|
Mini APRIL Archive:
Wyoming
News ... |
SMOKEY NAMED SMALL BUSINESS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
April 30, 2007
Buffalo, WYO – The Wyoming District Office of the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) has named Smokey Wildeman, who is the General Manager of
Big Horn Mountain Radio Network, as the Wyoming Small Business Journalist of the
Year 2007.
SBA spokesperson, Sharon S. Nichols said this award is given to an
individual making concerted efforts to increase public understanding of the
importance of small business contributions to the economy; who makes
contributions of news and feature stories, editorials, columns and commentary
that highlight and analyze small business issues; this person performs volunteer
community service aimed at enhancing small business opportunity and growth and
other achievements that exemplify the nominee’s media efforts to improve the
understanding of the role of small business in the U.S. economy.
The President of the United States recognizes contributions of the
small business community to the American economy and society
by proclamation each year, with a nomination process that starts each December.
The SBA cited Smokey’s love of his community, serving four times as
president of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, and now serving on the board of
directors as major factors in his choice. He is also the JC Emergency Management
Coordinator, has served three terms as president of the Lions Club, has served
as committee member for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and recently elected
to the JC Commissioners.
Linda Lobeck, chair of the JC Business Expo was the local business
person who nominated Wildeman. In her nomination she cited Smokey’s strong
support of local schools, organizations, clubs and businesses by being involved
in programs and events. The nomination stressed that he did all of this either
through sponsorship or volunteering his time. The SBA announcement lauded
Wildeman: “He is all about promoting the community along with promoting
businesses. He is a friend of the community.” Congratulations Smokey !
CBM RULES WOULD REACH BEYOND THE AUTHORITY OF DEQ, GOVERNOR SAID
April 27, 2007
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Governor Dave Freudenthal Tuesday declined to sign rules
proposed by the state’s Environmental Quality Council that would have affected
the regulation of coal bed methane water.
In a letter to council chairman Richard Moore, Freudenthal said the
rules “step outside the powers delegated to the Council and the Department of
Environmental Quality by the Legislature.”
The proposed rules would open a “back door” way for the DEQ to regulate the
quantity of water produced by CBM operations. Currently, state statutes and DEQ
rules only give the agency authority over the state’s water quality. “I believe
these proposed rules reach beyond the statutory authority in the Environmental
Quality Act,” Freudenthal said.
He added that the proposed rules would invite the DEQ “to regulate
water quality discharge, not as a coincidence of achieving a water quality
result, but as a simple matter of reducing the amount of discharge for its own
sake.”
The council passed the proposed rules earlier this year despite a
formal opinion from Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank that said DEQ lacked the
authority to regulate water quantity.
“The Attorney General opined on April 12, 2006, correctly in my
view, that DEQ could only concern itself with water quantity when it had an
effect on quality,” Freudenthal said in his letter. “DEQ has always concerned
itself with those issues…but that is clearly not the same as saying they have
broad authority to regulate quantities and usage of discharged water.”
GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BE HONEST ABOUT COSTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CARBON
MANAGEMENT
April 26, 2007
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Speaking at the Utah Energy Summit last week in Salt Lake City,
Gov. Dave Freudenthal encouraged policy makers, industry leaders and the federal
government to be honest with citizens about the real costs of moving toward
cleaner energy policy and greenhouse gas management.
“If we are serious about properly addressing this complex issue, we
need to let folks know that it’s going to cost money,” Freudenthal said. “We
need to be honest that cheap energy is likely to be a thing of the past, and as
a practical matter, offloading carbon costs to the environment is coming to an
end.”
Freudenthal commented on the recent discussion of California’s
clean energy policies and said that it’s easy for states to be considered more
“green” when they’re not dealing with the consequences of producing oil and gas
development. “I don’t mean to pick on Gov. Schwarzenegger, but he needs to
understand that natural gas is not free of an environmental burden. That burden
hits hardest on Wyoming’s habitat and wildlife,” Freudenthal said.
“We seem to be at a point of confluence where climate change and
energy security have gained traction with the public, the marketplace and the
Congress,” Freudenthal said. “But in this Whitewater environment, it’s hard to
tell whether people are just slapping the water with their oars or actually
paddling the boat forward.”
New technologies are part of the solution to the nation’s energy
security challenges. But Freudenthal said it’s time for a serious debate about
which are the most feasible, followed by deliberate actions to move the nation
forward to actually use the novel processes that now only exist in
laboratories.”
“We need to move the technologies from bench scale to the point
where they can be financed and deployed on a regular basis,” he said. “We have
potential technologies out there, but we need to move them up to the point where
people as a matter of course deploy these technologies.”
Developing projects from beginning to end is another critical part
of improving the nation’s energy supplies. For example, before providing
incentives for companies to build wind turbines, the government needs to take
into account how long it takes to build them and consider whether there is
sufficient transmission infrastructure to get that power to market.
The federal government should create a basic road map for the
development of renewable energy resources and for new technologies like carbon
sequestration and coal gasification.
But the federal government should also know that its basic plan
must be subject to change as new information emerges and is understood.
A true discussion of how to improve the nation’s energy security
will require an investment on the scale similar to what it cost to put a man on
the moon, Freudenthal said. “Sometimes doing the right thing comes with pain,”
he said. “But energy security and the environment are too important not to do
this the right way.”
THOMAS EXCITED ABOUT COAL GASIFICATION PROJECT COMING TO WYO
April 25, 2007
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Craig
Thomas offered the following statement about last week’s announcement about the
development of a public-private partnership to develop an integrated
gasification combined cycle power plant near Point of Rocks, Wyoming (in Sweet
Water County).
“I’m excited to see the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority get
underway with plans for a clean coal IGCC power plant in Wyoming – their effort
marks a strong positive step toward a plan that I initiated with Section 413 of
the 2005 Energy Policy Act.”
“We’ve devoted a lot of time and effort to discussing climate
change – this project puts us in a position to actually do something about it.”
“Constructing this plant at altitude in the West will enable our state to remain
a significant contributor to the advancement of clean coal technologies that
will address the concerns about carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to our
vast coal reserves, our state has the geology required to sequester these
emissions and a willingness to continue providing the next generation of energy
for our country,” Thomas said.
The Wyoming Infrastructure Authority (WIA) joined with PacifiCorp
Energy last Thursday in a public-private partnership to develop an integrated
gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant in Sweetwater County, Wyoming.
The WIA decision came after a six-month effort to establish an IGCC
demonstration partnership in Wyoming. The WIA request for proposals came last
July and received 17 expressions of interest.
After evaluating proposals, PacifiCorp emerged as the leading candidate for a
development partnership. Senator Thomas said he was encouraged by the quality of
proposals that came from Wyoming and supports a robust effort to get a
value-added coal industry established in the state.
The WIA spoke with Senator Thomas today about federal funding for the project
under Section 413 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The program authorizes a
contribution of federal funds to support a western IGCC demonstration project
using lower-ranked western coal at higher altitude.
In terms of monies from mines in Wyoming, Senator Thomas also noted that the
State of Wyoming is set to receive $550 million beginning in October 2007 as a
result of the Abandoned Mine Lands fund amendments made at the end of the 109th
Congress. These funds will be used to further more projects.
“With the high cost of an advanced coal project such as this one,
the state should consider ways to assist in making the first-ever clean coal
plant with carbon sequestration a reality.”
FIRST LADY SPEAKS AT AIDS QUILT UNVEILING - PHOTO ATTACHED
April 24, 2007
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Remarking that
her own family has struggled with the death of a loved one from AIDS, First Lady
Nancy Freudenthal today helped unveil a display of 24 sections of the Names
Project AIDS Quilt that will hang for the first time ever this week in the
Capitol Complex.
In 1992, Freudenthal lost her step-brother, Jeffrey Hunter Castle,
to AIDS. Today she saw the section of the quilt dedicated to him for the first
time and said she was touched by its beauty.
Also in attendance today were Secretary of State Max Maxfield, Rep.
Dan Zwonitzer, Health Department Director Brent Sherard, local AIDS activist Bob
Hooker and WyoAIDS Walk coordinator Jessica Bryski.
Hooker said it was heartening to see state officials who cared
about those suffering with HIV and AIDS.
Freudenthal joined other state and local health leaders in
encouraging Wyoming citizens to get tested for the HIV virus in hopes of
protecting their long-term health and to help break down the social stigma that
HIV still carries.
Senate Rejects Government
‘Interference’ with Medicare Prescription Drug Program
April 23, 2007
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator
Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., hailed the Senate’s rejection of a plan to allow the federal
government to fix prices for prescription drugs as a victory for Wyoming
seniors.
"Last year I personally encouraged folks in Casper, Sheridan,
Powell, Rock Springs, Cheyenne and Douglas and seniors from everywhere in
Wyoming to sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug plan. They signed up
in droves and this year they’ve written and called me by the hundreds telling me
not to let Congress change their plan because it’s working," Enzi said. Some
senators have pushed forward with legislation that would set up a federal price
control system for prescription drugs. They fell five votes short of the 60
votes they needed to … change Medicare’s Part D. Enzi, the Ranking Member on the
Senate Health Committee, strongly opposed the measure. "The government doesn’t
negotiate in the Medicare program. Medicare sets the prices it will pay. "A big
government price control program would mean some central committee Washington
D.C. would decide what drugs would be available to seniors. That’s not only bad
policy, its unhealthy policy. Seniors and their doctors should decide what drugs
the doctors can prescribe, not the government, said Enzi."
"The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has said over and
over that this proposal to change the prescription drug plan would not save
money. The plan we have now is helping almost 90 percent of Wyoming seniors and
seniors nationwide get the prescription drugs they need. It’s costing less than
originally expected. When was the last time a government program cost less than
estimated? Competition between the private plans is working. Don’t fix what
isn’t broken," Enzi said.
Those who want to change the current plan have advocated changes
that resemble the drug benefit plan of the VA, but Enzi reported that veterans
in Wyoming are telling him they are switching to the current Medicare plan from
their VA plans because the Medicare plan offers more choice, better prices,
faster approval and easier access. "Let’s stop wasting the time of this
important body and move to a bill that can do some good for the American people
instead of trying to destroy a law that’s already doing some good," Enzi said.
Thomas Seeks More "Useable" Water in
Arid West
April 20, 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator
Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) yesterday
joined several western Senate members in introducing the “More Water, More
Energy, Less Waste Act of 2007,” which will initiate a feasibility study with
the goal of treating and reducing "produced water" and establish a grant program
to demonstrate technologies capable of achieving those goals.
“This effort is a win-win situation because it takes water from
energy production and makes it useful for folks who need it most,” Thomas said.
“I was pleased to include provisions aimed at improving the efficiency of water
use for energy production, in addition to the treatment of water, in this bill.”
Across the West, "useable" water is one of the most valuable natural resources,
and also one of the scarcest. Each day, more than two million gallons of useable
groundwater are wasted, disposed of as "produced water," after being brought to
the surface during oil and gas drilling or coal bed methane extraction.
Currently, there are obstacles to the beneficial use of this water. This
legislation seeks to reduce those obstacles.
The bill was introduced by Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), and
cosponsored by Thomas, Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM),
and Senate Energy Committee Ranking Member Pete Domenici (R-NM). It is the
Senate companion to H.R. 902 which passed unanimously in the U.S. House of
Representatives on March 19, 2007.
The study provision of the bill directs the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S.
Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Land Management to evaluate reducing the
amount of water that is produced during energy extraction in order to increase
the efficiency of energy production. Additionally, the study will evaluate
recovery and cleaning of "produced water" for use in irrigation and other
purposes.
The grant program authorized by the bill provides a maximum 50 percent federal
match of up to $1 million for facilities, technologies and processes capable of
reducing produced water or treating it for beneficial use. In order to develop
these systems across a variety of geological and climatic conditions, the grant
portion of S. 1116 requires test projects be built in at least five locations:
*One in each of the Upper Basin states of the Colorado River: Colorado, Utah,
Wyoming, and New Mexico; and,
*One in at least one of the Lower Basin states of the Colorado
River: Arizona, Nevada or California.
The quality and volume of the recovered "produced water" will depend upon the
technology to be tested under S. 1116.
WYOMING’S HATHAWAY SCHOLARSHIP IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE NATION
April 19, 2007
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Wyoming’s
current economic prosperity is allowing the state to move aggressively to better
prepare students for college and careers, Governor Dave Freudenthal told a
gathering of governors at an education symposium in Arizona on Monday.
“With the Hathaway Scholarship in place and other measures like the
state’s funding to pay for ACT tests for high school juniors, I think Wyoming is
doing a very good job of getting high schoolers ready for college and careers,”
Freudenthal said. “Our scholarship program is, frankly, as good as anything I’ve
heard here.”
Hosted by the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational
Leadership and Policy, the symposium brings together the nation’s governors to
engage in candid dialogue about critical challenges facing education.
“An interesting aspect of the Hathaway program is that it activates
parents,” Freudenthal said. “It gets them involved and gets them asking
questions of the districts about the different levels of financial support that
are available. It also gets them to track more closely what’s going on with
their child’s education since their performance has a direct financial tie.”
Each session during the three-day conference focuses on core
education issues, incorporating presentations by nationally-recognized experts.
Governors have opportunities to interact with these experts and share with other
governors the practices in place in each of their states.
The state has invested heavily in kindergarten through 12th grade education,
adding $66.4 million to school operations funding in the last year alone. Total
spending per student in Wyoming jumped from $5,446 in 1997-98 to $13,115 in
2007-08 - an increase of 141 percent in one decade.
“Certainly in terms of funding, we are among the top, if not the
top,” Freudenthal said.
The Hathaway Scholarship significantly increases the affordability of higher
education for Wyoming students. The scholarship is backed by a success
curriculum which will eventually require students to take four years of math and
science and two years of foreign language in high school.
One session at the symposium today focused on improving the connection between
the early levels of education from kindergarten through 12th grade and higher
education, where many students are forced to take remedial courses to bring
their skills up to the college level.
“That discussion was broad ranging but pretty inconclusive in terms
of solutions,” Freudenthal said. “One important option we did discuss is
tracking individual students and individual teachers,” over a long period of
time, the Governor said. Within five years, this new program will help the
Department of Education better measure the success rates of individual students
and their teachers. Freudenthal said evaluating the success of individual
students will best help education planning in the future.
SENATORS WANT KOREAN BORDER OPEN TO U.S. & WYOMING BEEF
April 13, 2007
WASHINGTON -- While Gov.
Bill Richarson (and US Presidential Democratic candidate) negotiates with North
Korea for the return of US soldiers’ remains and nuclear disarmament, Wyoming
senators are negotiating with South Korean to lift bans on US beef imports
there. U.S. Senators Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., are continuing to prod
the South Korean government to open its borders to U.S. beef.
President Bush has announced his intention for the U.S. to enter
into a free trade agreement with South Korea. The notification comes 90 days
before he will sign the agreement and send it to Congress for its approval.
Thomas and Enzi believe the U.S. would benefit from increased trade with South
Korea, but said South Korea must open its borders to U.S. beef or the trade
agreement won’t receive congressional consideration.
“Ongoing trade with South Korea remains important to both
economies. One of Wyoming’s export industries -- soda ash -- will have expanded
opportunities in the South Korean market. I’d like to see a similar result for
Wyoming beef,” Thomas said.
“U.S. beef is safe. Americans know that. South Koreans know that.
It is time South Korea looks to the scientific evidence that tells them what
they already know,” said Enzi. “I think they know that in order to get this
agreement finalized they will have to open their borders. I’m hopeful that they
will.” President Bush intends to sign the United States-Korea Free Trade
Agreement in 90 days. The current agreement does not open South Korean borders
to U.S. beef but South Korea has agreed to resume imports of U.S. beef “if an
expected safety reclassification of U.S. meat is made by a world health group
next month.”
Thomas and Enzi signed a letter to the Ambassador of the Republic
of Korea on May 25, 2006, with 29 other senators, emphasizing the importance of
beef trade with South Korea before negotiations begin on a bilateral free trade
agreement with Korea.
After signature from President Bush the agreement will be sent to
Congress for approval. Within the 90 day period changes can be made to the
agreement. U.S. beef exports to South Korea have been subject to a ban since
2003 when 23 percent of total U.S. beef exports were sent to Korea.
SENATORS WANT KOREAN BORDER OPEN TO U.S. & WYOMING BEEF
April 12, 2007
WASHINGTON -- While Gov. Bill
Richarson (and US Presidential Democratic candidate) negotiates with North Korea
for the return of US soldiers’ remains and nuclear disarmament, Wyoming senators
are negotiating with South Korean to lift bans on US beef imports there. U.S.
Senators Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., are continuing to prod the South
Korean government to open its borders to U.S. beef.
President Bush has announced his intention for the U.S. to enter
into a free trade agreement with South Korea. The notification comes 90 days
before he will sign the agreement and send it to Congress for its approval.
Thomas and Enzi believe the U.S. would benefit from increased trade with South
Korea, but said South Korea must open its borders to U.S. beef or the trade
agreement won’t receive congressional consideration.
“Ongoing trade with South Korea remains important to both
economies. One of Wyoming’s export industries -- soda ash -- will have expanded
opportunities in the South Korean market. I’d like to see a similar result for
Wyoming beef,” Thomas said.
“U.S. beef is safe. Americans know that. South Koreans know that.
It is time South Korea looks to the scientific evidence that tells them what
they already know,” said Enzi. “I think they know that in order to get this
agreement finalized they will have to open their borders. I’m hopeful that they
will.” President Bush intends to sign the United States-Korea Free Trade
Agreement in 90 days. The current agreement does not open South Korean borders
to U.S. beef but South Korea has agreed to resume imports of U.S. beef “if an
expected safety reclassification of U.S. meat is made by a world health group
next month.”
Thomas and Enzi signed a letter to the Ambassador of the Republic
of Korea on May 25, 2006, with 29 other senators, emphasizing the importance of
beef trade with South Korea before negotiations begin on a bilateral free trade
agreement with Korea.
After signature from President Bush the agreement will be sent to Congress for
approval. Within the 90 day period changes can be made to the agreement. U.S.
beef exports to South Korea have been subject to a ban since 2003 when 23
percent of total U.S. beef exports were sent to Korea.
GOVERNOR CHALLENGES BLM AND INDUSTRY TO BALANCE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION
April 11, 2007
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Acknowledging the federal government’s push to rapidly develop
energy resources in Wyoming, late last week Governor Dave Freudenthal challenged
the Bureau of Land Management and industry to strike a balance between
development and conservation in the Pinedale area. This move could foreshadow
what Wyoming would like to see if future development efforts.
The Governor commented on the need to find a solution that
maximizes gas recovery while providing long-term protection for the state’s
resources in a letter to Dennis Stenger, Pinedale field office manager for the
BLM, focusing on the Draft Supplemental Pinedale Anticline Environmental Impact
Statement currently being developed by the agency.
“There is likely no other place in the Rocky Mountain Region with
such extensive co-existence of world class wildlife, natural gas, visual and
cultural resources,” Freudenthal said in his letter. “My challenge to the BLM
staff and proponents is to find a solution that maximizes gas recovery while
providing long-term protection for the remaining valuable social, cultural,
scenic, aesthetic, agricultural and wildlife resources so as not to cause
irreversible harm to any of them.”
Freudenthal’s administration has negotiated to reduce the impacts of additional
large-scale development on the Pinedale Anticline and to ensure that unavoidable
impacts are mitigated appropriately.
“While I understand the need to develop our natural resources, we
must continue to do it in a way that preserves our quality of life in Wyoming,”
Freudenthal said.
The winter drilling supplement to the Pinedale Anticline Project
Area EIS will focus development on the core area of the Anticline, and the
Governor was encouraged to see the following measures initially committed to by
industry:
• Directional drilling restricted to an additional 250 well pads.
• Concentrated drilling on only 1/5 of the Anticline, leaving the rest of the
area open for migrating and wintering wildlife.
• Voluntary suspension of certain leases on the flank areas of the Anticline to
provide wildlife habitat.
• Significant mitigation and monitoring fund created by industry to be used to
offset the impacts associated with drilling.
Governor Freudenthal summarized the situation by saying, “A successful
management strategy will require more than the standard BLM operational and
business practices. It will require the proponents and BLM to fully explore
federal operating practices, regulations and statutes.”
THOMAS INTRODUCES COWBOY DAY FOR JULY 28, 2007
April 10, 2007
WASHINGTON – In its third year, the National Day of the American Cowboy,
introduced in the Senate last week by U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, recognizes
cowboys and cowgirls as a significant part of our nation’s history.
“The National Day of the American Cowboy has gained a tremendous
following thanks to the work of non-profit organizations, country music stars,
and folks around the country who want to honor cowboys and cowgirls
contributions to our nation’s history,” Thomas said.
“I’m pleased to continue efforts to recognize cowboys and cowgirls
for their spirit, grit, and determination – particularly in Wyoming and the
West.
A Senate resolution to recognize the third-ever “National Day of
the American Cowboy” slates July 28, 2007 as the day of celebration. The plan is
to seek the fourth Saturday of July to be celebrated as part of the history of
our nation. President Bush offered his support both in 2005 and 2006 for the
National Day of the American Cowboy.
In a Presidential Message Thomas read at Cheyenne Frontier Days,
the President said, “The cowboy is an American icon that holds a cherished place
in our Nation’s history. Our past is filled with wonderful stories of cowboys
who embodied the finest American values of daring, discipline, and patriotism.”
Senator Thomas was originally approached about the recognition day
for cowboys by Sheridan-based American Cowboy magazine, which launched a
campaign in 2004 to seek recognition for cowboys and cowgirls.
Senator Thomas drafted legislation in early 2005 to recognize the
first day. An effort was subsequently launched by the National Day of the Cowboy
Organization to build support for the day. A number of events for the public
good, including through education, the arts, and community activities have been
jump-started by the organization.
The organization touts the day as one set aside by the United
States Senate to pay homage to our Cowboy and Western heritage, as well as to
honor working cowboys and cowgirls, rodeo athletes, western musicians, cowboy
poets, western artists, ranchers, and all others who continue to contribute to
the cowboy and western culture in America today.
Mini Note: For more information on the National Day of the American
Cowboy go to
http://www.nationaldayofthecowboy.com/about.php.
GOVERNOR SAYS WYOMING WILL OPERATE ON ITS OWN TIME LINE FOR CHANGES TO WOLF
LAW
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Wyoming will pursue its own time line when considering
revisions to the state’s wolf management rules, Governor Dave Freudenthal said
in a letter today to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Mitch
King.
King had asked for a May 1 deadline for a new wolf management plan from Wyoming,
but Freudenthal said, “Substantive barriers exist to the state’s adoption of a
wolf management plan” by that early date.
Wyoming’s Administrative Procedure Act provides specific time lines
for state agencies to adopt rules, the Governor said in his letter. “Even under
the most aggressive timetable, a May 1 adoption date is virtually impossible,”
he added.
ENZI INTRODUCES BILL TO HELP RANCHERS, STOP MANIPULATIVE PACKER PRACTICES
April 6, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., introduced legislation today to
end unfair and manipulative meat packer practices. Enzi said money is being
taken out of the pocketbooks of hardworking ranchers in Wyoming and across the
United States because of off balance policies.
Enzi introduced a bill that would address the problem of captive supply in the
livestock industry. The bill would amend the Packers and Stockyards Act to
require packers to have a fixed base price in their contracts and to also put
contracts up for bid in the open market. Enzi said this would prevent packers
from manipulating the base price after the point of sale.
"Our family ranchers are dealing with price discrimination, price
manipulation and undue preferences. A firm base price needs to be implemented to
ensure an open and transparent market that protects the small ranchers," said
Enzi. "The independent spirit of Wyoming ranchers is being chipped away from
behind the scenes by price setting and manipulation.
Ranchers aren’t asking for a handout. What I’m asking for them is
equal treatment so they can feed their family during the next year. The affect
on ranchers is not so visible because we have not seen their faces on the
nightly news or read their stories in the national newspapers. But the problem
is there and a solution is important to Wyoming."
Captive supply refers to livestock that meat packers directly own or control
through contracts they issue to purchase the livestock before slaughter.
The legislation also encourages electronic trading that would function much like
the stock market where insider trading is prohibited.
Enzi’s bill is co-sponsored by Senators Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Chuck
Grassley, R-Iowa, Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., and Kent Conrad, D-N.D. Enzi introduced
similar legislation in the 109th Congress.
LINK BETWEEN WYO WORKFORCE & COMMUNITY COLLEGES IS ONE FOCUS OF GOVERNOR’S
NEW COMMISSION
April 5, 2007
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Citing the
need for a comprehensive examination of the role of Wyoming’s community colleges
in meeting the state’s workforce development needs, Governor Dave Freudenthal
today announced the creation of the Governor’s Commission on Community Colleges.
The commission will embark on a series of meetings around the state in the
coming months, and is expected to offer its recommendations to the governor and
the legislature later this year.
“We need to take a hard look at our community colleges,” Freudenthal said. “The
issues surrounding our colleges’ mission, governance and funding are complex. It
is my belief that the colleges have a great role in this state that needs to be
particularly expanded in the concept of workforce training.”
The state must also reexamine the relationship between the colleges
and the Community College Commission, Freudenthal said, and consider funding
options for capital construction projects.
“I’m confident the talented group of people who have agreed to serve on the
Governor’s Commission on Community Colleges will move forward with an
aggressive examination of those challenges, to be followed by concrete proposals
for change,” Freudenthal said.
Freudenthal named Western Wyoming Community College President
Tex
Boggs as the commission’s chairman. Those appointed to the commission include
legislators, business people and education professionals. They are:
¨
Jim McBride, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Cheyenne
¨
Sen. Michael von Flatern, Gillette
¨
Rep. Debbie Hammons, Worland
¨
Ann Beaulieu, Eastern Wyoming College,
Torrington
¨
Lynn Birleffi, Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association, Cheyenne
¨
Greg Dundas, Peabody Energy, Gillette
¨
Reed Eckhardt, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle,
Cheyenne
¨
John Hay, III, Rock Springs Nat’l Bank
¨
Tom Kinnison, Accountant, Sheridan
¨
Ann Noble, Community College
Commission, Cora
¨
David Reetz, First National
Bank, Powell
¨
R.C. Reiman, Reiman Construction, Cheyenne
¨
Richard Robitaille, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Casper
¨
Jane
Sullivan, Casper College Board, Casper
“The community colleges have the potential, and the
responsibility, to annually train hundreds of Wyoming men and women for full-
time, high-paying, benefited jobs that will continue to be available in Wyoming
after the boom has ended,” Boggs said. “I am pleased that the governor has
created a commission to explore what Wyoming community colleges can do to better
position themselves to meet the state's workforce training needs and to
determine what role the state should play in that process.”
High on the commission’s agenda, Boggs said, is for the group to
work to form stronger partnerships between the state, the private sector and the
community colleges to identify and provide the most effective workforce training
programs for students throughout Wyoming. Freudenthal called for a renewed focus
on the state’s community colleges during his 2007 State of the State address,
but a bill establishing a task force stalled in a Senate-House conference
committee during the closing days of the legislative session. As a result, the
legislature’s Management Council directed the Joint Interim Education committee
to review the state’s community colleges following receipt of a report from the
executive branch.
|
| Mini APRIL Archive: Local
News ... |
DHL SERVICE COMES TO BUFFALO
April 23, 2007
Buffalo, WYO — DHL is opening its own Authorized Shipping Center in Buffalo
starting today at the downtown CloudPeak.Net Building. CPN says that they look
forward to working with DHL. Previously they worked with FedEx but found that
DHL better serves the needs of their customers — they offer better prices, they
are the world’s leader in shipping internationally and at better prices than any
other shipper, they will insure art work and other precious valuables that the
other shippers won’t, they will deliver to PO BOX addresses and rural addresses.
DHL is the company the up and coming shipper with many innovations for
customers. They are also the “we try harder guys”, said CPN owner Vogel, “and we
look forward to working with them.”
Texas Hold’em BBQ and Benefit to
Support Boys and Girls Club of Buffalo
April 23, 2007
Buffalo, WYO — One of the newest and most popular Johnson County fundraisers is
just around the bend. The Texas Hold’em and BBQ fundraiser is April 28th at the
JC Fairgrounds.
The annual fundraiser helps the Boys and Girls Club of helps make
all the programs they provide throughout the year possible. Unit Director
Carolyn Schroth says that people don’t know that they really rely on local
support to maintain their programs. She says that national grants and support
from the head organization were intended to help with startup costs, but that
maintaining the Boys and Girls Club in the community depends on the community.
The annual cost is $319,000 to run Boys and Girls Club so we have to re-lie on
help of the community. Serving over 450 members between the ages of 6-18; an
average of 50-60 children a day. September through May we provide a fun,
educational After School program.
In the summer we offer a full day of activities five days a week.
We offer bus transportation for the After School program from Clear Creek and
Meadowlark schools. The Kaycee members are bused to the Jarrard building. The
children are provided with a health snack and help with their homework. We also
offer math and science projects, crafts, computer training, cooking classes, and
life-lesson skills. During the summer the Club offers all day learning
curriculum and recreational field trips; such as museums, water parks, dude
ranches, fishing, and the YMCA.
The Boys and Girls Club runs many other programs for kids that
teach and help with life skills. The Texas Hold’em benefit is a way to ensure
these programs will continue for the kids.
GRIMM BIDS FAREWELL TO BUFFALO — WELL, NOT QUITE YET
April 4, 2007
BUFFALO, WYO— Former Buffalo City Planner Jeremy Grimm plans to be joining
Wyoming Business Council’s Dave Spenser over at DeerField for the next few weeks
as he makes the popular internet café his new mobile office.
In reminiscing about his tenure as Buffalo’s City Planner, Grimm
was amazed by all that he had helped to accomplish in his two and three quarter
years on the job. He started ticking off the projects: first helping get the
City a new Buffalo Comprehensive Plan; getting funding covered for the Water
Treatment Plant and getting it into compliance; the two and one half million
gallon Water Tank storage system; Sewer improvements; an update on energy
services; that new development will pay 100% of cost for services it needs; new
water management that virtually assures there will not be a future problem with
flooding; new water tap fees so that the tax payers aren’t forced to fund new
growth; a planning department that now plans tasks and has a plan to follow;
amend city policy so that fees associated with building costs and administration
incurred by the City are paid by the builders; and just recently applying to
partake in the Main Street Program and the Wyoming Business Council’s Business
Ready Program with the County and the City working together on a 45 million
dollar grant to acquire the Ouray building. All that has happened in two and
three quarters of a year since Grimm started on the job.
Grimm added that it has been an “honor and a privilege to work
here, and get to know the people of Johnson County”. Many of the folks at the
Comprehensive Plan Preview took time to address Grimm and let him know they
appreciated his professionalism and his accomplishment — and that he would be
missed. It was Grimm’s last day on the job as Buffalo City Planner.
Grimm will be moving to Sand Point, Idaho in a few weeks to start his new job
there in mid-April — also in a city planning position.
MINI NOTE: Again, if you want to see Jeremy before he moves away,
you can try checking out his new “office” at DeerField. Buy him a cup of and let
him know what a great job he did for us.
WINTER STORM LEAVES AREA BURIED AND HUNDREDS OF REFUGES FROM THE STORM IN
JOHNSON COUNTY HOTELS
April 3, 2007
BUFFALO, WYO— March may have come in like a lamb, but it left like a lion. With
winds blowing steadily for three days straight and gusting up to 70 mph, with
snow drifts up to six feet on several major highways, with stranded trucks and
vehicles spread along the highways and streets of Buffalo and with power outages
just about everywhere, this spring storm left its mark all over Johnson County
and the West.
There were weather warnings but all too few paid much heed to them.
The Johnson County schools did not cancel until it was too late — the busses
could not get the kids home and parents were called to pick them up. Out in
Clearmont a truck had already jack knifed on HWY 16E and the Arvada bus could
not get through and parents had to come in their pickups and Suburbans to get
the kids home. The same thing happened on Jimmy Creek Hill where truckers tried
to by-pass the closed freeway, jack knifed and ended up stranding themselves and
many others. The bus carrying the Tongue River athletes were in a similar
accident Wednesday when two fuel tankers wrecked along with a couple of other
cars, spilling over 6000 gallons of diesel fuel and stranding the kids.
Indeed, probably the biggest problem that Chief Mike Dahmer said he
and Sheriff Steve Kozicek encountered were cars and trucks trying to run the
barricades and then getting stuck and stranded. “We put those up for a reason,
Chief Dahmer said. It’s because the weather is so bad we can’t get to you to
help you.” Many folks ended up in their vehicles for up to two days until Search
and Rescue could get to them. Others were luckier and they were plucked off the
highways and freeways and brought to Buffalo where they filled all available
rooms in motels and hotels. Many traveling students ended up at Meadowlark
School and overflow from the hotels were brought to the Senior Center.
Areas of Clearmont, Ucross and Arvada were without power and
telephone service for four days as power and phone lines were downed all along
16E. Dahmer said that until Sunday parts of HWY 16/14E were still closed, and
that not all of I25 was open until early Sunday morning.
Chief Dahmer said that there were few problems getting the streets
cleared and everything should be running normally now. During the storm their
priority was the emergency routes and then removing trash from overfilled hotels
and motels. Mayor Andy Anderson said the City crews and police — both the city’s
and the sheriff’s office — did just an incredible job of managing the emergency.
The got the snow removed and helped get folks’ vehicles out, got the trash
removed and worked late Saturday until they got it all done.
The good news? The snow is melting. The bad news? The weather
forecast is for more snow all this week!
TROY STONE TO STEP DOWN AS PRINCIPAL AT MIDDLE SCHOOL
April 2, 2007
BUFFALO, WYO — JCSD #1 Superintendent Rod Kessler confirmed today that Clear
Creek Middle School Principal, Troy Stone, has informed the district that he
plans to resign at the end of the school year. Kessler reports that Stone has
just been offered a wonderful business opportunity and “is planning on taking
that job”. Officially, the school district has not accepted Stone’s resignation
or made any plans for a replacement. They expect to deal with this issue at
their April 2 board meeting.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE REPORT AT ODDS WITH DEMOCRAT PROPOSED CHANGE TO
SENIOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLANS
April 18, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator
Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said Congressional Democrats’ plans to change Medicare
prescription drug benefits by federalizing it and eliminating the free-market
negotiation model we use now, "turned the corner and bumped into reality" this
week.
"I’ve received dozens of calls and letters from Wyoming seniors who
don’t want Congress to interfere with their prescription drug plan because their
plan is working for them. Today the independent Congressional Budget Office
confirmed that the proposed changes would do little to save anybody money," Enzi
said. "We have already implemented a plan that is working. We don’t need
meddling for the sake of meddling or a new system conjured up for political
convenience."
About 89 percent of seniors in Wyoming are receiving prescription drug coverage,
an increase of 16 percent from last year. Five separate surveys show that more
than 75 percent of beneficiaries are satisfied with the program.
"The program is working, why are some in Congress so intent on
‘fixing’ something that isn’t broken?" said Enzi.
Democrats in the House proposed and passed H.R. 4, which would hand over drug
price negotiations to a government agency. This switch from the market-based
negotiations that seniors benefit from now would allow prices to be fixed on
Medicare prescription drugs and could lead to nationwide limits on the drugs
available to seniors and the disabled.
The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to take up similar
legislation today. The Senate bill is less dramatic than the House proposal. The
Senate version would allow instead of require government price manipulation, but
Enzi said free market negotiation will yield better results for seniors.
"Making sure the government does not interfere by price fixing protects seniors
and the disabled from having the government decide which drugs their doctors can
prescribe. It maintains the sacred relationship that seniors have with their
doctors, who know best about what particular drugs are right for their patients.
Patients support this language and they want us to maintain it," said Enzi.
Enzi said the Medicare Part D prescription drug program has proven
to have better benefits than the Veteran’s Affairs health program and many
veterans have enrolled in Part D. If the Democrats’ proposal passes Congress
Medicare Part D prescription prices will become more controlled, like the VA
health program, according to Enzi.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported that 1.4 million have
enrolled in Medicare’s Part D program since the benefit took effect on January
1, 2006, bringing the total number of people with Medicare now receiving
comprehensive prescription drug coverage to more than 39 million.
ENZI WORKS TO CINCH UP EARMARK DISCLOSURE
April 17, 2007
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator
Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said the Senate should enact earmark disclosure requirements
now, without wasting time waiting for the House to approve S. 1 the Senate
Ethics Reform bill. Enzi said American taxpayers should clearly see how their
money is being spent.
"With this year’s appropriation cycle in full swing the Senate must act quickly
to implement this important ethics reform," Enzi and four other senators wrote
in an April 11 letter to the Senate Majority and Minority leaders. "If we are
serious about changing the culture in Washington, we must be completely
transparent about how we spend American tax dollars."
The resolution, if passed, would become binding and require
disclosure of information related to earmarks in committee passed bills and must
be available in a searchable format on the Internet. The information available
would include the name of the senator requesting the earmark, the name and
address of the recipient, the purpose and a certification the requesting senator
and his or her spouse have no financial interest in the request.
Enzi’s letter urges Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to allow the Senate to unanimously approve Senate
Resolution 123, the Senate earmark disclosure rule. The rule was included as an
amendment to S.1, the lobbying and ethics reform bill, by a vote of 98-0 on Jan.
16. The House of Representatives has not acted on S. 1, which must happen before
the bill can be signed into law. Because this important change will not go into
effect in the Senate until President Bush signs S. 1, Enzi is looking for ways
to ensure this important change is made in the Senate as soon as possible.
Senators who signed the letter plan to see it approved by unanimous
consent on Tuesday. Enzi hopes senators will follow through on the 98-0 vote
they took earlier this year. If one senator objects to unanimous approval the
resolution will not pass.
"Unfortunately, recent events indicate that the new Congress may be
less inclined to shine light on the congressional favor factory than it
previously claimed," the senators wrote. "No one opposed this rule when it was
put to a roll call vote earlier this year and no one should object to it now."
Enzi and the other senators who sent the letter are members of the Republican
Executive Steering Committee, a group of conservative senators who work together
to promote fiscally sound and socially responsible policies.
THOMAS SAYS COAL-DERIVED FUEL GETTING SHORT-SHRIFT
April 15, 2007
WASHINGTON -- At a Senate Energy Committee hearing this week on the “Biofuels
for Energy Security and Transportation Act” (S.987), U.S. Senator Craig Thomas
said that the bill ignores coal-to-liquid technology, creates higher feed prices
for agriculture, and does not address the inadequacy of our infrastructure to
deliver renewable fuels.
“Biofuels are not carbon neutral -- it takes a lot of energy to
produce this stuff -- diesel to run the tractors, natural gas to produce the
fertilizer, more diesel to run the trucks and trains that deliver it because we
know that we cannot put ethanol into existing pipelines,” Thomas said.
“New pipeline infrastructure is tremendously expensive to develop.
Meanwhile, our country’s truck and rail capacity, which is already overextended,
would be required to carry an even heavier burden through additional delivery of
renewable fuels. I think it’s irresponsible to ignore that the pipeline
infrastructure we already have in place is capable of delivering coal-derived
fuels while putting so much emphasis on a single renewable fuel that doesn’t
have the appropriate infrastructure.”
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) contained a Renewable Fuels
Standard (RFS). This RFS mandated that gasoline sold in the United States
contain increasing amounts of renewable fuel, such as ethanol. Under the RFS,
refiners must blend into their products at least 4 billion gallons of renewable
fuel in 2006. That level increases by 700 million gallons each year through 2011
before reaching a level of 7.5 billion gallons in 2012.
S. 987 would increase the 7.5 billion gallon by 2012 requirement contained in
EPACT to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Specifically, the bill would require
conventional renewable fuels to reach production of at least 15 billion gallons
per year by 2015.
“Promoting these fuels at the expense or exclusion of others
will have harmful consequences, Thomas said. “You must understand how the energy
sector works, how it’s changing and seek solutions that utilize market forces.
Simply increasing a mandated level ignores the impacts on consumers and how to
best meet our emerging and future energy needs.”
“U.S. farmers will plant nearly 90 million acres of corn in the
next year. This amount is up 15% from last year, and 27% of that corn will be
used to make ethanol. Ethanol demand has increased corn prices to their highest
levels in a decade. Corn is now selling for about $4.20 per bushel. This is good
for the corn farmers, but what about the ranchers that feed corn to their
cattle? And what about people across the world that use corn as a staple of
their diet?” Thomas said.
“The Energy Department has committed over $400 million to processes
for cellulosic ethanol production this year to make sure we produce renewable
fuel from something other than corn. And yet, this bill authorizes $225 million
more in grants to ‘help’ biofuels. It authorizes over $1 billion in research and
development money too. And it hijacks the first 6 loan guarantees issued by DOE
for biofuels. When I voted for the loan guarantee program in 2005, I was led to
believe it would be available to all technologies” said Thomas.
“Last week, I visited an ethanol plant in my home state of Wyoming.
This plant is a month away from producing 1 million gallons of ethanol per year
from wood chips and sawdust, not corn. After visiting that plant, I have to
wonder why we continue to research these things. There are already people are
out there building them. The numbers clearly show the achievements of our
current renewable fuel policy: there are already 114 ethanol refineries
producing 6 billion gallons per year with 86 more under construction or
expanding. All this progress for ethanol, and yet we have zero commercial scale
coal-to-liquids plants,” Thomas said.
“Why are we not trying to fix that shortcoming in this bill? We
also have zero commercial scale carbon sequestration projects. I have to ask,
why are we not trying to fix that shortcoming in this bill?”
“I will say, however, that the underlying purposes of this bill are
good. We must reduce our reliance on foreign energy, we must become better
stewards of the environment, and we must utilize our domestic resources in an
efficient and affordable way. I do not believe this bill goes far enough to
accomplish these goals. For this reason, I look forward to offering amendments
in Committee and on the Senate floor. I do hope that this legislation can be
developed further, in an open and fair manner.”
GOVERNOR CHALLENGES BLM AND INDUSTRY TO BALANCE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION
April 11, 2007
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Acknowledging the federal government’s push to rapidly develop
energy resources in Wyoming, late last week Governor Dave Freudenthal challenged
the Bureau of Land Management and industry to strike a balance between
development and conservation in the Pinedale area. This move could foreshadow
what Wyoming would like to see if future development efforts.
The Governor commented on the need to find a solution that
maximizes gas recovery while providing long-term protection for the state’s
resources in a letter to Dennis Stenger, Pinedale field office manager for the
BLM, focusing on the Draft Supplemental Pinedale Anticline Environmental Impact
Statement currently being developed by the agency.
“There is likely no other place in the Rocky Mountain Region with
such extensive co-existence of world class wildlife, natural gas, visual and
cultural resources,” Freudenthal said in his letter. “My challenge to the BLM
staff and proponents is to find a solution that maximizes gas recovery while
providing long-term protection for the remaining valuable social, cultural,
scenic, aesthetic, agricultural and wildlife resources so as not to cause
irreversible harm to any of them.”
Freudenthal’s administration has negotiated to reduce the impacts of additional
large-scale development on the Pinedale Anticline and to ensure that unavoidable
impacts are mitigated appropriately.
“While I understand the need to develop our natural resources, we
must continue to do it in a way that preserves our quality of life in Wyoming,”
Freudenthal said.
The winter drilling supplement to the Pinedale Anticline Project
Area EIS will focus development on the core area of the Anticline, and the
Governor was encouraged to see the following measures initially committed to by
industry:
• Directional drilling restricted to an additional 250 well pads.
• Concentrated drilling on only 1/5 of the Anticline, leaving the rest of the
area open for migrating and wintering wildlife.
• Voluntary suspension of certain leases on the flank areas of the Anticline to
provide wildlife habitat.
• Significant mitigation and monitoring fund created by industry to be used to
offset the impacts associated with drilling.
Governor Freudenthal summarized the situation by saying, “A successful
management strategy will require more than the standard BLM operational and
business practices. It will require the proponents and BLM to fully explore
federal operating practices, regulations and statutes.”
THOMAS INTRODUCES COWBOY DAY FOR JULY 28, 2007
April 10, 2007
WASHINGTON – In its third year, the National Day of the American Cowboy,
introduced in the Senate last week by U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, recognizes
cowboys and cowgirls as a significant part of our nation’s history.
“The National Day of the American Cowboy has gained a tremendous
following thanks to the work of non-profit organizations, country music stars,
and folks around the country who want to honor cowboys and cowgirls
contributions to our nation’s history,” Thomas said.
“I’m pleased to continue efforts to recognize cowboys and cowgirls
for their spirit, grit, and determination – particularly in Wyoming and the
West.
A Senate resolution to recognize the third-ever “National Day of
the American Cowboy” slates July 28, 2007 as the day of celebration. The plan is
to seek the fourth Saturday of July to be celebrated as part of the history of
our nation. President Bush offered his support both in 2005 and 2006 for the
National Day of the American Cowboy.
In a Presidential Message Thomas read at Cheyenne Frontier Days,
the President said, “The cowboy is an American icon that holds a cherished place
in our Nation’s history. Our past is filled with wonderful stories of cowboys
who embodied the finest American values of daring, discipline, and patriotism.”
Senator Thomas was originally approached about the recognition day
for cowboys by Sheridan-based American Cowboy magazine, which launched a
campaign in 2004 to seek recognition for cowboys and cowgirls.
Senator Thomas drafted legislation in early 2005 to recognize the
first day. An effort was subsequently launched by the National Day of the Cowboy
Organization to build support for the day. A number of events for the public
good, including through education, the arts, and community activities have been
jump-started by the organization.
The organization touts the day as one set aside by the United
States Senate to pay homage to our Cowboy and Western heritage, as well as to
honor working cowboys and cowgirls, rodeo athletes, western musicians, cowboy
poets, western artists, ranchers, and all others who continue to contribute to
the cowboy and western culture in America today.
Mini Note: For more information on the National Day of the American
Cowboy go to
http://www.nationaldayofthecowboy.com/about.php.
| |
Mini Weather
Public Voice
Click
Above
to Read About Community Issues:
Projects, Plans & Proposals
| 
