Wyoming Leaders Head to D.C. to Pitch AI-Powered Future Built on Homegrown Energy

The original story by Valeria Fugate for Wyoming News Now.

Wyoming is leaning hard into Donald Trump’s revived “drill, baby, drill” energy push — and state leaders say artificial intelligence is a big part of that future.

Recently, top Wyoming officials, including Gov. Mark Gordon’s chief of staff Drew Perkins, traveled to the White House to meet with Trump administration officials about how Wyoming’s energy resources can power the next generation of AI — and what that means for national security.

“For the first time ever you’ve been able to take electricity and convert electricity to intelligence,” Perkins said, describing AI as the next big frontier where energy and technology collide.

The meeting brought together senior federal officials and state leaders to talk specifically about energy production for AI and large data centers.

Trump officials framed AI in stark geopolitical terms.

“AI, or artificial intelligence, is the fight of the 21st century,” Perkins said. “It is going to be the arms race of our lifetime, and if we’re not succeeding in that race, then we are conceding world leadership and potentially world domination.”

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum spoke about how AI development will require a strong, stable electric grid, and Wyoming’s delegation was there to make the case that the state is perfectly positioned to help.

For AI to function at scale, you need massive amounts of affordable, reliable electricity — the kind that runs 24/7 to keep data centers online.

Perkins said that power could come from coal, natural gas or nuclear, and Wyoming is ready to be part of that mix.

“Having reliable, affordable electricity available across our country is the key,” he said.

Wyoming already punches way above its weight in energy:
The state exports about 12 times as much energy as it consumes, all while maintaining the second-lowest tax burden in the country, Perkins noted.

That makes it attractive not just for domestic growth, but for global trade as well.

“I think you can see opportunities for us to export oil and gas, agricultural products and other things not only to other parts of the United States but to Asia and to other places of the world,” Perkins said. “We are part of the world economy.”

The next step, Perkins said, is for the Wyoming Legislature to back that vision with supportive laws and regulatory tweaks that encourage energy development and data center investment — without sticking regular ratepayers with the bill.

He pointed to a framework lawmakers have already begun laying out.

“To have the regulatory system that the legislature prepped a few years ago, so that electrical costs for that are attributable only to those AI and data centers and don’t affect local rate payers,” Perkins said.

In plain terms: if huge AI data centers plug into Wyoming’s grid, the goal is to structure things so their power costs stay on their tab, not on the monthly bills of Wyoming families and small businesses.

Perkins also said Wyoming is starting to see real interest from outside the state and even overseas.

Last spring, Gov. Gordon led economic visits to Taiwan and Japan, pitching Wyoming as a source of energy and minerals.

“Now we’re starting to reap the benefits and see the interest from across the country and internationally to bring business to Wyoming,” Perkins said.

If those relationships deepen, Wyoming could become an even bigger player in supplying energy and raw materials to Asian markets, all while feeding the growing AI and tech sectors at home.

As Wyoming heads into its next legislative session, a lot of eyes will be on how lawmakers translate all this big-picture talk into actual policy.

Bills are expected that would:

• Attract AI and data centers;
• Encourage expanded energy production;
• Align state rules with the Trump administration’s push for US energy dominance.

Perkins wasn’t alone in Washington. Joining him at the federal meeting were:

• Bo Biteman, President of the Wyoming Senate;
• Chip Nieman, Speaker of the Wyoming House.

Both are expected to help lead the charge when these energy-and-AI-focused policies hit the floor in February.

For now, the message from Wyoming’s leadership is clear: AI might be powered by algorithms and silicon chips — but in their view, its future runs straight through Wyoming coal, gas, and electrons.