Can we find an equitable wind tax for Wyoming?

The pursuit of a sensible public policy for wind power in Wyoming has become an unsettled, decade-long saga. Most other states in the region have already figured out how to appropriately regulate and tax wind resources, but it seems Wyoming inherently deals with a more complex set of circumstances.

We can trace this, in large part, to the perceived conflict between wind and the state’s primary breadwinner — the mineral industry. Coal, oil and natural gas together have combined as the basic economic engines and financiers of public services in Wyoming for generations. Anything interfering with...