Ten Sleep man seeks State Senate seat

by Karla Pomeroy

Northern Wyoming News

Ten Sleep rancher Ed Cooper hopes to use his experience in ranching and the oil and gas industry to represent State Senate District 20.

Cooper announced his run for the Republican nomination last week.

“I’ve thought about this for a while. I considered it four years ago but I chose to back Wyatt [Agar]. Agar (R-Thermopolis) won the seat four years ago and announced after the 2020 Legislative session that he would not be seeking a second term.

Prior to Agar, the seat was filled by Worland resident Gerry Geis for many years.

“We need someone representing the entire district with both oil and gas background and agriculture background,” Cooper said.

He said his family came to the area in the early 1930s. “Some portion of the family has been involved in agriculture continuously since that time, either in Basin, Otto, Worland, Ten Sleep areas, Thermopolis or Lysite, Lost Cabin. So across the entire district.” Cooper owns Cooper Land and Livestock with his wife Becky. They have one son and two grandsons.

As for the mineral experience, Cooper has been involved with oil and gas since 1972, starting his own consulting firm, Ed Cooper Consulting, in 1981. He said they ran a payroll of just shy of $1 million through the firm last year.

When asked if he had the time to serve as a citizen legislator, Cooper said he is at the point with the consulting firm that the people he works with can run the firm when he needs to be away on legislative business.

He said the same was true with Cooper Land and Livestock.

“I grew up in the Washakie County schools, Worland and Ten Sleep,” he said. He attended Casper College and then went to work for the oil and gas industry.

“The basis for our economy is minerals and agriculture. I have the experience in those areas and those are the areas that need the most help right now,” Cooper said.

Cooper said during his interview Thursday that Wyoming sour oil was $5.50 per barrel and Wyoming sweet was under $11.75. “Those prices are devastating to the small producers here in the Basin. We have just independents left here and they are beginning to struggle. A large portion of the production in the Basin is going to be shut-in pretty shortly. Some wells are shut in already. It’s going to have a devastating effect on the state and the county.”

Cooper said, “We have to keep the small independents in business somehow in Wyoming. They are our bread and butter. These fields are old and pretty marginal but they are critical for sustained revenue for the state. They are critical for jobs across the district.’

People can reach out to Cooper at edcooper@wyoming.com or 307-851-5949

Linda Weeks of Basin announced her Republican candidacy earlier this month.