Mead

Mead: Don't examine global effects of coal

The Associated Press — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:04:21 +0000

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead is asking the White House to not evaluate the effects of greenhouse gases that would be emitted by exporting U.S. coal and burning it overseas.

Wyoming is the nation's leading coal-producing state and state officials are concerned about falling domestic demand for coal as a result of global warming concerns. State officials are pushing to secure ports in the Northwest to allow coal exports to Asia.

Mead trip spurs Saudi interest in UW research

The Associated Press — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:02:17 +0000

Gov. Matt Mead's weeklong trip to Saudi Arabia last week has succeeded in drawing interest to energy research going on at the University of Wyoming.

As a result of the trip, officials from Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant will be visiting UW soon to get a closer look at the research.

UW has been doing specialized research that could have application to extracting oil from underground formations that are tough to tap.

Legalizing pot? Mead says no

Bob Beck — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:56:43 +0000

While Colorado has legalized marijuana, Governor Matt Mead has no interest in seeing Wyoming do the same. During a recent conference call with reporters, Mead was asked if he would support legalizing marijuana in the state. His answer was no.

Legislative panel rejects Mead's fiscal proposals

The Associated Press — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:26:30 +0000

The legislative panel responsible for drafting a supplemental Wyoming state budget bill recommends that lawmakers reject Gov. Matt Mead's proposal to cut the flow of energy revenues going into permanent savings and school construction.

Mead wants Wyoming to build up its so-called rainy day fund in case the state needs ready cash to deal with projected flat energy revenues in the years to come.

Legislature to consider gas tax hike today

The Associated Press — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:14:19 +0000

A Wyoming legislative committee is set to hear a proposal to raise fuel taxes.

The House Revenue Committee is meeting this morning in Cheyenne to consider a bill that would hike fuel taxes by a dime. The tax would increase from 14 cents to 24 cents a gallon on gasoline.

Gov. Matt Mead is pushing the tax increase. He says it would raise more than $70 million a year for state and local road projects.

The governor says increasing gasoline taxes would allow out-of-state motorists to foot much of the bill for maintaining the state's highway system.

Mead calls for studying healthcare during State of the State address

Bob Beck — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:33:02 +0000

Governor Matt Mead is urging legislators not to dismiss health care issues, but to study them and craft a Wyoming response to the Affordable Care Act. During his state of the state message today, Mead asked legislators to study both the health insurance exchange and Medicaid expansion.

Mead to deliver State of the State address today

The Associated Press — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:39:10 +0000

Gov. Matt Mead is set to deliver his annual State of the State address to lawmakers in Cheyenne on this morning.

Mead is presiding over Wyoming at a time of transition. State financial analysts warn state energy revenues are likely to stay flat for years to come.

Mead is proposing 6.5-percent budget cuts for state agencies, not counting one-time project funding. The cuts amount to more than $60 million over the coming year.

Wyoming Legislature faces budget talks in 2013 session

Associated Press — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:59:43 +0000

Wyoming House Speaker-elect Tom Lubnau says crafting a supplemental state budget will be the "overriding concern" as lawmakers open the 2013 session tomorrow

State financial analysts are warning that Wyoming needs to brace for flat revenues for years to come, given the slumping national demand for coal and increasing natural gas production in other states.

Gov. Matt Mead presented a budget proposal to lawmakers last month calling for cutting state agency budgets by an average of 6.5 percent.

Groups file third lawsuit over Wyoming wolves

The Associated Press and The associated press — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 23:12:36 +0000

Environmental groups have filed a third federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's move to end federal protections for wolves in Wyoming.

The Humane Society of the United States and the Fund for Animals filed suit today/yesterday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The groups say Wyoming's management plan classifying wolves as predators that can be shot on sight in most of the state is inadequate. They want the court to reinstate federal protections.

Mead prepares to submit budget to lawmakers

Bob Beck — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:57:16 +0000

This week Governor Matt Mead is submitting his proposed budget to Wyoming legislators. The budget will include some spending priorities, but will also feature a wide range of budget cuts, some as high as eight percent. K-12 education has been viewed by lawmakers as untouchable due to the fact that the state lost an expensive lawsuit over school funding. But Mead believes some adjustments can be made in the amount of spending that goes into new schools.

Another lawsuit challenges wolf delisting

Willow Belden — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:17:22 +0000

A second group of conservation organizations is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for removing Wyoming wolves from the Endangered Species List. One lawsuit was already filed several weeks ago. The new suit has the same goal, which is to reinstate federal protections for wolves.

Wyoming has promised to maintain at least 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs. But Duane Short with the Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance says that’s not enough.

Mead calls broadband access the new 'railroad', hopes will spur growth and connectivity

Rebecca Martinez — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:21:23 +0000

Governor Matt Mead says the future is bright for technology in Wyoming.

Deal protects thousands of acres from drilling

Bob Beck — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:02:55 +0000

After three years of work, a conservation group and a petroleum companyreached a deal that will prevent gas drilling in the Wyoming range.

The Trust for Public Land announced in Jackson today that it plans to buy out nearly 58,000 acres of oil and gas leases from Houston-based Plains Exploration and Production Co. The leases were for a pristine area of the Bridger-Teton National forest.

Governor Mead will let science and testing guide them on Pavillion

Bob Beck — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:57:46 +0000

Last week, the U-S Geological Survey released testing it did on water wells near the town of Pavillion.

Governor Matt Mead says the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality is still reviewing the data and he’s not prepared to comment until he reads their analysis. The Environmental Protection Agency did follow-up testing as well and should release those results soon.

Governor defends Wyoming’s wolf management effort

Bob Beck — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:22:21 +0000

Wyoming Governor Matt Mead defended the state’s wolf management plan this week, saying it’s been peer reviewed by scientistsGovernor Matt Mead says he will try and stay upbeat when he gives his State of the State message Monday morning. While the state has over a billion dollars in reserves, the governor is worried about falling gas prices and the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars from the state revenue picture.

Those potential losses, along with the fact that W

Wildlife Proposals Sought

Willow Belden — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:26:04 +0000

It’s time for another round of wildlife project proposals: For the tenth year in a row, the Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition is funding projects that benefit moose, elk, wild sheep and other animals.

The money comes from 20 big game hunting licensesthat the governor auctions offeach year, with proceeds going to conservation projects.

Coalition chair Kevin Hurley says wild sheep tags have sold for as much as $55,000 apiece, and he says hunters are willing to pay the price for two reasons.

Mead promises to improve workplace safety

Willow Belden — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:00:23 +0000

Gov. Matt Mead says he will implement recommendations from a new report focused on improving safety for workers.

Wyoming has one of the nation’s highest rates of workplace fatalities, and the governor recently commissioned a study to figure out why.

Report: Lack of workplace safety culture in Wyo.

The Associated Press — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:56:38 +0000

An epidemiologist who spent a year studying the high rate of workplace deaths in Wyoming says his research points to lack of a "culture of safety" in Wyoming.

Dr. Timothy Ryan says in a report to Gov. Matt Mead that more than 85 percent of reports on deadly workplace accidents in Wyoming show safety procedures not being followed.

Wyoming consistently has one of the nation's highest rates of workplace fatalities, more than 12 per 100,000 workers in 2010. That's more than three-and-a-half times the national average.

Future of healthcare pilot project uncertain

Bob Beck — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:08:19 +0000

A state run health care pilot project continues to struggle to get participants, and Governor Matt Mead recently wonders about its future.

The Healthy Frontiers project helps low income people who don’t qualify for government assistance programs to get health careand gets people access to a doctor which is paid for by a health care savings account. Governor Mead says a number of people have signed up for the program, only to drop out.