Judge rules against state on Pronghorn Wind lease

 On Friday (Dec 5, 2025), state District Court Judge Scott Peasley struck down the state's approval of a proposed major wind turbine project slated to be installed south of Glenrock. The Pronghorn H2 project was highly controversial among ranchers and other landowners in the area, prompting the legal battle that began in mid-2025 by rancher Mike Stephens and others against the wind energy company.

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray hailed the judge's ruling which reversed the 4-1 vote by the State Land and Investment Board to allow the project to proceed. Gray voted against it while the other four top elected officials voted to approve it.

The wind farm is a significant part of a $1.7 billion, 40,000-acre hydrogen project proposed by Pronghorn Clean Energy south and east of Glenrock. Under their plan, the wind farm and a major solar project near the community would be used to power the hydrogen extraction segment. Landowners in the area stridently opposed the project, although some who remained silent would have benefitted (or could still benefit) from it.

The company has not said if it would appeal the ruling to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Previous Budget and Glenrock Independent news reports about the controversy stated: "Rancher and former Converse County Commission candidate Joe Benedetta of Glenrock is at the forefront of 'Taxpayers Against Pronghorn H2 Project,' which their website describes as 'a coalition of concerned taxpayers, residential and ranch landowners, and neighboring community members affected by the proposed Pronghorn H2 project.'

"Rancher Mike Stephens, of  Stephens Land and Livestock and whose land borders part of the project’s leased land, filed a lawsuit weeks ago in state district court against the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners. He alleges the WBLC was 'not following their own laws' in approving the wind farms associated with the project."

That lawsuit, filing in July, was at the heart of Peasley's ruling.

Gray's office, meanwhile, issued the following release following the ruling Friday:

 “I applaud the court’s ruling reversing the outrageously wrong Pronghorn wind lease. This ruling is great news for the people of Wyoming and vindication for those advancing the truth on this issue. Woke wind is wrong for Wyoming. As the only member of the State Board of Land Commissioners to vote against this boondoggle wind proposal, it is refreshing to see the truth win out. My opposition to these boondoggle wind projects is based on a number of factors. Perhaps most importantly, my opposition to these wind leases is based on the fact that these projects are bad for Wyoming, because they are based on the fantasies of left-wing, government-controlled, enviro-insiders, driven by Soros-funded green new deal schemes intent on destroying Wyoming’s core industries. The proposed project is absurd---as I noted in the meeting, the wind energy is being used by a Spanish Company to fulfill woke billionaire fantasies, not doing anything productive for the grid, which the judge noted in his opinion.  

“It has been deeply troubling to see Governor Gordon’s attempts to jam this proposal through, and the fact that the other members of the Board backed Gordon up on this.  When I attempted to raise legal concerns with the leases, Governor Gordon shut that conversation down by falsely claiming that it could only be discussed in Executive Session.  The attempts of Governor Gordon and others in power to shut down any discussion of these issues, including the legal issues brought in this case, has done much damage.  I'm glad that the truth won out with the ruling in this case.”

More information about the wind farm project and the opposition to it can be found in the Dec. 10, 2025, print editions of the Douglas Budget and Glenrock Independent, as well previous articles (see our e-editions from May 28, 2025, and July 16, 2025).