Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Friday, June 5th. I'm Mac Watson

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Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon joined President Trump in Washington, D.C., on Thursday as the president invoked a national security law to send $700 million to the coal industry. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that includes $75 million to boost construction of a coal export terminal in Oakland.

"They're going to fast track construction of the Oakland, California coal port, which is a huge deal, because Governor Gordon has been courting these industry people in Japan, Taiwan, saying, "Look at this clean coal we have in the Powder River Basin, and it is comparably clean, and so without port you can have all the clean coal in the world, but then be kind of stuck when it comes to Asian markets, so actually that's the huge thing is that this gives that outlet."

While calling Gordon a "great guy," the president invoked a Cold War-era law designed to boost energy production in the face of national security threats to allocate $700 million in public money for the coal industry.

Read the full story HERE.

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Speaking of coal…The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it is proposing a rule to change an Obama-era 2014 Wyoming regional haze plan that would have shuttered the Dave Johnston Unit 3 power plant in Converse County. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports EPA Region 8 administrator and former Wyoming legislator Cyrus Western called Thursday's announcement a win for Wyoming.

"That plant was due to close by the end of 2027 and they're proposing it's just a start of the process, they're proposing a rule to reverse that, so that it continues its what they say is a lifespan that goes into the 2040s and of course Wyoming jobs, Wyoming production revenue goes along with that."

Gov. Mark Gordon in an EPA statement Thursday called the maneuver proof "that environmental stewardship and energy production can go hand in hand, and said the proposal reflects a science-driven, sensible approach that relies on real-world data and measurable outcomes rather than predetermined anti-fossil fuel agendas."

Read the full story HERE.

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President Trump's lifting of restrictions on motorized use of federal lands dating back to the 1970s has some Wyoming motorsports enthusiasts cheering. But, Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that others worry that it will cause a wildlands disaster.

"Trump just pretty much wiped the slate clean, and you know, got some mixed reaction today. Of course, I talked to some motor sports enthusiasts, and they said, 'Hey, this is great, this is cool, that gives us more access for the public. This is what public lands are for.' Other people are like, 'motorized users are maybe a small percentage that has a huge impact on the wildlife and all of the users.' So maybe they, from their perspective, it's maybe a little bit unfair that everywhere we go now there's going to be dirt bikes or ATVs ripping around, like where are we going to go to have quiet spots."

The Trump administration rescinded Executive Order 11644, issued in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, along with President Jimmy Carter's 1977 EO 11989, which amended and strengthened Nixon's order.

Read the full story HERE.

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Wyoming State Sen. Cheri Stei