Representative Don Burkhart represented Wyoming House District 15 from 2011 through 2024. He has also served the state in various capacities, including serving as a member of the Energy Resources Council. His career included several different roles related to the nuclear sector. When Wyoming's first large-scale nuclear power plant was announced, Representative Burkhart's fellow legislators relied on his expertise and leadership to guide the state in key decisions. In this episode, Dr. Krutka asks Representative Burkhart about his time in the legislature, his perspective on the role nuclear energy can play in an energy state like Wyoming, and why he has chosen to give back through service.

This episode features Austin Moon, a recent graduate of the School of Energy Resources, and Randall Violett, the inaugural director over the Energy and Environmental Systems concentration in SER's Energy Resource Management and Development undergraduate degree. The guests discuss the curriculum for this educational concentration as well as the career opportunities available to environmental scientists and consultants.

Wyoming is an oil and gas producing state with a significant proportion of Wyoming’s oil coming from enhanced oil recovery using injection of carbon dioxide and other improvement techniques. Dr. Reza Barati is an expert on techniques for enhanced oil recovery and today serves as the Don W. Green Professor of Petroleum Engineering and the Director of the Tertiary Oil Recovery Program at the University of Kansas. Previously Professor Barati was at Wyoming’s own Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute and joins the podcast to speak about technology and opportunities for Wyoming.

Christi Barry is a University of Wyoming alum who studied geology for her undergraduate degree and then continued her graduate studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she studied volcanic and tectonic activity in the region. Ms. Barry has now devoted much of her career to the development of a proposed spent nuclear fuel repository at Yucca Mountain. On the podcast, she discusses her time at UW, how her education prepared her for her career, and how her professional background has shaped her perspective on nuclear energy and the importance of transparency and public outreach on challenging energy projects.

As a top natural gas producing state, Wyoming has led in collaboration between academia, industry, and government to identify new ways to detect and curb methane emissions. Success in reducing methane emissions has changed Wyoming's natural gas production and has allowed production to continue despite mounting regulatory requirements on greenhouse gas emissions. This episode features Dr. Shane Murphy, the Director of the Center of Excellence in Air Quality at the UW School of Energy Resources and a professor in the Atmospheric Sciences department in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Dr. Murphy talks about collaboration, technology, and how Wyoming's energy industry partners surprised him.

The development of oil and natural gas results in large amounts of produced water. Wyoming is identifying ways to treat, reuse, and benefit from water produced from oil and natural gas development. This episode features Dr. Jonathan Brant, Director of the Center of Excellence in Produced Water Management at the UW School of Energy Resources. Professor Brant shares the many ways collaboration with others is helping advance water treatment technologies in Wyoming and beyond.

Kara Choquette is the Director of Communications and Government Relations for Power Company of Wyoming, a wholly owned affiliate of The Anschutz Corporation, who has been dedicated to the development of the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project in Carbon County, Wyoming, for many years. This episode features a discussion about the challenges faced and opportunities presented by this project along with the TransWest Express Transmission Project.

Elected in November 2018, Mark Gordon is Wyoming's 33rd and current Governor. During his tenure, he has actively engaged in all aspects of the issues facing Wyoming's energy sector. In this episode, Governor Gordon and Dr. Krutka discuss the opportunities and challenges Wyoming faces as an energy producing state.