Why Your Power Bill Keeps Climbing: AARP Wyoming hosts noon talk Oct. 23

Electric rates have been inching up across Wyoming for three years, and plenty of folks want to know why. AARP Wyoming is putting that question front and center at noon on Thursday, Oct. 23, during its monthly Government Relations Team meeting.

The conversation is free, open to everyone (no membership required), and happens in person at AARP Wyoming’s office in Cheyenne, 1800 Carey Avenue, Suite 300, with a virtual option via Zoom for those outside the Capital City.

Two people who live and breathe this stuff will take the mic. Shawn Taylor, executive director of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association, represents co-ops that deliver power to more than 104,000 homes, ranches, farms and businesses statewide. A Rawlins native and UW grad, Taylor has worked energy policy from Washington to the Governor’s Office in Cheyenne, and now advocates for 14 distribution co-ops plus three generation-and-transmission providers. Joining him is David Bush, Black Hills Corp.’s state government affairs manager. Based in Cheyenne and also a UW alum, Bush previously served as communications director for Gov. Matt Mead; his company supplies natural gas and electricity to customers in eight states, including Wyoming.

Expect a plain-English breakdown of what’s driving higher bills—from fuel and infrastructure to regulation and reliability — and a look at how the grid is likely to evolve in the next few years. The goal is to give Wyomingites a clearer picture of what they’re paying for now and what could change next.

This session is part of AARP Wyoming’s Government Relations Team series, where volunteers track policy that matters to older residents and offer feedback to staff throughout the year. Meetings run weekly during the legislative session and monthly in the interim, with an easy Zoom option alongside the Cheyenne gathering. If you want the calendar invites in your inbox, email Tom Lacock at [email protected].