CORE-CM Ecosystem in Wyoming

The  School of Energy Resources (SER)  at the  University of Wyoming  is studying the feasibility of a Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) ecosystem in the state. This research is divided into two projects: one focused on the Greater Green River and Wind River Basins ( GGRB-WRB ) and the other focused on the Powder River Basin ( PRB ). Both projects are funded by the  U.S. Department of Energy .

As seen in the map below, the Greater Green River Basin extends over counties in Wyoming (mainly Sweetwater, Sublette, Carbon, and Uinta) and Colorado (mainly Moffat and Routt) while the Wind River Basin is contained within two Wyoming counties (Fremont and Natrona) and overlaps a portion of the  Wind River Reservation . PRB extends over counties in Wyoming (mainly Campbell, Johnson, Sheridan, and Converse) and Montana (mainly Powder River, Rosebud, and Big Horn). It also overlaps with the  Northern Cheyenne Reservation  and a portion of the  Crow Reservation .

All maps on this page are interactive. For example, you can click on a county to learn its name and other characteristics. Once a pop-up box emerges, check the bottom right corner for arrows to move through overlapping layers (e.g., basins, counties, and reservations).

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Rare earth elements and critical minerals can be recovered from coal sediments and coal by-product streams, such as power generation ash, as well as other basin materials, e.g., Trona. In fact, according to the  U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) , Wyoming has 12% of the U.S. demonstrated reserve base of coal as of January 2022, with only two states having a higher share (Montana at 25% and Illinois at 22%). In addition, according to the  Bureau of Land Management (BLM) , Wyoming is home to the world's largest Trona deposit, which covers about 1,300 square miles and supplies about 90% of the nation's soda ash. The map below provides information on the location of mines and power plants in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. It displays coal-fired power plants, surface and underground coal mines, as well as metal ore mines and nonmetallic mineral mines, including Trona mines in the Southwest region of Wyoming. Refining facilities are not shown on the map although Wyoming and Montana, each have 4 operable refineries while Colorado only has 2.

Zoom in using the + at the bottom right corner of the map so you can select the establishment (e.g. power plant or mine) that you want to examine.

Wyoming has many relevant industries that can constitute the foundation of a CORE-CM ecosystem. In general, regional economic growth is driven by an increase in the production of traded goods, i.e., goods that are exported. These goods differ by region because they emerge as a function of regional comparative advantage. One method to assess which goods are traded in Wyoming, or which industries are the ones that export and thus contribute to economic growth, is to examine the state’s location quotient (LQ) by industry. The LQ is a measure of an industry’s employment concentration in a given region compared to a reference region, the U.S. for our purposes here. The Figure below lists all concentrated industries in Wyoming (LQ>1.1) using Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data. In red are industries that have experienced an over-the-year (OTY) decrease in employment. Shaded in green are more stable or growing industries. Extractive industries, supporting activities, e.g., transportation, and other connected industries along the coal supply chain, e.g., coal products manufacturing, are the most concentrated industries in Wyoming. However, most of these traded industries are shrinking which creates adverse effects ranging from the loss of high paying jobs to the depletion of fiscal revenue. An emerging CORE-CM industry can leverage the current infrastructure, supply chain, and workforce skills in the state and subsequently alleviate some of the challenges associated with this observed decline.

Industries that could play a key role in the exploration to processing phases of the CORE-CM supply chain include: Coal Mining; Metal Ore Mining; Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying; Support Activities for Mining; Basic Chemical Manufacturing; Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing; Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing; Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing; Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities; Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing; Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing; Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing; OtherElectrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing; and Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing. The map below illustrates businesses within these industries.

Industries that could play a key role in the CORE-CM alloying and manufacturing phases of the supply chain include: Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing; Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing; Chemical Manufacturing; Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing; Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing; Primary Metal Manufacturing; Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing; Machinery Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; and Transportation Equipment Manufacturing. The map below illustrates businesses within these industries.

In this section, we provide a broad overview of Wyoming's transportation networks. Currently, both the GGRB-WRB and PRB research teams are focused on better understanding the concentration and prevalence of rare earth elements and critical minerals in the state as well as suitable processing techniques, associated waste streams, and end use markets. Their findings will determine the role that these different transport modes will play in the state's CORE-CM ecosystem. Below, we illustrate rail, road, air, and pipeline networks. Wyoming does not have a navigable waterway network.

Historically, coal shipments have been the largest revenue source for railroads, according to the  National Railway Labor Conference . Generally, 52% of rail freight car loads consist of bulk commodities such as agriculture and energy products, automobiles and components, construction materials, chemicals, equipment, food, metals, minerals, paper, and pulp while the remaining 48% is intermodal traffic that generally consists of consumer goods and other miscellaneous products, according to the  U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) . In addition, DOT notes that the U.S. freight rail network, consisting of 140,000 route miles, is widely considered the largest, safest, and most cost-efficient freight system in the world and it is operated by seven Class I, 22 regional, and 584 local railroads.

Wyoming is served by the two largest Class I railroads: BNSF Railway Company (in red on the map below) with a rail network of 32,500 route miles and Union Pacific (UP) Railroad (in blue on the map below) with a rail network of 32,100 route miles. While Wyoming does not have an intermodal freight facility, the Salt Lake City facility, owned by the UP Railroad Company, is within about 100 miles of GGRB where UP rails are operational. Similarly, the Denver facility, owned by the BNSF Railway Company is within about 200 miles of WRB and PRB, which are serviced by BNSF rails. Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container, which eliminates the need to handle the freight itself when changing modes (e.g., aircraft, rail, ship, and truck).

In addition, the  Bighorn Divide and Wyoming Railroad , a locally owned and managed shortline railroad, operates 41 miles of track within the state (in Casper and Shoshoni).  Watco , a single-source transportation and supply chain services company, operates 18 miles and transports commodities within the Swan Ranch Industrial Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as seen in the Figure below. Finally, the  Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad , owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc., operates 7 miles in Wyoming, as seen in the Figure below. In sum, Wyoming hosts large volume of transcontinental rail traffic between the Pacific Coast and the Midwest. The  2021 Wyoming Statewide Rail Plan  provides additional information on the state's rail system and its trajectory.

According to  EIA , in 2021, transportation costs were about 14% of the average delivered price of coal to the electric power sector. Transportation costs play a key role in the location of businesses within a supply chain, which explains the historical co-location of coal mines and coal-fired power plants, as stated by  EIA . While the transportation rate per Ton-Mile is significantly lower for rail compared to truck, nationally over 60% of tonnage which equates to over 72% of dollars value is transported by truck, mostly used for Gravel and Crushed Stone, Nonmetallic Mineral Products, and Fuel, according to  DOT .

According to  DOT , only about 33% of shipments in Wyoming are intrastate, the rest is bound to other markets in other states. In addition, Wyoming is one of only 4 states that shipped less than half of their total intrastate value by truck. As seen on the map below, Wyoming is served by three Interstates: I-25 which links north to south and runs through Denver (CO), Cheyenne (WY), Casper (WY) and Billings (MT); I-80 which runs east to west and connects Cheyenne (WY) to Lincoln (NE) and Salt Lake City (UT); and I-90 which links Rapid City (SD) to Gillette (WY) to Billings (MT). In addition, U.S. and state routes provide additional connections across the state.

In addition to roads, the map below illustrates Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming airports with commercial service (in orange). Finally, it also includes intermodal air-to-truck freight facilities for the entire U.S. Denver International Airport contains the closest facilities to the basins regions. The  2015 Wyoming Statewide Freight Plan  provides additional information on the state's freight system and its trajectory.

Zoom in on the Denver area to learn more about the facilities offering intermodal air-to-truck services at Denver International Airport.

For questions on the GGRB-WRB project, email Davin Bagdonas (abags@uwyo.edu). For questions on the PRB project, email Erin Phillips (ephilli8@uwyo.edu). For questions on the data and narrative included on this page, email Christelle Khalaf (ckhalaf@uic.edu).