Wyoming Gov. Gordon on tariffs, energy and environmental stewardship

Geoff Bennett:

President Donald Trump welcomed both Democratic and Republican governors to the White House this morning for a bipartisan meeting.

As that gathering was under way, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its major ruling on tariffs, a decision that could affect a number of states, including Wyoming, where trade and energy production play an important role in the state's economy.

Wyoming's Republican Governor Mark Gordon attended the morning's gathering of governors, and joins us now.

Thanks for being here.

Gov. Mark Gordon (R-WY):

Wonderful to be here. Thanks so much.

Geoff Bennett:

I want to start with trade, since the Supreme Court, as you know, struck down the administration's tariffs.

Well, how does that decision change the outlook for Wyoming producers and exporters, especially ranchers, energy companies, for instance, that rely on global markets?

Gov. Mark Gordon:

Well, I think that's a good question.

What I would say is that we had already started some work with Japan and other countries in Asia to talk about getting our natural gas off the West Coast, be able to get our coal off the West Coast. It's not really clear to us exactly how this trade decision will change that.

I think Japan, for example, was very high -- Governor Lujan Grisham and I were in Japan last year, and they were very high on the notion of being able to buy American energy. We hope this continues, and that trade deficit is able to be decreased.

Geoff Bennett:

Well, what are you hearing from industry in your state?

Gov. Mark Gordon:

We were all beginning to adjust to it.

Geoff Bennett:

Right.

Gov. Mark Gordon:

Our ability to -- first off, beef is a big part of our economy. Our concerns were domestic consumers. The market has been really quite good.

As far as energy is concerned, our interest is being able to get that offshore. We have tremendous amounts of energy, and we're really looking at A.I. as being a boon to us. So we're going to adapt kind of however it comes best for us.

Right now, it's a little hard to know if it's going to change our manufacturing, any of that stuff.

Geoff Bennett:

On energy, President Trump pledged to expand domestic energy production. What specifically has the administration delivered for Wyoming, and where do you still want action?

Gov. Mark Gordon:

Well, I think we're very excited about this administration, because we are not constraining what we can produce.

So we have -- Wyoming's a powerhouse. We have tremendous amounts of fossil fuel. We have led the nation on carbon capture and other things that can make sure that we can both address climate issues and produce more energy, energy that's available and can be produced easily. We have tremendous resources of wind and solar.

And then we have also built up our nuclear industry. TerraPower and BWXT are both doing work in Wyoming now. So we're very excited about this administration kind of opening that up. There's those legacy pieces that we're working through. The last administration had put some constraints on some of our ability to develop, and we're hoping that those can be done away with fairly quickly.

Geoff Bennett:

Let's talk about that, because there's news on environmental regulation today too. The administration announced it's rolling back some clean air regulations for power plants, including limits on mercury and hazardous air toxins.

Wyoming has taken steps to regulate methane and wildlife conservation. So how do you balance environmental stewardship with economic competitiveness?

Gov. Mark Gordon:

Well, I think one of the most important things for Wyoming has been, if we do it locally, we have stakeholder engagement. The people that work in the energy business are also hunters. They love the outdoors. They love taking their family fishing.

So they care a lot about what we're able to do, which is why we have tried to balance how we develop our energy in a way that preserves our migratory game pathways, makes sure that our sage grass populations are protected.

And the state has done that. And it has done it very successfully. I think, when we look at what we can do, as opposed to telling us what we can't do, and we say we want to balance environmental protection with development, we don't want to hold back the energy this nation needs, I think you look at the people who can solve those problems on the ground, and this administration has allowed us to do that.

Geoff Bennett:

Why do you think this has been controversial at the federal level, where it seems like you found a strategy for success in the state level?

Gov. Mark Gordon:

Yes, I -- that's a good question.

You look at the results that we have and, generally speaking, people are saying, gosh, that's working with sage grass, that's working with migratory game animals. There may be just this notion that Washington can cure everything. If we do it here, we can make it happen elsewhere.

But the real resistance I have to that is that we have private property interspaced with state and federal lands. And when you try to impose the federal will on that, you don't have stakeholder engagement, you don't have stakeholder belief in the outcome, and that's the difference.

Geoff Bennett:

Wyoming is one of the most reliably Republican states in the country. Does that free you up to govern pragmatically?

Gov. Mark Gordon:

Yes, I think it does.

I think what Wyoming is really focused on is sensible solutions to making sure that we can still power our nation. We were the nation's first national park. that's deep in our DNA. And so I think what it has given us is the ability to kind of work carefully with property owners and others to find the best solutions.

We have worked also with Democrat administrations as well. And I think one of the friendships that I treasure most is my relationship with Governor Lujan Grisham. We both are energy states. We are not going to agree on everything, but we realize that together we can probably do a better job of representing what's important to America, if we do work together.

Geoff Bennett:

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, thanks for coming in.

Gov. Mark Gordon:

Thanks so much.