Back in January, Gov. Matt Mead shared in his State of the State address that an Integrated Test Center — an effort that is part of the state’s carbon initiative to invest in advanced energy technologies and innovation — is currently under construction. And once complete, it will “allow for innovation to change the way we use coal,” Wyoming CIO Tony Young told Government Technology during the 2017 NASCIO Midyear conference held April 23-25 in Arlington, Va.
The state’s relationship with XPrize is also part of this effort; Young said the innovation engine has assembled a $20 million prize for the team that can figure out how to capture carbon dioxide and turn it into a useful product.
Young, who previously served as Mead’s deputy chief of staff, also told Government Technology that Mead is “the only governor in the country who currently is actively engaged with XPrize.” The Integrated Test Center, Young said, is key to Wyoming’s economy. “And I think it’s also key to the economy of this county in terms of energy.”
