By AP

Cheyenne, WY – The Wyoming House of Representatives has passed a bill to increase state taxation of helium.

Wyoming last year imposed a severance tax on helium production.

The House voted 47-12 on Wednesday to approve House Bill 287. The bill would expand state taxation law to include ad valorem taxes, or taxes on the ownership of helium that is produced by energy companies on federal land.

Rep. Frank Philp, R-Shoshoni, sponsored the bill. He says it will produce about $2 million a year for Sublette County and Wyoming's schools.

By AP

Washington, DC – A New York congresswoman has again introduced a wide-reaching wilderness protection bill that would ban logging, oil exploration and other development on 23 million acres across Wyoming and four other states.

The bill would create five million acres of new wilderness in Wyoming, along with additional wilderness in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

By Bob Beck

By Renny MacKay

By AP

By AP

By AP

Cheyenne, WY – Two companies have agreed to improve air pollution controls at two refineries in Wyoming and one in Kansas.

Federal officials say the settlements announced yesterday will bring refineries in Cheyenne and Newcastle in Wyoming and in El Dorado in Kansas into compliance with the Clean Air Act.

Houston-based Frontier Oil Corp. will install about 127 million dollars worth of pollution control improvements at its refineries in Cheyenne and El Dorado. It also will pay a civil penalty of just over 1 million dollars.

By Renny MacKay

By Bob Beck

By AP