Rock Springs council approves amended MOU for Kemmer Power Station impact funds

The Rock Springs City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2025-03 on Jan. 7, 2025, accepting an amended memorandum of understanding among multiple counties, towns and cities that sets the amounts and schedule for distribution of impact assistance funds for the industrial siting Kemmer Power Station Unit 1 Project.

The agreement names Sweetwater, Lincoln and Uinta counties and several towns and cities, including the City of Kemmer and the City of Rock Springs, as participants in a distribution plan for impact assistance payments tied to the Kemmer facility. Councilor DeMuth moved to approve Resolution 2025-03; Councilor Hanson seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Council discussion was limited to a request for clarification about the amendment’s wording. Councilor Anderson asked what changed in the amendment; city staff explained the original MOU text implied the city had already approved and authorized signatures. The amended language clarifies that the city clerk would execute the document procedurally while the council retains the authority to formally accept or deny the agreement at its meeting. The council voted to adopt the amended version as presented.

The resolution as read during the meeting identifies the item as: “an amended memorandum of understanding … regarding the amounts and schedule for distribution of impact assistance funds for the industrial siting Kemmer Power Station Unit 1 Project.” The council did not discuss specific dollar amounts on the record during the resolution motion; the text of the MOU and the amendment were placed in the meeting packet.

Because the MOU involves multiple jurisdictions and a federally permitted project noted earlier in the meeting, councilors and two state legislators in attendance had discussed industrial siting and impact assistance broadly during public comment. Representative J.T. Larson mentioned efforts at the state level to preserve impact assistance mechanisms for federally permitted projects; Larson said those measures are intended to ensure local governments receive funding for service and infrastructure impacts. Senator John Cole also addressed the council during public comment about ongoing property-tax and regulatory discussions at the Legislature.

No amendments to Resolution 2025-03 were offered at the council table. With the unanimous vote, the resolution was adopted and recorded in the minutes; the council did not attach further conditions or set follow-up reporting in the meeting discussion.