August 29, 2025 (Source) — This week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin was in Wyoming to visit with state, local and federal partners, and stakeholders to discuss environmental issues in the state, announce EPA’s proposed approval of Wyoming’s Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) permit, and make several stops along the way.
On Wednesday, August 27, Administrator Zeldin alongside Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) learned about critical mineral recovery operations of DISA Technologies which has developed technology to upgrade critical minerals from mined ore and other legacy waste. The visit underscored EPA’s important role in streamlining mineral permitting through enhanced federal-state collaboration.
Administrator Zeldin, Senator Lummis, and Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins met with representatives from Crusoe and Tall Grass and later on, toured Microsoft’s Cheyenne Data Center Operations. Crusoe and Tall Grass are two organizations partnered to develop a 1.8-gigawatt (GW) Artificial Intelligence (AI) data center campus located in southeast Wyoming. Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative includes making the United States the AI capital of the world and ensuring EPA is a partner in advancing policy and reforming permitting to allow data centers and other cutting-edge technology to proliferate.
Administrator Zeldin then traveled to Wheatland, Wyoming, to tour Cowboy State Mine at Halleck Creek Rare Earth Deposit, a large rare earth deposit being developed by American Rare Earths. The project aims to secure a domestic supply of critical rare earth elements for the United States.
At the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Administrator Zeldin delivered remarks at the Rockies Petroleum Conference. Administrator Zeldin highlighted the Trump EPA’s priorities, including permitting reform, to help unleash American energy and boost the economy while protecting the environment.
On Thursday, Administrator Zeldin proposed to approve Wyoming’s coal combustion residuals (CCR) program application alongside Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, Senator Lummis, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Todd Parfitt, and EPA Regional Administrator Cyrus Western at a signing ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol. This proposal would allow the state rather than the federal government to manage coal residuals disposal in surface impoundments and landfills. It represents a major win for cooperative federalism and permitting reform by empowering states that know their communities best to help unleash American energy while providing regulatory certainty needed to invest and create jobs.
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