Jan 18, 2026, 7:30PM
(This is a follow-up to our earlier post today, Prometheus Announces Using Federally Suspended DEI Agreements in Casper & Evanston.)
UW Still Pushing DEI Policy in Energy Development Despite 2025 Law
Even though WY HB0147/HEA67 Prohibition of institutional discrimination was passed into law in 2025 and had an enactment date of July 1, 2025, the University of Wyoming is still pushing the Community Benefits Planning Toolbox for Energy Development with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): Resources & Guidance for Wyoming.
Page 3 of the UW Community Benefits Planning Toolbox published January 2024 by the UW School of Energy Resources (SER) states:
WHAT ARE COMMUNITY BENEFITS?
Appropriations allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) have enabled the Department of Energy and other federal agencies to release significant funding for the development of low-carbon energy projects. In alignment with the IRA and IIJA policies, applicants for funding under qualifying programs are required to submit detailed plans or plan proposals that describe the applicant’s strategy for engaging and partnering with local communities affected by the proposed project. If funding is awarded, applicants will be required to implement these plans (known as Community Benefits Plans or “CBPs”), assess the success of implementation under specific screening metrics and milestones, and report progress to DOE. CBP requirements vary in every funding opportunity announcement (FOA), but generally encompass plans or plan proposals in relation to:
1) Community and Labor Stakeholder Engagement;
2) The Justice40 Initiative;
3) Economic Revitalization and Job Creation; and
4) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA).
HB0147/HEA67 states:
9‑25‑101(b) No governmental entity shall:
(i) Engage in any diversity, equity or inclusion program, activity or policy;
The University of Wyoming is a governmental entity and in our opinion is violating §9‑25‑101(b)(i) by keeping available on the internet their January 2024 SER publication, Community Benefits Planning Toolbox for Energy Development with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): Resources & Guidance for Wyoming which supports and promotes DEI policy in energy projects in Wyoming.
This is a follow-up to our earlier post today, Prometheus Announces Using Federally Suspended DEI Agreements in Casper & Evanston.
As we mentioned in that post, the Trump administration has issued 43 Executive Orders, Presidential Memoranda, and Proclamations including an Executive Order entitled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, and that the Department of Energy is moving aggressively to implement this Executive Order by directing the suspension of all Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, procedures, programs and activities.
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