Ramirez Avatar

Michael P. Ramirez

Daily Cartoon

Cartoon 11 21 23

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

<title>Daily Cartoon: Tuesday, November 21, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Daily Cartoon: Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Agriculture

While Wyoming cattle appear to have endured the state’s 

, a recent heat wave in neighboring South Dakota has killed upward of 2,000 cattle, threatening producers’ livelihoods in an already tough market.

A combination of scorching temperatures and high humidity proved deadly, depleting herd numbers and highlighting just how vulnerable livestock can be during extreme weather.

While not as extreme as in South Dakota, Wyoming ranchers say heat stress has been common this summer.

"We see it all the time," said Trad Williamson of Williamson Land and Cattle in Moorcroft. "Absolutely, we keep a closer eye on our cattle because of the heat."

However, Wyoming ranchers said they aren't aware of widespread cattle deaths. That’s because the state's drier climate, cooler nighttime temperatures and relatively small number of feedlots appear to have spared producers from the catastrophic losses seen to the state's northeastern neighbor.

July's heat wave shattered records across Wyoming. Worland reached 110 degrees on one day and Sheridan climbed to 109, both all-time highs.

"Heat is just as much of a risk in Wyoming as it is in other states," Williamson said.

Although he hasn't heard of Wyoming cattle dying, some of his customers in South Dakota have suffered devastating losses, including one producer near Midland, South Dakota, who lost more than 100 cows and calves.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Deadly Combination"}]

The losses in South Dakota came from a one-two punch of extreme heat and unusually high humidity.

Warren Rusche, a feedlot management specialist with South Dakota State University Extension, said warm overnight temperatures prevented cattle from cooling off after enduring sweltering afternoons. Limited airflow with little wind compounded the problem.

"What that ended up causing was a pretty significant death loss," Rusche said.

Reports of additional losses were still coming in Wednesday, but Rusche estimated the death toll would exceed 3,000 head of cattle statewide.

"It was really a tough deal in terms of financial impact and the stress of trying to care for the livestock," he said.

The losses come as the U.S. cattle industry is already coping with historically tight supplies. The nation's herd is at its lowest level in roughly 75 years after years of drought, high operating costs and continued strong consumer demand for beef.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Why Wyoming Fared Better"}]

Most of the deaths occurred in feedlots, where cattle are larger, heavier and nearing slaughter weight.

Most of Wyoming’s cattle spending much of their lives grazing open range. 

"Wyoming doesn't have a huge footprint with feedlots," said Todd Fornstrom, a Laramie County rancher and president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau. "The cattle ready to go to a harvest facility are more prone to dying from the heat."

Wyoming also benefited from lower humidity and cooler nights, giving cattle a chance to recover after daytime temperatures peaked.

[{"type":"text","text":"Even so, the heat has kept ranchers on alert."}]

Black-hided cattle can be especially susceptible because their coats absorb more solar heat, Williamson said.

Still, cattle are generally better equipped to tolerate high temperatures than people, Fornstrom said, particularly when they have room to spread out and air can circulate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"No Easy Solutions"}]

South Dakota producers did everything they could to protect their herds, Rusche said.

Some relied on portable shade structures — large tarps mounted on wheeled frames that can be repositioned throughout the day. But the structures can cost as much as $11,000 for a 30-by-40-foot unit, putting them out of reach for many operations.

[{"type":"text","text":"Even shade wasn't always enough."}]

Rusche said he heard reports of cattle being found dead beneath shade structures after animals crowded together in an effort to escape the sun, trapping heat within the group.

"This was a case where shade alone is not necessarily the silver bullet that will prevent all death losses," he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Planting trees isn't an inexpensive solution either, Williamson added."}]

"A lot of ranchers don't have the money and resources to build things for shade," he said.

Instead, many producers simply intensified monitoring of their herds, checking cattle more frequently and doing everything possible to reduce stress.

"This is one of the things I really want to stress — I know those ranchers were doing all they could," Rusche said.

Producers who suffered catastrophic livestock losses could qualify for assistance through the federal Livestock Indemnity Program, which helps compensate owners for deaths caused by eligible adverse events

Cattle in northsest Wyoming Buddy Mays via Alamy 8 5 26

<title>Drier Air, Cooler Nights Helped Wyoming Avoid South Dakota's Cattle Catastrophe | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Lower humidity and relatively cool nights helped Wyoming cattle endure a record heat wave, ranchers say. South Dakota wasn't so fortunate, losing as many as 2,000 head to heat and humidity at a time when America's herd is at a 75-year low.

Drier Air, Cooler Nights Helped Wyoming Avoid South Dakota's Cattle Catastrophe

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Around Wyoming

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 431 acres Tuesday after exhibiting active fire behavior that included torching and spotting.

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 morning, 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 nearly 450 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

Business

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect the proposed development isn't in a residential area, but in an area that was previously zoned for Industrial use and has been rezoned as Highway Business. Those representing Wyoming Downs at the meeting have also been added.

A proposed horse betting and bar facility on the north side of Interstate 80 in Evanston has cleared a key hurdle after the city's Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional-use permit for the project this week, but not without some vocal opposition from nearby residents.

They argue the development would bring casino-style gambling into the middle of a residential neighborhood, although the property is zoned Highway Business.

Supporters counter that the proposal meets all zoning requirements and would expand an established commercial corridor that has hosted off-track betting operations for decades.

The recommendation now moves to the Evanston City Council, which will decide whether to grant final approval.

If approved, Wyoming Downs LLC would build on undeveloped lots at 27 and 29 Allegiance Circle and 283 Wasatch Road, across the interstate from the existing Horse Palace Gateway near Exit 3.

The project has drawn sharp opposition from nearby residents. Supporters counter that the proposal meets all zoning requirements and would expand an established commercial corridor that has hosted off-track betting operations for decades.

According to a staff report obtained by Cowboy State Daily, the project would be built in two phases inside a single commercial building totaling 52,938 square feet.

At full buildout, it would include 520 gaming seats, 68 bar seats and 49 lounge seats, for a capacity of 637. The proposed bar would seat 27 customers.

Developers estimate the business would employ about 25 people during the first phase and roughly 125 employees once construction is complete. Customer traffic is projected to average about 400 people per day, although that would fluctuate depending on the season and time of day.

The plans also include on-site parking and lighting. No perimeter fencing or screening is currently proposed.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Long Road To Approval"}]

Monday's vote represents the latest step in a process that began last year.

In November, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended changing the property's zoning designation from Industrial to Highway Business and amending the city's comprehensive plan to accommodate an off-track betting facility. 

The Evanston City Council later approved those changes, paving the way for Wyoming Downs to apply for a conditional-use permit.

Michael Brown of Inberg-Miller Engineers and Wyoming Downs general counsel Traci Lacock represented the company during Monday's hearing.

The meeting was not livestreamed, and Evanston Senior Planner DuWayne Johnson declined to discuss the public comments presented during the meeting.

Calls and emails seeking comment from Evanston Mayor Kent Williams were not returned before publication.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Same Thing On The North Side'"}]

City Councilman Evan Perkes said the proposed business would largely mirror the existing Horse Palace Gateway across the freeway.

"It's going to be the same thing, on the north side of the freeway," Perkes told Cowboy State Daily.

He said Wyoming Downs hopes to attract visitors from Utah's Wasatch Front. Gambling is prohibited in the Beehive State.

"They're trying to appeal to the millions of people in Utah that can make the 70-mile drive and gamble," Perkes said.

Perkes noted that the property has remained vacant for years and said the proposal complies with the property's zoning.

"This meets all the zoning requirements," he said. "So, it's hard to turn something down when they meet all the requirements."

He added that if the project proceeds, the city and developer intend to orient lighting toward Interstate 80 rather than nearby homes.

Perkes also pointed to the success of Horse Palace Gateway, saying it has created jobs and remained busy since opening. The Horse Palace Gateway previously kept both its original, smaller betting facility and the its larger facility open simultaneously.

"The older one is a nice little, quaint little place for the locals," Perkes said. "They can go in there and sit at a machine and B.S. with their neighbors."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Nearby Residents Remain Opposed"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Not everyone is convinced the project is a good idea."}]

Wendy Kelly, who lives near the proposed site, said neighbors remain concerned about increased traffic, noise and diesel exhaust from trucks that may idle in the parking lot.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Needless to say, we're not happy,\" Kelly said."}]

She also questioned whether Evanston needs another gambling facility so close to the existing Horse Palace Gateway.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"We can't foresee that the town needs this,\" she said."}]

Kelly acknowledged she always expected the long-vacant property would eventually be developed.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"But another casino, opposite the other one?\" she said."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Familiar Use"}]

City planners noted that off-track betting has operated near Exit 3 for decades.

According to the staff report, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit in 1989 allowing Ladbroke Racing Wyoming Inc. to offer simulcast wagering at what was then the Weston Super Budget Inn on Harrison Drive, now the High Country Inn.

Several other off-track betting permits have been approved in the commercial corridor since then.

The city's Engineering and Planning Department reported receiving no complaints regarding off-track betting uses within the Highway Business district.

The City Council will have the final say on whether Wyoming Downs receives permission to move forward with construction.

Evanston and Wyoming downs inset 8 5 26

<title>Some In Evanston ‘Not Happy’ With Plan For Another Horse-Betting Parlor In Town | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A proposal for another horse betting and bar facility in an area zoned Highway Business in Evanston has cleared a key hurdle this week, but not without some vocal opposition from locals. "Needless to say, we're not happy," said one angry resident.

Some In Evanston ‘Not Happy’ With Plan For Another Horse-Betting Parlor In Town

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, August 5th.  I’m Mac Watson.

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"–"}]

A Laramie man who pleaded guilty Tuesday for saying he might assassinate Gov. Mark Gordon says his Facebook rant has cost him his apartment, job, and college future. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that Dawson Cooley says he regrets his actions.

“Back in April, Dawson Cooley was accused of making death threats online to Governor Mark Gordon. Cooley wrote on Facebook, ‘Gov.Gordy. If I have to talk to you with a gun in your office, so be it.’ He added, ‘and I might assassinate you.’ Cowboy State Daily spoke to Cooley after his sentencing, and he expressed deep remorse for his actions. He says he knows what he did was wrong, and if he could take it all back, he would.”

Dawson Cooley was sentenced Tuesday in Albany County Circuit Court after pleading guilty last week to a reduced misdemeanor charge of sending a death threat electronically. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"– "}]

Numerous Wyoming Republicans are claiming some degree of credit for a trans sports ban championed by Sen. Wendy Schuler. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Schuler says she's happy if they think they helped but it was the Legislature that got the bill "across the finish line.”

“It became a debate when Senator Tara Nethercott did a post saying, ‘Hey, let's give credit where it's due,’ because she was recognizing that a lot of people and their caucuses were campaigning on the issue. She did not directly name the Freedom Caucus, but the Freedom Caucus is one that is taking some credit for the trans sports bans. When I asked Senator Wendy Schuler, she didn't really want to speculate on whether it would or would not have happened without the Freedom Caucus, but she did say ‘it takes a village.’”

Schuler’s first blanket trans sports ban failed the state House of Representatives in 2022. Her second ban, for grades 7-12, passed the Legislature with 79 Republican lawmakers in favor.  So did her third girls’ sports bill extending the ban to college. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"–"}]

Seven months after allegedly kidnapping her 11-month-old son, fleeing the state, then killing the infant during a standoff with law enforcement, a trial has been set for Madeline Daly. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that the baby’s father says  “There’s a special kind of evil at work here.”

“The father is being pretty guarded. He doesn't want to say too much before the trial because you know he wants to let that process come through. and he says quite frankly he would prefer that she's being tried in a federal court because in New Mexico there is no death penalty and in the federal court there is.”

Since there is no death penalty in New Mexico, life in prison also can mean a convicted felon could be up for parole after 30 years.

Nearly 200 people showed up Monday to discuss the safety of Teton Pass following a dump truck crash last month that killed two people and an out-of-control RV that barreled down the pass a week later. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that crashes have increased by 20% on the roadway in five years.

“That meeting happened on Monday and drew about 200 people to talk about possible solutions to make Teton Pass safer, because people have said enough's enough. Gary Kofinas, who I talked to, one of the organizers said this was not a government meeting. This was a community meeting, kind of formed on an ad hoc basis. So there's no specific solution, no specific step moving forward. It's a matter of just proactively thinking and trying to come up with ideas. There, there is a group that will continue to brainstorm and keep the public informed.”

Teton Pass, which carries traffic between Jackson and eastern Idaho, is one of the steepest highway grades in the continental United States, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Traffic reaches roughly 10,000 vehicles per day in winter and about 15,000 daily during the summer tourism season.

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

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

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

In the span of a week, Teton County will host a 500-person, invite-only, digital-asset “Davos.” That will be followed by the Federal Reserve’s elite annual retreat. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that each event is another round in a high-stakes wrestling match over the future of money.

“The guys behind this conference have had conferences in Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, London, Singapore. You know all the big major metropolitan places in the world, and Jackson is on that short list here in Wyoming, so that was kind of point one, and then you know seven days after they clear out, here comes Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, with 120 of the traditional gatekeepers of legacy finance. The theme for this year's Federal Reserve is financial innovation implications for payments and policy. So both of these are clearly about the future of money. It's all happening in Jackson Hole.”

The fact that a digital asset conference with so much global heft is happening in Jackson Hole is not an accident, even if its timing with the Federal Reserve’s annual symposium might be coincidental. Wyoming has spent the better part of a decade quietly rewriting its laws to court this kind of moment.

Sublette County residents came out mostly against proposed mountain biking trails near Pinedale on Tuesday, telling commissioners they worry about harming a vital migration corridor for some 20,000 mule deer. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that opponents say the trails won't overlap.

“What is a big deal for some people, is that they say that it would imperil the migration route for mule deer through their for the sublet sublet mule deer herd about a herd of about 20,000 mule deer that that use that that path to migrate back and forth between summer and winter range, and so opponents of this proposed bicycle trail system say it would you know it put a bunch of people right in the deer's territory a bunch of people in human activity and so could disrupt the migration patterns.”

Supporters told the commission the project is planned in a way that it wouldn’t disturb the deer and could provide much-needed recreational access for locals and visitors. The final decision rests with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees the roughly 600 acres involved. 

A Utah auto dealer accused of using forged Wyoming titles to turn hail-battered cars into clean-title bargains is now facing 15 felony counts and up to 30 years in prison. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that prosecutors say the scheme involved nearly $2 million worth of damaged vehicles.

“Pryor allegedly obtained these vehicles through an online salvage auction from vehicles that were totaled in an August 2025 historic hailstorm in Cheyenne. Not only did Pryor obtain cars in Wyoming, he's being accused of buying these cars that were damaged throughout the nation. The defendant is currently out of jail on a $5,000 signature bond. He's expected to appear before a judge again for an arraignment in the coming weeks.”

After a preliminary hearing Monday, Scott Keith Pryor, 50, owner of The Good Car Dealer in Salt Lake City, was bound over on 15 felony counts of altering, forging or counterfeiting a certificate of title. Laramie County Circuit Court Judge Antoinette Williams found prosecutors presented enough evidence for the case to proceed.

Scott Artis was just trying to get a video of a thunderstorm for his dad when he captured the lightning strike that started the Kohns Fire in Campbell County on July 27th. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that when the fire started roaring, his wife jumped into action.

“Scott saw the lightning strike. A few minutes later, he saw the red glow on the horizon, and his wife called in to 911. And while the Campbell County Fire Department was responding to multiple fires that day, they hadn't heard about that one until they called. So not only did they see the instigating incident, they were responsible for letting the county know that there was a fire that they needed to address. They contained it at 2,700 acres.”

Artis, along with his wife, moved to Wyoming from California's Bay Area, and is a former molecular biologist.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"—"}]

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 8 5 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wednesday's headlines include:
* Everyone Running On Trans Law
* Man Regrets Death Threat On Gordon
* Jackson Is Epicenter For Economic Gurus

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

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

Clair McFarland

Energy

Wildlife

The Montana judge who threw out more than 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases in June over sage-grouse habitat concerns has declined to let the Trump administration and the state take a newer environmental challenge to a Wyoming judge instead. 

In a case environmental groups filed against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management this year — again in Montana — the state of Wyoming asked U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris to dismiss the issues pertaining to the case or send them to a federal court in Wyoming. 

The Montana Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society and the Defenders of Wildlife argue in their lawsuit against the BLM, which Wyoming has joined in opposition, that the BLM’s “permissive approach” to oil and gas development is out of step with sage-grouse environmental science. 

The BLM asked Morris in a hearing last month to send the whole case to Wyoming. The federal agency argued, in part, that the more southerly state’s federal courts are less congested, and the agency manages between two to three times more sage-grouse habitat in Wyoming than Montana. 

The Wyoming Attorney General’s office also argued that Montana wasn’t the proper venue for decisions pertaining to the Cowboy State’s oil and gas leasing. 

“The Court recognizes that Wyoming has a strong interest in having its localized controversies decided at home,” wrote Morris in a July 29 order. 

He acknowledged the state’s keen interest in the oil and gas economy, and its efforts to conserve sage-grouse.

[{"type":"text","text":"But that’s not enough to switch the case southward, Morris wrote. "}]

“Wyoming provides no authority, however, to support the contention that its interests in oil and gas extraction, or its concentrated efforts on sage-grouse management, should outweigh Plaintiffs’ choice of forum,” said Morris, referencing the environmental groups choosing to file the case in his court. 

Morris’ June 12 order in an environmental groups’ 2018 case had blocked the oil and gas leases, sold under the Trump administration, due to sage-grouse habitat concerns. 

 it would force the state to return $50 million in payments and imperil $180 million in future revenue for schools and other services. 

[{"type":"text","text":"This case is ongoing. "}]

Wyoming oil and gas drilling 2 1 24

<title>Judge Who Tossed Oil And Gas Leases Declines To Let New Case Move To Wyoming | Cowboy State Daily</title>

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.

Daily Cartoon: Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Michael P. Ramirez

Cartoonist

More in Daily Cartoon

Daily Cartoon 1: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Daily Cartoon 2: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Daily Cartoon 1: Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Daily Cartoon 2: Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Most read

Daily Cartoon: Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Authors

Michael P. Ramirez

Cartoonist

More in Daily Cartoon

Daily Cartoon 1: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Daily Cartoon 2: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Daily Cartoon 1: Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Daily Cartoon 2: Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Most read