Washington D-C – Representative Barbara Cubin remains a fan of the new enhanced drivers license called Real I-D. All states must provide the enhanced I-D's by 2017, but issues of cost and possible cost of privacy are cited by critics. But Cubin says those issues are overblown. She says the federal government will help states fund the new program. Cubin also says that the government is not collecting a data base on citizens. Cubin says Real I-D will protect the country from terrorists and help manage the nations borders.

Casper, Wy – Wildlife biologists in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, North Dakota and Utah have reviewed research into how oil and gas development effects the sage grouse.
They conclude that the best available science indicates that the current level of sage grouse protection implemented in oil and gas fields is not enough to maintain the bird's population.
Based on that science, the state biologists compiled recommendations on such things as well-pad densities, the pace of development and when development should occur.

By Peter O'Dowd

Laramie, WY – University of Wyoming researchers have completed an inventory of the glaciers in the Wind River Range. UW Professor Glenn Tootle says the data shows the average glacier was reduced by nearly 40 percent since 1985.

Tootle says that's not surprising, because other studies throughout the world have shown this rapid loss of glacial ice.

By AP

Cody, Wyo – The new director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center hopes to increase the museum's national stature.

Bruce Eldredge began work this week as the center's new chief executive officer and executive director.

Eldredge says his goal is to bring the Buffalo Bill Historical Center up from a ranking of among the top one hundred museums in the country to among the top ten.

By AP

Washington, DC – Sen. Mike Enzi declared a victory in a fight to increase mileage reimbursement for veterans this week.

Enzi's office reports that an increase from 11 cents to 28.5 cents per mile was approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Republican senator says he has worked for seven years to get a much needed increase in the amount disabled veterans are reimbursed for traveling to VA hospitals to receive care.

By AP

Gillette, Wyo. – Peabody Energy's proposed School Creek coal mine in the southern Powder River Basin remains on the drawing board but does not appear to be in line to start up this year.

The St. Louis-based coal company has been tightlipped about its plans for the mine in northeast Wyoming since it was first announced it in 2006.

But Peabody CEO Greg Boyce told investors during a conference call this week that the company has not included the new mine in any of its 2008 production figures.

Washington D-C – Republican Senator John Barrasso is pushing Congress to pass legislation to capture carbon emissions. Supporters say it will help reduce greenhouse gases and help the US become less energy dependent.

Laramie, Wy – The Department of Veteran's Affairs has agreed to give veterans an increase in the cost of traveling to a Veterans Administration hospital. Those who have served in the military are given a mileage reimbursement for the long travel they sometimes have to make to a V-A hospital, but since 1977 the reimbursement has been 11-cents a mile. Senator Mike Enzi was among those who pushed to get that amount increased to over 28 cents a mile. In a prepared statement, Enzi says the increase is long overdue.

Laramie, Wy – The latest candidate for Congress wants to get his party back to its traditional values. Johnson County rancher and businessman Mark Gordon is running as a republican for Wyoming's seat in the House of Representatives. Gordon says the Republican Party he grew up with was about small government, limited spending and the belief in the individual. GORDON: And a little bit of that I think the government may have strayed from over the years. As for concrete issues, Gordon says he does not favor a time line for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

By Addie Goss

Cheyenne, WY – Governor Dave Freudenthal is astonished by the news that the department of energy may pull support for a flagship carbon capture project.

The FutureGen project would have included a $1.5 billion dollar coal-fired power plant that would capture about 90 percent of its CO2 emissions and store it underground.