Casper College has received a federal appropriation of $295,000 secured by Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., to launch a new program in renewable energy, according to a release from the school.

The new program will be offered in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center in Casper. The funding from the U.S. Department of Energy will support the construction at RMOTC of a small wind generator testing and training site, which will serve as a laboratory for students in the program. Casper College will become the only community college in Wyoming to offer a program for technicians in the renewable energy field, according to the school.

"Part of the infrastructure needed to better harness that natural energy is a well-trained workforce," Cubin said in the Casper College release. "Through their Renewable Energy Program, Casper College and RMOTC have taken the reigns to foster the next generation of energy innovators."

Megan Graham, the Casper College instructor who will oversee the initiative, added, "The program will produce well-trained technicians to enter the alternative energy field. This funding will permit us to engage new public and private partners as we move Wyoming forward in the successful exploration and usage of renewable energy."

Graham also noted that Casper College is well positioned to offer such a major, based on individual courses that the school already offers in electrical power, electrical machines and alternative energy. As a result of the grant, the school is also considering adding energy-related coursework to its construction technology and automotive technology curriculums.

Dr. Walter Nolte, president of Casper College, noted the renewable energy program is the 17th new career program the school has added in the past four years.