting for reliability and lifecycle material costs is inconsistent with protecting human flourishing and local economic resilience; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Wyoming Republican Party

1. Finds and declares that preserving prime farm land and local food security is a core public interest that must be weighed explicitly and heavily in energy siting decisions.

2. Opposes the siting of wind and solar projects on agricultural land and critical wildlife habitats in Wyoming.

3. Rejects mandates, subsidies, and policies that artificially favor solar and wind projects.

4. Champions energy freedom, allowing reliable energy sources to thrive.

Passed:

Wyoming Republican Party, 23 Aug 2025 WYGOP SCC Meeting