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[{"type":"text","text":"No better way to start the day than doing some healthy stretching..."}]

You still here 6 11 23

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>You Still Here? Sunday, June 11, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

There's no better way to start the day than doing some healthy stretching...

You Still Here? Sunday, June 11, 2023

 No better way to start the day than doing some healthy stretching...

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Wildlife

Agriculture

The push will continue to get wolves delisted from Endangered Species Act protections across the Lower 48 state despite a delisting bill being blocked in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. 

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, sought unanimous consent to pass his bill, 

 but Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, objected and blocked it. 

Even so, Wyoming Republican U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, who are co-sponsors of the bill, told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that they'll continue to back the bill.

A companion bill passed in the U.S. House and was supported by Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman, who blasted the blocking of the legislation.

“Before coming to Congress, I successfully sued to secure Wyoming’s right to manage its own gray wolf population and will continue to support legislative efforts to allow others to do the same," Hageman said in a statement to Cowboy State Daily. 

"Elitist East Coast politicians' continued objections to common-sense proposals to return wildlife management to the states are another case of those unburdened by predators attempting to dictate what other states are forced to survive," she added.

[{"type":"text","text":"Lummis said wolves have recovered and it's damaging to not delist them."}]

"America's wolf population has fully recovered, and it's long past time to take them off the endangered species list," Lummis wrote. "Wolves are tearing through cattle herds and hurting ranchers' livelihoods across the West, but some Democrats will fight delisting no matter the recovery numbers because they'd rather keep these populations under federal control.

"That flies in the face of what the Endangered Species Act was meant to do, and it hands more power to Washington bureaucrats who don't know these states or their wildlife. I'm very hopeful Senator Johnson's bill gets a vote before the year is out.” 

[{"type":"text","text":"Barrasso concurred."}]

“Wyoming is the model state for the successful delisting of wolves. Wyoming has proven that states, not Washington, are in the best position to manage the wolf,” he wrote. “We’ve fully recovered and protected our state’s wolf population for years. Senator Johnson’s legislation rightfully returns the management of wolves back to all 48 lower 48 states.” 

Hageman said wolf-delisting efforts mirror those to delist grizzly bears. 

“I have cosponsored and voted numerous times in favor of legislation to delist gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act, as these apex predators have far exceeded the law’s explicit recovery goals," she wrote. "Gray wolf populations — just like the grizzly bear — are best managed by the states they roam.

National livestock organizations also issued a joint appeal for delisting wolves. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Public Lands Council, and the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association called upon the Senate to immediately pass the bill.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Back and Forth Five Times"}]

Wolves have been delisted for several years in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and can be hunted in all three states. 

Colorado launched a reintroduction program in late 2023, and wolves remain protected there. Even if a nationwide federal delisting passes, state protections for wolves would still apply.

Wisconsin has one of the largest populations of wolves in the Lower 48, estimated at around 1,250. 

During his remarks on the Senate Floor, Johnson said Wisconsin wolves were supposed to be delisted once the population hit 250. 

Since 2007, wolves have been delisted then re-listed five times, he said. 

Many Wisconsin residents are calling for delisting, saying wolves threaten livestock, pets and public safety, Johnson said. 

In 2024, Wisconsin outdoorsman Chase Melton told Cowboy State Daily he 

 it aggressively approached him and other hunters in a duck blind. 

Booker countered by saying wolves have been viciously pursued and killed to the point where they occupy only about 10% of their historic range in the United States. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"For, Against the Bill"}]

Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, told Cowboy State Daily that he supports delisting wolves across the Lower 48. 

There could be value for Wyoming ranchers in having ESA protection for wolves removed across the country, he said.

“It perhaps, in the long term, would provide protection against efforts to relist wolves here in the Rocky Mountains,” Magagna said. 

Along the Wyoming-Colorado state line, it might not make much difference on the ground because Colorado still has “a state initiative” offering protection for wolves, he said. 

Colorado resident Samantha Miller, the senior carnivore campaigner with the Center of Biological Diversity, told Cowboy State Daily she opposes the delisting bill. 

“I could absolutely disrupt the reintroduction program in Colorado,” she said. “It could really put them (wolves) under threat any time they are seen as a threat.”  

A nationwide delisting could loosen the parameters under which wolves could be shot in Colorado, she said.

For example, wolves must be actively attacking cattle before they can be killed. Under nationwide delisting, that requirement might be reduced to wolves simply being in the same field with cattle, she said.

Miller added that wolves need safe “corridors” for genetic exchange between populations. 

Eliminating ESA protections in the Lower 48 could further hamper wolves’ ability to move safely between Colorado and other Rocky Mountain states, she said. 

Gray wolves 5 3 23

<title>Hageman Says Wolf Delisting Bill Stalled By ‘Elitist East Coast Politicians’ | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A bill to delist wolves across the Lower 48 co-sponsored by Wyoming U.S. Sens. Barrasso and Lummis was blocked by a New Jersey Democrat. Rep. Hageman on Wednesday blasted "elitist East Coast politicians' continued objections to common-sense proposals.”

Hageman Says Wolf Delisting Bill Stalled By ‘Elitist East Coast Politicians’

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

 SHERIDAN — Secretary of State Chuck Gray bashed data centers repeatedly and clashed with the moderator 

during a U.S. House forum and debate Tuesday night in Sheridan, 

Casper businessman Reid Rasner criticized Gray multiple times. Both philanthropist Steve Friess and Army Col. Kevin Christensen asserted that they’re leading the race with Gray.   

And a few candidates derided the significant wealth streaming into this race.

Wyoming Public Television (PBS) hosted the forum at Sheridan Community College. Both PBS and Wyoming Public Media streamed it.

PBS public affairs producer Steve Peck moderated the forum, which also featured a short debate phase. He warned candidates they should be civil and avoid prolonged challenges or pointed attacks on their opponents, or they’d be interrupted.

Cowboy State Daily and Wyoming Public Media panelists asked questions about whether Congress should legislate rules around license-plate reader cameras, and who is responsible for implementing artificial intelligence protection framework.

Gray answered both questions with repeated references to data centers, which are computer server warehouses that store data – including for AI – and are a flashpoint issue this election cycle.

“Well, I’m the only candidate on stage that has been talking about these data AI data centers and expressed my opposition to these AI data centers,” said Gray, who also referenced mandated kill switches in vehicles and automated workforces.

Other candidates have spoken of data centers, but only Gray has indicated a desire to ban them at the federal level from Washington, D.C.

Senate President Bo Biteman said the states shouldn’t be cut out of the ability to ban or approve data centers, and communities should have the most control over their local permitting decisions for them.

That has been Friess’s stance, and former U.S. Army ranger David Giralt echoed that approach Tuesday night also.

Rasner agreed with the local-control stance Tuesday night, and used the topic as a chance to deride Gray.

“And I find it very suspicious even our own secretary of state signed off on an AI data center less than 1 mile away from our nuclear facilities and (FE) Warren Air Force base,” said Rasner.

Gray interjected: “That’s false. That’s false.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"'When It's Your Turn'"}]

Rasner continued the critique. Gray turned to Peck and said, “I need to respond to that.”

“When it’s your turn to respond,” said Peck, “take the time then, please.”

“I can’t respond to false …" began Gray.

“You can respond when it’s your turn to respond next,” answered Peck.

Former President Joe Biden in a 2024 executive order announced that MineOne, a data center company “majority owned by Chinese nationals”, had bought land within one mile of the base at 635 Logistics Drive, Cheyenne.

The order calls Terra Crypto Inc, which was incorporated under Gray’s office in 2023, a subsidiary or affiliate of MineOne.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. investigated the business and identified national security risks, the order says. The Biden administration ordered the business to 

While Gray’s signature is on the business registration approval for Terra Crypto, he has repeatedly urged the Legislature to adopt stronger business-approval laws to restrict adversarial nations.

The Legislature reacted to the 2024 controversy by giving state law enforcement 

 potentially dangerous land transfers near critical infrastructure, and giving the secretary of state grounds to dissolve businesses owned or controlled by foreign adversaries.

Meanwhile, at the debate, Friess voiced fears of AI systems “going off the rails” and said the U.S. should also be aware of its tech race against China.

Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said the technology industry seeks framework and guidance from government, and said she’d work to develop that “as your congresswoman.”

Christensen said the nation needs to develop framework for ethical AI, but individuals and families also need to engage, communicate with their kids and be wary of the new landscape.

Giralt said Congress should do “hard work” to put data privacy protections in the National Defense Authorization Act.

Next, Sheridan Press government reporter Weston Pope asked candidates which of President Donald Trump’s executive orders they’d codify or discard.

Gray’s turn came last in that round, and after he listed his favored executive orders on election security, immigration enforcement and “stopping Wall Street housing speculation that has driven up housing costs,” he responded to Rasner.

“But, 20 minutes later,” said Gray, “I’m finally going to respond to this false statement from one of my opponents, who’s been making false statements for six months about me.”

Gray touted himself as the “strongest secretary of state in the nation on stopping China and North Korea.”

This is at least the second time Gray has 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Biteman Remembers That One Differently"}]

Nikki Ouellet, managing editor of Wyoming Public Media, asked Gray and Biteman how they’d be effective in Congress.

That was during a debate phase that pitted two candidates against each other at a time.

“Well I have a track record of this,” said Gray, pointing to his sponsorship of a successful bill directing medical staffers performing abortions to inform patients “of the opportunity” to view an ultrasound of the child and hear a heartbeat. 

Gray pointed to other legislative efforts on coal and election reform.

“What I learned during that time is that people respond to legislators with conviction, legislators that are approachable, have a sense of humor and are also authentic,” said Gray. “And that’s certainly what I am.”

He said other legislators are drawn to that.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Biteman voiced surprise."}]

“Well, that’s not the history I remember, serving with my good friend Chuck,” said Biteman, who’s on the final days of 10 years’ service in the Legislature.

“He developed a reputation of being a bully,” said Biteman of Gray. “He treated people roughly and he didn’t have the respect of his colleagues, because of the way he treated them.”

Gray responded, “Well, Biteman is wrong,” and said some lawmakers didn’t like that Gray would call for named, roll-call votes instead of voice majority.

In the next debate phase pitting Biteman against Rasner, Biteman answered a question about federal spending by saying the nation needs to start by finishing the “DOGE” mission of cutting waste, fraud and abuse.

Rasner responded by thanking Biteman for his service in the Legislature, and taking another dig at Gray.

Rasner said Gray in 2021 “voted to give tax breaks to big data centers right here in Wyoming, and usher them in.”

The vote was an attempt by then-Rep. Clark Stith to repeal Wyoming’s tax exemption for large data center projects. Gray had voted at the time to keep the tax exemption.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Gray addressed Peck again."}]

“Am I going to get to respond to that per your rules?” asked Gray. “Am I going to get to respond? Are you ever going to follow your rules?”

Peck answered, “I am following the rules, sir.”

“OK,” said Gray. “So I can’t respond? You said that …"

Peck interjected, “You’ll have another chance to speak during this round.”

“You’re not following your rules,” objected Gray.

“I am following the rules, I invite you to check them,” said Peck.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"“You’re not,” said Gray."}]

“Do you want to continue, sir?” asked Peck.

Gray continued to lament that Peck was not following the rules.

Peck offered Biteman the chance to respond to Rasner’s remarks, as part of the two-man debate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"“No, I’m good,” said Biteman."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The audience laughed. Some clapped."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Harriet Hageman"}]

Candidates diverged slightly at the two-word lightning round prompt of “Harriet Hageman.”

“She is terrible at responding to constituent letters,” said Dodson. The audience laughed.

Christensen said he disagrees with her on a number of things that Wyoming people didn’t support but finds her hard-working and dedicated to Wyoming.

Giralt said she’s doing an excellent job, and he’ll add his own priorities to the mix.

Biteman pivoted: “She’s a good cook and she makes a mean lasagna.”

Rasner called her a strong conservative and said he’s looking forward to working with her. Gray delivered similar praise.

Friess called her a friend and said she leaves “big shoes to fill.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Abortion"}]

All candidates except Gray and Rasner indicated they’d leave the decision of whether to ban abortion in the hands of the states, with some echoing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the famous Dobbs case declaring a nationwide abortion access right unconstitutional.

Gray said he favors considering a national pro-life policy. Rasner simply said he’s “100% pro-life.”

That was during the lightning round, where short answers were required. Friess in prior forums has called for codifying the “Mexico City Rule,” to ban use of federal aid funds on abortion globally.

Giralt in past forums has called for codifying the Hyde amendment, to ban the use of federal dollars for abortion.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Closing Statements"}]

During closing statements, Friess asserted that the polling shows it’s a two-man race. Friess pivoted late last month to presenting himself as a candidate who can beat Gray, and whom anti-Gray Republicans should back in the election.

Balow shook her head when Friess reiterated the “two-man race” assertion Tuesday.

Balow and Rasner both pointed to their deep Wyoming roots as multi-generational residents of the Cowboy State. Giralt referenced his experience helping to craft laws as a congressional staffer.

Biteman pointed to his career in the Legislature.

“I’m a people person. I get along well with people. I build coalitions,” said Biteman. “Talk is cheap; you need to send someone to Washington, D.C., that’s actually done everything that’s being talked about on this stage.”

Biteman gestured with both index fingers pointed outward toward Gray and Rasner.

Gray asserted the race is actually a two-man race between him and Christensen, but that Christensen is “much too liberal.”

Christensen agreed with the claim that he’s a frontrunner but countered on the “liberal” allegation, calling himself a Reagan/Bush-era, traditional conservative.

“I’ve led people in combat. I’ve influenced … the Armed Services Committees,” said Christensen, also pointing to his work as a federal public-lands manager in Wyoming.

“You can see the stark differences between us: who can work with people, and who can’t,” said Christensen of himself and Gray.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Dodson urged people to vote,"}]

“Anybody up here can win,” he said. “If you think your candidate has no chance you’re wrong.” 

[{"type":"text","text":"In Hindsight …"}]

On Wednesday, Gray and Rasner both asserted via Facebook post that they’d won the debate.

Giralt thanked the outlets for hosting. Biteman posted a link to the full debate Tuesday.

Christensen authored a post expounding one of his short, lightning-round answers.

[{"type":"text","text":"The primary election is Aug. 18. "}]

Debate grey biteman rasner best

<title>Chuck Gray Hammers Data Centers, Clashes With Host At U.S. House Forum | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Secretary of State Chuck Gray brought up data centers repeatedly and clashed with the moderator during a U.S. House forum Tuesday night in Sheridan. Reid Rasner criticized Gray, while multiple candidates claimed to be leading the race.

Chuck Gray Hammers Data Centers, Clashes With Host At U.S. House Forum

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Around Wyoming

UPDATE 6 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect the size of the fire has been adjusted to an estimated 800 acres and that it remains 0% contained.

For much of the summer, residents in Pinedale watched smoke drift into western Wyoming from fires burning hundreds of miles away.

[{"type":"text","text":"Tuesday night, the smoke finally came from their own backyard."}]

"It was our first plume of the summer," longtime Pinedale wildlife photographer Dave Bell told Cowboy State Daily. "We've had smoke off and on, and the smoke's been thicker lately from other places, but this is the first smoke plume we've had in our surrounding mountain ranges all summer long. That's always a sad sight to see." 

The Bare Fire, burning north of Bare Pass and east of Bare Creek on the Big Piney Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, grew to an estimated 800 acres Tuesday after exhibiting active fire behavior that included torching and spotting.

[{"type":"text","text":"It's so far 0% contained."}]

The wildfire also spread from national forest land onto adjacent Bureau of Land Management property before moderating during the early evening, says the U.S. Forest Service.

[{"type":"text","text":"The cause remains under investigation."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Response Escalates"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"As the fire grew, the firefighting response expanded with it."}]

Resources assigned to the fire include one Type 1 helicopter, two Type 3 helicopters, smokejumpers, a suppression module, one water tender, one Type 3 engine, three Type 6 engines and additional firefighting personnel.

The U.S. Forest Service has also ordered a Type 3 Incident Management Team, a multi-agency organization of wildfire specialists used when a fire becomes more complex than local forest personnel can manage alone.

[{"type":"text","text":"Fire managers are using both direct and indirect suppression tactics."}]

Direct attack involves engaging the fire's active edge to stop its spread, while indirect confinement means firefighters work farther away from the flames to steer or contain the fire using terrain and firelines.

Wednesday, crews planned to strengthen an established anchor point before constructing a direct fireline along the north and south flanks of the blaze. Helicopters will continue dropping water to slow the fire's spread along its eastern edge.

The public is being asked to avoid Bare Creek Road (Forest Service Road 10046) and South Cottonwood Road (Forest Service Road 10050) while firefighters work. A forest closure order is expected.

Stage 1 fire restrictions remain in effect throughout the Teton Interagency Dispatch area, including the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge. 

Fire danger remains rated High, meaning new fires can start easily and spread quickly.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Double-Edged Sword"}]

Bell, who has spent decades photographing Wyoming wildlife and landscapes, said the fire is burning in one of his favorite corners of the state.

"The Wyoming Range is sort of Wyoming's best-kept secret," he said. "It's just a beautiful, beautiful area." 

Unlike the neighboring Wind River Range, the Wyoming Range receives fewer backpackers because it lacks a federally designated wilderness area, Bell said.

[{"type":"text","text":"The thick timber also provides abundant fuel."}]

"You can tell the healthy forest from the old forest," Bell said, noting that previously logged areas have generally regenerated well. "A lot of fuel over there, as there is everywhere, and once they start, they're hard to put out." f

Although watching smoke rise over the Wyoming Range is difficult, Bell said wildfire also plays an important ecological role.

"Fire is a tragic event when it occurs, and it's kind of ugly for a while, but the net result is good for everything," he said. 

He said fire clears dead and downed timber, opens wildlife migration corridors and encourages new vegetation, including aspens, to sprout.

"Fire's ugly. It's dangerous, but you see some of these old burn scars with the kinds of vegetation that's coming up in them. It's kind of just how it works," he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Bell quickly added that he wasn't cheering for the fire."}]

"I'm not saying I'm welcoming this. Don't get me wrong," he said. "It's not all bad either." 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Watching The Mountains"}]

The Bridger-Teton National Forest and the U.S. Forest Service did not return Cowboy State Daily's requests for additional information before publication.

Based on the fire's location, Bell said he is not especially concerned about homes but noted ranchers with cattle grazing allotments in the area are likely watching developments closely.

Otherwise, he described the surrounding landscape as "just timber pretty much." 

Tuesday night, Bell drove out to photograph the fire beneath a clear Wyoming sky. While changing lenses to capture the growing blaze, he noticed something else.

"The Milky Way sort of dominates the sky," he said. "Then I got a meteor in the middle of it." 

[{"type":"text","text":"By Wednesday, the mountains themselves had disappeared from view."}]

"I can't see the Wyoming Range from my house this morning," Bell said. "It's completely gone."

Bare Fire dave 8 5 26

<title>Wildfire In Timber West Of Pinedale Expected To Bring National Forest Closures | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A wildfire burning in timber west of Pinedale in the Wyoming Range has grown to about 800 acres and is expected to bring forest closures. "I can't see the Wyoming Range from my house," said a Pinedale photographer Wednesday about smoke in the area.

Wildfire In Timber West Of Pinedale Expected To Bring National Forest Closures

Energy

A Montana U.S. District Court Judge who threw out 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases due to sage-grouse concerns has declined a request to send a newer case to Wyoming. "Wyoming provides no authority” for its argument, he wrote.

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