WYOMING — The Cowboy State’s carbon footprint has landed last place in a new ranking of U.S. states by “eco-friendliness.”
According to the study conducted by Consumer Affairs, Wyoming recorded 68.55 tons of CO2e emissions per capita in 2021. For comparison, West Virginia ranked in 49th place with a recorded 36.05 tons of CO2e emissions per capita. Vermont, which came in first place, generated a reported 0.06 tons of emissions per capita.
The ranking relied on data concerning gas emissions, landfill waste, recycling/composting rates and renewable energy generation, with statistics produced by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID).
It should be noted that Consumer Affairs is a for-profit business that specializes in product reviews; it disclosed that it receives funding from two solar energy companies, Sunrun and Vivint Solar, which could impact the emphasis of its reporting.
Other notable figures pulled by the study peg Wyomingites with 1.29 tons of waste generation per capita, 6.4% of waste recycled and 10% of waste composted.
Here in Teton County, the statistics tell a similar story, though clear efforts are being made to reduce emissions locally. According to Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling (ISWR)’s Waste Diversion Outreach Coordinator Becky Kiefer, the county recycled 8.6% of its waste and composted 18.4% of its waste in the fiscal year 2022.
That year, ISWR processed 51,989 tons of total waste, sending 35,051 tons of it to landfills. By ISWR’s estimates, that translates to approximately 1.5 tons of landfill waste per capita (or about 8 pounds per day) for the county’s population of roughly 23,000. The agency notes that these figures do not account for an estimated four million annual visitors, which accounts for a hefty share of the county’s footprint.
Wyoming’s coal industry carries much of the responsibility for the state’s emissions rate. The recent decision by Pacific Corp, the largest grid operator in the West, to pivot toward renewable sources, plus the current construction on the TransWest Express Project, suggest that a greener future is possible for Wyoming.
