RIVERTON - It was a stuffy gymnasium in the heart of a mostly Republican state, but about 2,000 people crowded inside to listen to former President Bill Clinton stump for his wife, Hillary, two days before Wyoming's Democratic caucuses.

Clinton said the United States must become energy independent and become a global leader in energy innovation, and Wyoming will play an important role in achieving that goal if Hillary Clinton is elected president.

"The most important thing is what we're already doing in Wyoming," Clinton told the crowd. "We have to become energy independent. We have to stop spending $300 billion per year overseas."

Central Wyoming College had about three times the crowd it anticipated, Facilities Manager Linda Becker said, and hundreds were turned away because they couldn't fit inside the school's gymnasium. Many listened to an audio broadcast of Clinton's address in a nearby cafeteria and small theater.

The former first daughter, Chelsea, was also in attendance, though she didn't address the crowd.

Clinton said the United States must take the lead, globally, in making energy production cleaner, especially through new technologies such as carbon sequestration for coal-fired power plants.

Hillary's energy plan would eliminate tax breaks for the oil industry and "take $50 million away from special interests for the development of new energy technologies," Clinton said. "Wyoming will be a big part of that, if she is elected president."

His wife's plan also calls for greater energy efficiency in public buildings and agencies, and more investment in alternative energy, he said, adding: "This will be a big deal for you. You can make more use of wind, and Wyoming can become completely energy independent."

Another of Wyoming's abundant resources, natural gas, will be an important "transition fuel," Clinton said, as the country moves to cleaner energy.

He suggested that Hillary, more than her opponents, is genuinely interested in the Equality State, and in the region as a whole.

"This is not a one-off trip to Wyoming. She will set up a White House liaison to the Intermountain West," he said. The liaison would help regional agencies address issues such as reconciling energy development and environmental protection, he said.

"If she becomes president, you will have a voice in the White House," Clinton said.

Hillary's Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, has tended to do better in caucus states than she has, in part because caucuses generally have a lower turnout than primary elections do, Clinton said.

"Hillary has no chance to win here unless you turn this into an election," he told the group, and he urged them to get out in big numbers and vote.

The former president spoke for about 35 minutes after being introduced by former Gov. Mike Sullivan, a personal friend who served as ambassador to Ireland during the Clinton administration.

Clinton was welcomed into the building by the Arapaho Legion Color Guard, followed by American Indian drumming and singing, with dancers in colorful regalia.

The crowd was speckled with a few men in black cowboy hats, some in baseball caps and the occasional teenagers with yellow- and green-dyed hair. Hundreds were squeezed in along the back and side walls, where they stood for the duration of the speech.

Among the other topics Clinton addressed was his wife's plan for universal health coverage, and her commitment to "bringing the troops home" from Iraq, and continuing to take care of them after they return.

Alluding to the fact that Wyoming is a largely conservative state, Clinton said, "There is one issue where Hillary is more conservative than President Bush is: the budget."

He said his wife's administration would work, as his did, to balance the federal budget and to pay down the "unconscionable" amount of debt accrued during the Bush administration.

Clinton also spoke in Rock Springs and Laramie Thursday. Chelsea Clinton gave an address at Casper College. Hillary Clinton and Obama will both campaign today in the Cowboy State.

Wyoming's Democratic county caucuses on Saturday will allow all registered Democrats attending to express a presidential preference.

Reporter Chris Merrill can be reached at chris.merrill@trib.com or at (307) 267-6722.