Mark Gordon Touts Coal, Trump Administration During Campaign Stop In Casper
Coal remains a viable energy source and revenue source for Wyoming despite the current market turndown, Republican gubernatorial candidate State Treasurer Mark Gordon said during a campaign stop in Casper on Thursday.
"Wyoming's got a huge energy portfolio, and I don't think it's time to sort of write the obituary on coal," Gordon said after the second of several scheduled speeches in the state to formally announce his bid for governor.
Gordon launched his campaign in Buffalo on Wednesday, and stopped at the Boys And Girls Club's WyoTowne in Casper at 10 a.m. before traveling to Cheyenne for another announcement. He will make scheduled campaign stops at other cities and towns through next week.
During his talk at WyoTowne, a student financial literacy program, Gordon recounted his business experiences and financial acumen including overseeing the state's best financial return on investments in the past decade.
After his speech, he said technology isn't outrunning traditional power sources, but is helping renew them in Wyoming with programs such as the Integrated Test Center and the Carbon Innovation Center.
Internationally, Gordon said Japan shut down all its nuclear power plants after the tsunami and nuclear reactor meltdown at Fukushima in March 2011. To supply the nation with power, Japan built the cleanest coal-fired power plants in the world that rival the emissions of natural gas-fired power plants, he said.
Coal may not be as big a factor in the state's economy as in the past, but it still plays a role as do gas and oil and wind, Gordon said.
Wyoming is investing in technological innovations and trends besides coal including blockchain and other cryptocurrencies, he said.
"Wyoming is right in the middle of it, in my view, the most exciting place to be because we do have so few regulations," Gordon said. "We do have a common sense approach to doing business."
He won't formally court Donald Trump's administration for campaign help, but he's pleased with it, he said.
"I think we've got a great president," Gordon said. "I think it's been phenomenal for the state of Wyoming to see the benefits that have come from this administration."
Gordon wants to see the Trump administration look at Wyoming as an example of how people in a state take care of themselves and each other, he said.
He's been treasurer for six years, four of those during President Barack Obama's administration, and he said he see's a marked difference in the two administrations.
"When we would go to Washington and meet with folks from the Obama administration, they would tell us what they were going to do to help us and fix our problems," Gordon said. "At least, this administration is saying, 'What can we do to help you? How can we help you?'"