Fed’s version of sage grouse conservation rings hollow
Gov. Mark Gordon and Wyoming’s Sage Grouse Implementation Team deserve thanks and credit for updating and reissuing the long-standing Sage Grouse Executive Order. Doing so early in his tenure displays...
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Lawmakers form committee to protect miners, Wyo. in bankruptcies
Legislative leadership voted Thursday to create a special committee of lawmakers to try and stem losses from future coal company bankruptcies for both miners and the state. Priorities for the new...
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CWD panel hones recommendations for disease management
A diverse group of citizen stakeholders this week refined its recommendations for how Wyoming can stem the tide of Chronic Wasting Disease, which is plaguing cervid populations in the state. Over a...
View ArticleWyoming coal can’t be saved by a marketing scheme
One million dollars is a huge sum of money. But in Wyoming’s desperate scramble to save its coal industry and help communities hurt by lost industry jobs, it amounts to peanuts. That makes me wonder...
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Analysis: A breakdown of the Blackjewel, ESM deal
Blackjewel and Contura found a new buyer for the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr coal mines in a deal that shorts state and county coffers but may mark the beginning of the end of a turbulent bankruptcy...
View ArticleRECLAIM Act can boost Wyoming in the face of coal’s decline
Troubled times continue to grow in the Powder River Basin. This summer two large coal companies declared bankruptcy, impacting four major coal mines in Wyoming. While Cloud Peak and Blackjewel’s...
View ArticleWyoming can improve transparency with new ombudsman
Obtaining records that are public under state law is often a tough task in Wyoming. Just ask veteran journalist Jim Angell, who has been a leading public records advocate for more than three decades....
View ArticleVaping bans represent government overreach at its worst
Do you own yourself? Who owns your body? Are you free to choose what you eat or what car you drive? Do you get to pick where you live, the clothes you wear, what you do for fun? When you are deciding...
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Can Wyoming law delay coal plant closures?
A new Wyoming law aimed at extending the life of coal-fired power plants is coming to its first test, even as the Wyoming Public Service Commission wrestles with the fine points of how the conceptual...
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Lawmakers ponder how to protect workers, taxes in bankruptcies
Lawmakers on a special committee heard new evidence Monday of the damage recent coal company bankruptcies wrought on Powder River Basin communities before ordering up a suite of draft bills and...
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Wyoming utility regulator copied, sent coal lobby letter
The Wyoming Public Service Commission — in concert with five equivalent bodies from other states — last month asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to accelerate an inquiry that could...
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Gov wants lawmakers to back off from wildlife migration bill
As Gov. Mark Gordon finalizes an executive order to protect wildlife migration corridors, he wants lawmakers to hit pause on a controversial bill that would supersede his efforts by revamping the...
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Bankruptcy, coal experts voice concerns, takeaways
A group of lawyers, academics and coal bankruptcy veterans shared reservations about new coal companies entering the state, at a University of Wyoming School of Law conference Friday, and highlighted...
View ArticleLet professionals, not politicians, manage wildlife migrations
A highly anticipated showdown last week between Wyoming’s executive and legislative branches over wildlife migration corridor policy was effectively over in the opening minutes. The five lawmakers on...
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Revenue report holds gains, losses and stark warnings
A recent report by the state’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, which writes the revenue projections that set the bounds of the Legislature’s budgeting process, carries serious warning signs for...
View ArticleEnergy: Want us to pay taxes? Forgive millions owed … Wait, what?!
I usually have a lot of self control when I hear ridiculous things at legislative committee meetings. For example, when I attended a recent Joint Minerals Committee session and listened to Sen. Bo...
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Funding woes threaten criminal justice reform
Prison officials and advocates worry a lack of funding will kill hard-fought-for criminal justice reform before it can have an impact. The governor’s budget office recommended Gov. Mark Gordon deny a...
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Gov. backs EQC as scrutiny of board mounts… again
Gov. Mark Gordon backed the independence of the Environmental Quality Council last week. In a time when the body is increasingly the subject of political scrutiny and recently was the subject of a...
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Chasing coal-plant longevity, bills open door to deregulation
Lawmakers are considering two bills aimed at propping up coal-fired power plants, but some say they could lead Wyoming down the road to deregulation and a fundamental reordering of the electric...
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The Wyoming PSC’s uncomfortable moment in the spotlight
The eye of the Wyoming Legislature these days is fixed upon the Public Service Commission. Lawmakers, grasping for ways to slow coal’s decline, are increasingly turning to a lever that in better days...
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