Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Never leave a brother behind..."}]

Smile 1 9 24

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

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Never leave a brother behind...

Daily Smile: Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Legislature

As demands increase for a dwindling supply of Colorado River water, the seven states that depend upon the river must keep talking to avoid lawsuits or federal intervention, Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart told lawmakers Thursday.

As it stands, there are rumblings that legal battles between states are imminent, Rep. Ken Chestek, D-Laramie, said during a meeting of the Legislature’s Select Water Committee in Cheyenne.

Gebhart appeared before the committee to give an update on Colorado River water. His remarks were informational and the committee took no action.

“I’ve heard talk about possible litigation between the Lower Basin states and the Upper Basin states, based on the recent federal EIS,” Chestek said while asking Gebhart his thoughts about the possibility.

“The best way to avoid it (litigation) is to get to an agreement among the seven states,” Gebhart answered. "Wyoming remains fully committed to that. I truly believe a seven-state agreement is much better than litigation or congressional intervention. Any time an EIS comes out, there is a potential for a whole host of folks or people or organizations to file suit.” 

But it’s too early to tell whether that could turn into lawsuits between states, he added.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. But I’m going to continue to try very hard to avoid that outcome. I don’t believe it’s the best,” said Gebhart, who represents Wyoming on the Upper Colorado River Commission.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Water Pulled From Flaming Gorge"}]

The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, recently released its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Colorado River operations, including plans for operations from 2027 to 2036.

That proposal doesn’t include any immediate cuts for the Upper Basin states: Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.

In the Lower Basin, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said her state faces “Draconian” cuts under the plan.

The other Lower Basin States are Nevada and California.

Independent of federal moves, Wyoming is implementing voluntary water conservation measures in the upper Green River Basin, Gebhart said.

The Green River is one of the Colorado River’s primary tributaries, and feeds into Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Wyoming-Utah state line.

A plan is still on track to pull an additional 1 million acre-feet from Flaming Gorge, from May to April 2027, to make up for shortages at Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona state line, Gebhart said.

As of mid-July, about 239,000 acre-feet had been pulled from Flaming Gorge, he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Two-Year Plans"}]

The federal government is expected to release a record of a decision that would establish direction over operations, according to two-year operational plans, Gebhart said.

“We’re being told that these will come soon, but we are not provided a definition of what ‘soon’ is," Gebhart said.

Regarding perceptions of the “fairness” of the EIS as it applies to the Upper Basin versus Lower Basin, he said it’s important to remember the sections are managed differently.

In the Lower Basin, the Secretary of the Interior has direct control over reservoir releases and water deliveries, Gebhart said.

In the Upper Basin, policy is decided mostly by state law and according to water supplies, he said.

“I believe we should avoid measuring fairness by whether the action looks identical," Gebhart said. "Fairness is whether each basin is contributing through the authorities, responsibilities, operational tools and water supplies that actually exist.” 

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

This has been one of the lowest water years on record across much of the West, Gebhart said, and Wyoming has been no exception.

“Over 83% of the state is in severe or extreme drought,” he said. "Luckily, no parts of the state are under exceptional drought, as of right now.”

For the entire Colorado River basin, the supply remains low.

The 10-year average flow at Lees Ferry in Arizona was recently measured at roughly 81 million acre-feet, Gebhart said. 

Lees Ferry is considered the dividing line between the Upper and Lower Basins.

“The Lower Basin believes that it’s entitled to about 82.5 million acre-feet under the 1922 Colorado river compact. So, we will be dipping below what they think they’re entitled to under the compact,” he said.

Flaming Gorge Zach Holmes 8 6 26

<title>Legislators Warned That States Must Talk Or Face Lawsuits Over Colorado River | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Wyoming state engineer told state legislators Thursday that if the seven Colorado River Basin states can’t come to terms over a dwindling water supply, lawsuits or federal intervention could result. "I don't think it's the best," he said.

Legislators Warned That States Must Talk Or Face Lawsuits Over Colorado River

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

President Donald Trump on Thursday added to his three-time endorsement of governor candidate Megan Degenfelder by holding a “tele-rally” or virtual phone rally for her.

The rally kicked off with the Lee Greenwood song “Proud to Be An American” and ended with the moderator asking attendees to push one to signify if they’re voting for Degenfelder, who is the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, or push two if they’re not voting for her.  

“She will never let you down, she’s a very, very special person,” came the president’s voice over the tele-rally, held Thursday afternoon by phone link. “So get out and vote for Megan Degenfelder and you’ll be happy, you’re gonna say, President Trump gave me a good idea. You’ll look back in the years and you’re gonna say that was a great chioice. She’s gonna be very, very special.”

The president encouraged people to vote early, or vote period. He pointed to Wyoming’s overwhelming support for him. Wyoming voters have given Trump a larger margin of support in the past 

He touted Degenfelder’s many goals: She supports the 50% property tax cut ballot initiative coming before voters this fall. She voices strong support for the traditional energy sector.

[{"type":"text","text":"The president emphasized multiple times that early voting is underway."}]

The primary election is Aug. 18. Degenfelder is running for the Republican nomination against former state House Speaker and state Sen. Eric Barlow, retired Marine Corps Col Brent Bien, and Centennial man Curt Blake.

Trump first endorsed Degenfelder on Jan. 9 and has reiterated his endorsement at least twice since then – and a fourth time including Thursday’s tele-rally.

[{"type":"text","text":"Barlow and Bien also garnered newsworthy bragging points last month."}]

Barlow released results of a poll — which Cowboy State Daily reviewed — showing a 

huge lead over both Bien and Degenfelder.

 of the Wyoming Republican Party’s state central committee – a move putting the committee uncommonly at odds with the president.

[{"type":"text","text":"Trump lauded Degenfelder at length Thursday."}]

“As state superintendent as you know, she stood up for 

 filth from your classrooms – there’s so many things,” said Trump. “She’s really out there and she wants to do it. And she can do an even better job as governor.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Trump said Degenfelder will defend the Second Amendment."}]

Trump said Degenfelder will ensure schools will teach kids to love America.

“And that’s exactly – when you see all these lunatics running, they don’t love America,” said Trump. “They don’t know what they love but it’s not America.”

Trump said Degenfelder will back the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Border Patrol, and law enforcement generally.

Degenfelder thanked Trump for his support and his leadership, and said this election “is about protecting the Wyoming we love while building an even stronger Wyoming for the next generation.”

She pointed to Wyoming’s heritage as a region of pioneers, and urged residents to take a leadership role.

“We know what our president would do, because we see him do it,” she said. “And I’m ready to take on that challenge.”

Barlow told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday he did not listen to the virtual rally. He said he was leaving a charity event and heading out to knock on doors in Cheyenne.

Regarding Trump’s fourth endorsement of his opponent, Barlow said, “The president encouraged her to run, and he’s sticking to his choice, and I certainly respect others’ choices.

“But right now we’re still doing the work of earning the votes of Wyoming citizens. In fact, we’re going door to door right now, and then we have an ice cream social in a local park.”

Bien did not immediately return a voicemail request for comment. Cowboy State Daily will update this story if he comments Thursday.

[{"type":"text","text":"Trump’s face is ubiquitous this primary election."}]

At least three U.S. House candidates — Secretary of State Chuck Gray, philanthropist Steve Friess, and Casper businessman Reid Rasner — feature Trump 

Trump and degenfelder 8 6 26

<title>For His Fourth Endorsement Of Degenfelder, Trump Holds Virtual Rally | Cowboy State Daily</title>

President Donald Trump endorsed governor candidate Megan Degenfelder for the fourth time Thursday in a rally held by phone. Trump touted Degenfelder as a staunch conservative and said voters would look back and say, "President Trump gave me a good idea."

For His Fourth Endorsement Of Degenfelder, Trump Holds Virtual Rally

In a Thursday meeting of the State Board of Land Commissioners, Secretary of State Chuck Gray nearly voted against giving Tri-State Generation and Transmission permission to use a 298-foot access road in rural central Wyoming after voicing concerns about whether the company would use the road to advance any wind, solar or data center projects. 

Tri-State is a wholesale power supplier serving eight electric cooperatives in Wyoming including High Plains Power, Carbon Power and Light and Big Horn Rural Electric Company.

Tri-State applied for a five-year, temporary-use permit for a 288-foot access road in remote Natrona County for $250 a year.

The elected officials on the State Board of Land Commissioners and the public have access to these applications at least a week before each meeting.

Gray announced at the Thursday meeting in Cheyenne that he would vote no on the permit because he didn’t know if the access road involved any data centers, wind or solar projects.

After a lively debate about supplying irrigation power to farmers, Gray reversed course and voted yes to approve the permit.

Tri-State told Cowboy State Daily after the meeting that its application isn't tied to any potential projects. 

It was for access renewal into an existing Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) substation, where Tri-State keeps equipment for operational and grid reliability purposes, "that from time to time requires routine maintenance," the company said.

That substation also abuts one of Tri-State's own substations, serving High Plains Power, the company said. 

[{"type":"text","text":"'Futile Call To Essentially Stifle Capitalism'"}]

Conversation at the Thursday meeting turned to Tri-State’s request for access via a 288-foot route.

Gray had asked administrative staff if applicants were associated with data centers, wind energy or solar projects. He told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that that “blanket” inquiry was due to his concerns that board members don’t have enough information.

Office of State Lands and Investments Director Stacia Berry said she’d reviewed the list for temporary-use permits. None appeared to be associated in any way with those projects, except for one unknown, she said.

“The only one I’d note is (the Tri-State application),” said Berry. “This is an access road. I can’t guarantee what all is associated with that access road.”

Berry said the office tried to contact Tri-State, but the company had no notice its access road application would come up as a standalone topic at the meeting.

[{"type":"text","text":"Gray asked to remove that application from the list."}]

State Auditor Krisi Racines granted his wish by moving the whole list without it.

“I’m going to vote no on this,” said Gray. “It might be fine. They (the office) reached out. They (Tri-State) didn’t respond. We don’t know.”

Gray said the board should “tighten things up here. I think it’s gotten too loose, and I’m going to be a no here.”

Gov. Mark Gordon noted that Tri-State is a significant power generator for multiple cooperatives that distribute power to Wyomingites.

Gray again said the board’s administrative office hadn’t heard back from Tri-State.

“I would just supplement that with, they’ve had about 35 minutes,” said Berry. “They didn’t anticipate needing to be present today.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Treasurer Curt Meier issued a warning."}]

“Impeding, you know, generation and power to me seems like a futile call to essentially stifle capitalism,” said Meier. “We need power in this state for economic development. Tri-State supplies power to practically every irrigator and farmer in the state.”

Meier warned of denying Tri-State access to power facilities “in this extreme drought area.”

[{"type":"text","text":"He shook his head. "}]

“I’m really grasping the utility of continuing this dialogue,” he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Gray changed course, saying he would probably vote for the access route."}]

“But I just asked a simple question: is this tied to wind or solar. And we can’t get an answer,” he said. “I just think it’s really disturbing, to me.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Meier countered."}]

“At no time I think in the last decade or even in the last 10 minutes have I heard that wind and solar is illegal,” said Meier. “And I think trying to manage our economy on political ideology instead of law is troubling to me.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gordon said he wanted to get back on track."}]

Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder called for the vote. When the other board members voted aye, Gordon turned to Gray and asked if he was choosing to abstain from the vote.

Gray gestured and said something the livestream audio didn’t capture clearly.  

[{"type":"text","text":"“He’s voting aye,” said Gordon."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"'It Became Clearer'"}]

Gray told Cowboy State Daily in his Thursday email that he changed course because Berry indicated the project was probably not linked to wind, solar or data center projects. He also said Gordon has a tendency to hide the nature of board matters, and that's an ongoing problem. 

he lack of information provided to Board members about these proposed projects has been deeply disturbing to me," said Gray. "That is why today I just asked in a blanket fashion whether any of the dozens of proposed Temporary Use permits for road access had any nexus to a wind, solar, or data center project.

"It was very concerning to me when the Director and the Governor appeared to not even know if any of the Temporary Use permits had anything to do with wind, solar, or data centers."

He said he ultimately voted for the access permit because Berry indicated it probably wasn't connected to wind, solar, or data center projects. 

"Because it became clearer the easement had nothing to do with wind, solar, or data center with the Director’s modified comments, I decided to support it," he said. 

The board's administrative arm, the Office of State Lands and Investments, noted Thursday that board members have a week to review materials before the meetings, and are given opportunities to ask questions of OSLI personnel. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Gordon emphasized that also. "}]

, the governor added that Gray appeared unprepared and distracted by his phone in Thursday's meeting, falling short of what's expected of Wyoming elected officials. 

"Mr. Gray continues to show his inability to understand the issues before him and to work well with his colleagues," said Gordon. "The Secretary is sounding like a jackass in a tin barn."

Earlier in that meeting, the discussion turned to a 2.46-acre, 39-year easement request for which Enbridge Solar offered to pay a $56,235 one-time fee.

Gray asked the board to remove Enbridge’s application from a bigger list of easement applications by various companies.

Gordon asked the board three times if anyone would support Gray’s amendment. Silence followed.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Mr. Secretary, I’m sorry, that motion fails,” said Gordon."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Degenfelder urged thoughtfulness."}]

“I know discussion is on this Enbridge Solar, but I think we should be cognizant we’re talking about access only,” said Degenfelder. “So when we start prohibiting access, we get ourselves into trouble.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gray said he’d be voting no on the easements consent list."}]

“It’s just really unfortunate we weren’t able to have a discussion on the Enbridge Solar piece separately,” said Gray. “It’s linked to the data center south of town.”

Chuck Gray Curt Meier and substation 8 6 26

<title>Gray Changes Mind On Power Station Access After Spat With Curt Meier | Cowboy State Daily</title>

After Curt Meier said of State Chuck Gray's announced vote to block Tri-State Generation's access to a power substation would “essentially stifle capitalism,” Gray changed his mind. They supply "power to practically every irrigator and farmer in the state," Meier said.

Gray Changes Mind On Power Station Access After Spat With Curt Meier

Wildlife

A Yellowstone bull bison with a gigantic abscess on its right rear quarter probably isn’t suffering much pain and will likely survive, one of the county’s top bison ranchers says.

But the recovery process is going to be good, said Ken Klemm, past president and a lifelong member of the National Bison Association.

After seeing a photo of the bison, taken early Wednesday in Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Valley, Klemm said a gushing rupture of the abscess is imminent.

“It looks like a 5-gallon bucketful of stuff will come out of that one,” Klemm, who has managed some of the world’s largest bison ranches, told Cowboy State Daily.

The abscess probably formed around a wound, he said.

The bison rut, or mating season, is on in Yellowstone. The bull might have suffered a puncture during a fight with another bull, Klemm said.

Lauri Foster lives just outside of New York City and loves coming to Wyoming to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

Early Wednesday, she was on a wildlife-viewing drive through the Lamar Valley when she spotted the bull sporting a huge, bulbous mass near its backside.

Foster works with horses and is familiar with injuries to large animals, so she knew what she saw on the bison must be something serious.

“I thought it had to be a hematoma or an abscess,” she told Cowboy State Daily.

Foster couldn’t see any visible cuts or sores that might indicate exactly where it was wounded, she said.

To keep safe, Foster stayed in her vehicle to photograph that bull and other bison.

The bulls were raising a ruckus as they competed for mating rights.

“They were headbutting each other and chasing each other down,” Foster said.

The bull with the abscess was taking a break, though she surmised he had probably been recently wounded in a fight.

She added that despite how hideous that abscess looked, the bull didn’t seem sick or weak.

“He was walking along normally,” she said.

The rut has made bull bison extra agitated lately. In the most dramatic incident, a bison flipped and seriously injured Washington state resident Carl Isom-McDaniel, 65, in July.

Foster said at one point the bull walked up the middle of the road and stopped directly in front of her vehicle, giving her the stink-eye.

“I was thinking, ‘this is a little intimidating,’” she said.

Bull elk are known for getting into epic battles once their rut starts, usually in September.

Bison take it to another level, Klemm said.

“They’re worse than elk. If the loser doesn’t get away, the other bull will kill him,” he said.

The National Park Service has a general policy of letting nature take its course with animals’ injuries.

Klemm said the bull with the super-sized abscess has a good chance of making it.

“The infection is just raging in there,” he said. "The immune system is keeping that bison from dying, just from walking around with that much infectious material in its body.

“I suspect it will burst fairly soon and he’ll get over it. Bison have unbelievably good immune systems for things like this.” 

Bison abcess 8 6 26

<title>Bison Rancher: Yellowstone Bull With Gigantic Abscess Will Be OK Once It Gushes | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A massive abscess on a Yellowstone bull bison’s right rear quarter likely is the result of an infected wound from a rut battle. When it ruptures, “a 5-gallon bucketful of stuff” will gush out, a top bison rancher says, adding the bison should be fine.

Bison Rancher: Yellowstone Bull With Gigantic Abscess Will Be OK Once It Gushes

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Energy

Wyoming’s first nickel sulfide discovery

 in the Granite Mountains north of Jeffrey City in 2024. This year, it’s moving into a decisive drilling phase as it tries to turn that find in the under-explored greenstone belt into Wyoming’s first and only nickel mine, producing a metal the federal government has designated as critical.

“We’ve identified some nickel targets, and we’re going to be drilling them this year,” Visionary Metals CEO Wes Adams told Cowboy State Daily. “We’ve used a lot of scientific methods to help reduce the amount of areas we have to explore.”

, scanning the earth’s crust from the air down to roughly 3,300 feet below the surface. It might sound like something out of a Star Trek movie, but it isn’t science fiction anymore. 

The technique uses subtle changes in Earth’s magnetic field to point the way to where valuable metals and minerals might be hiding. 

“That helped narrow down areas for exploration,” Adams said. “And then in areas where we do see targets, we follow up with ground surveys, which tell us exactly where these critical metal deposits might exist.”

After that, it’s drilling time — to test the areas with as little environmental impact as possible and further hone in on whether Wyoming has a nickel mine.

“It’s not like oil and gas drilling, where you have these giant pads and giant rigs,” Adams said. “We’re just drilling a 3-inch hole in the ground, to get a representative sample of what’s down there.”

That will ultimately determine how big the resource opportunity is, and whether it’s economically feasible to develop today in the future as technology matures.

Visionary’s core Wyoming focus is an Archean greenstone belt, a blend of ancient volcanic and sedimentary rock that often hosts gold and nickel, in the Granite Mountains. There’s a potential for multiple discoveries across a belt that’s 62 miles long and 25 miles wide. 

Any future mine would still go through permitting and environmental review. Leading up to that, the company has leveraged technology to keep its environmental footprint as small as possible. 

“The (aeromagnetic survey) was a great tool because it allowed us to cover a lot of ground without much impact,” Adams said. “We don’t need boots on the ground to conduct airborne surveys, so that gives us a lot of really good data we can use.”

Three-dimensional modeling was used to further refine what might be where, helping to reduce disturbance to the ground. 

“It also makes things more efficient from a cost perspective,” Adams said. “And it gives you a higher chance of having success … instead of if you were to drill, like when you were doing mineral exploration in the 1950s, '60s or even '70s.”

The approach in that timeframe involved spotting minerals on the surface as a primary indicator, then digging to see if there were more. 

“With modern technologies we can use all the data we can collect with a helicopter, with satellite surveys, with geologic mapping that’s been done over the years, with soil sampling, to figure out where the highest potential areas are,” Adams said. “And once we’ve narrowed those down, you can go out and use some geophysical ground surveys — magnetic surveys — that help you model the conductive metals in the ground before you even have to drill-test them.”

That way, once a company starts drilling tests, it’s more about determining the specific grade of metals rather than where the deposits are. 

“So now we’ve defined a few key target areas and we’re going to be testing the kind of mineralization that exists at our Tin Cup project and our King Solomon project,” Adams said. “So this is really an exciting year for us.”

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

Although Visionary is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and maintains its headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Adams grew up in the Rocky Mountain Region and frequented the Rawlins area when he was growing up. He now lives in Lander and maintains a working office there. 

“My family’s been in mining for three generations, so I’ve always been around it,” he said. “My dad actually grew up in Rawlins, and my grandfather was Rawlins-based as well. We’ve been involved in Wyoming since the 1930s, starting with dairy farming in Rawlins.”

The family eventually became involved in uranium exploration in the area and has remained connected to Wyoming ever since. 

“I live in Lander, and we love it up here,” Adams said. “It’s a great place to be exploring for things. Outside of Wyoming, I don’t think people realize that every kid has the opportunity to go to college here because of royalties that are generated by the mining industry and primarily, right now, that’s coal.”

One day, Adams hopes those royalties will include a contribution from the nickel he finds. 

“We’re at an early stage right now, but if there’s a possible development scenario that would benefit the Office of State Lands and Investments, that money goes directly into the Wyoming school system,” he said.

Adams would also love to see a resurgence of economic health in Jeffrey City. 

“It’s one of the reasons why it’s important to diversify and find new things,” Adams said. “And that’s kind of what we’ve set out to do here, is find new things that we can mine that are going to be important for not only green-energy technologies but just for future generations. It’s exciting to be able to define new opportunities like this that could be important in the long-term for the state, especially in Fremont County, where we’ve seen kind of an uptick in unemployment … things have been a little stagnant.”

To help it with this new phase of exploration, Visionary Metals has inked a deal with Canada's Teck Resources, the fifth largest copper miner in the world.

Armed with new technology and a major mining partner, Visionary Metals is ready to probe just how big — and how valuable — a nickel discovery at Jeffrey City is. If realized, it will be a first of its kind in the Western U.S. since the 1940s.

Daily Smile: Tuesday, January 9, 2024

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