Wyoming Legislators Authorize Force Against Unidentified Drones Over Critical Infrastructure

For over thirteen months, Sweetwater County, Wyoming, has experienced repeated sightings of unidentified illuminated objects above critical infrastructure, notably the Jim Bridger Power Plant and the Red Desert area. This persistent aerial phenomenon, described variously as drone-like or as unidentified flying objects (UFOs), has prompted significant attention from local law enforcement and has escalated to state legislative action.

Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle has personally witnessed these events, including a recent observation in December 2025, underscoring the ongoing nature of the anomaly. Sheriff's spokesman Jason Mower noted that the objects often operate at altitudes beyond the reach of ground-based countermeasures, complicating identification or intervention. Mower also reported that the objects sometimes appear in coordinated formations, suggesting deliberate control rather than random movement, and in one documented instance, followed law enforcement vehicles for several miles before departing.

Political engagement intensified in March 2025 when the Wyoming Legislature passed Senate File 132, legislation designed to empower local authorities to use reasonable force against unauthorized drones operating over vital infrastructure. Governor Mark Gordon had initially vetoed the bill on March 4, 2025, citing potential conflicts with federal law regarding the destruction of aircraft. However, the legislature successfully overrode the veto with votes of 23-8 in the Senate and 47-13 in the House of Representatives.

The enacted law, officially titled 'Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Systems from Drones,' also permits the Governor to deploy the Wyoming National Guard to address problematic drones. Adjutant General Greg Porter indicated that the National Guard currently lacks adequate counter-UAS capabilities, estimating that necessary equipment might be obsolete within 12 to 14 months. Furthermore, U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman was reportedly invited by Sheriff Grossnickle to observe the activity and witnessed the phenomena.

Despite extensive efforts by the sheriff's department to seek definitive explanations from federal agencies, no conclusive answers have been provided, leading to local frustration. The frequency of the sightings has caused local residents to largely cease reporting them, a situation Mower termed the 'new normal' for the region, despite no reports of property damage or direct harm caused by the objects.

The issue extends beyond Sweetwater County; Sheriff Randy Starkey of Niobrara County reported similar observations near Lance Creek from late October through the preceding March, which subsequently ceased. Meanwhile, the Jim Bridger Power Plant, which began operations in the 1970s and had two of its four units converted from coal to natural gas by Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, in 2024, remains a central focus of this unexplained aerial surveillance, highlighting broader uncertainties facing Wyoming's energy infrastructure.