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[{"type":"text","text":"Give this girl an Oscar...."}]

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<title>Bonus Video 2: Saturday, August 17, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Give this girl an Oscar....

Bonus Video 2: Saturday, August 17, 2024

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

Renée Jean

Energy

A federal judge in Montana has thrown out more than 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases sold under the Trump administration, a sweeping ruling that Wyoming attorneys said will force the state to return $50 million in payments and imperil $180 million in future revenue for schools and other public services. 

The ruling also affects an additional 185,000 acres of oil and gas leases in Montana and the Dakotas.

The decision, issued by Chief Judge Brian Morris out of the U.S. District Court of Montana on June 12, is sparking outrage in the oil and gas community. It’s the third time Morris, an Obama appointee, has ruled against the U.S. Department of the Interior over the protection of sage-grouse habitat.

“The environmental group found a sympathetic venue in Montana to file their case and ultimately hurt Wyoming,” oil and gas landman Steve Degenfelder told Cowboy State Daily. “I am hopeful the State of Wyoming will appeal this decision with everything they have. Other than a successful appeal, it’s my understanding we would need an act of Congress to overturn this injustice. I wonder how Montana would feel if a Wyoming judge hurt their state to this magnitude?”

Ryan McConnaughey, with the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, said it’s just the latest example of how activists are misusing the judicial system to attack industries they dislike.

“Anti-oil and natural gas activists have a sympathetic ear in Montana, which is why they continuously file cases there,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “The hard truth is that until Congress steps in to restore the original intent of laws like NEPA and the Endangered Species Act, every land management decision will be decided out of public view by the courts. It’s further proof that permitting reform is absolutely necessary if the United States wants to be a country that harvests energy and builds things again.”

Wyoming’s Bureau of Land Management office referred Cowboy State Daily for comment about the case to Montana’s office, which did not respond. 

It was not known Tuesday afternoon whether BLM will appeal the case, or what its next step will be for the leases.

The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office was also consulted, but had not responded at the time this story was posted.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Sage-Grouse Protection At Issue"}]

At the heart of the case brought by the Montana Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation and Montana Audubon is how the BLM applied its 2015 sage-grouse conservation plans in Wyoming. 

The groups argued that leasing should have been steered first to areas outside of key habitat so the bird would stay off the federal endangered species list. 

The 2015 sage-grouse plan required the agency to “prioritize” oil and gas leasing and development outside of sensitive habitat, particularly in designated priority areas.

But, in 2018, the BLM issued a new instruction memorandum that effectively told staff to disregard those prioritization requirements when offering new “fluid mineral” leases in sage-grouse country.

Wyoming has a voluntary sage-grouse protection plan, one that guides development away from those areas without any prioritization on BLM’s part, Wyoming attorneys argued.

However, the judge ruled that the prioritization error “infected everything” that followed, making it infeasible for BLM to keep the current leases in place.

BLM offered about 1.25 million acres of oil and gas leases in Wyoming in 2019 alone, roughly 785,000 acres in its February 2019 sale and more than 493,000 acres combined in the September and December 2019 sales. 

Altogether the June 12 order affects about 1.5 million acres of Wyoming leases sold between December 2017 and December 2019. December 2020 sales were excluded because the judge found that no final agency action yet exists to vacate or remand those sales. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Wyoming Warns Of Deep Revenue Losses"}]

In court filings, Wyoming attorneys laid out what the revenue losses will mean to local and state governments providing public services. 

Federal defendants estimated that vacating Phase Three leases will require the return of more than $50 million in revenue that has already been allocated and spent. The state would also lose future severance, ad valorem, and conservation taxes on the leases, totaling at least $180 million over the life of the wells. 

Funding cuts due to losing these revenues will affect a range of public services in Wyoming, from employment, roads, IT, fire personnel, hospitals and other daily operations, Wyoming’s lawyers argued, and should prompt the court to remand without vacating the leases. 

In Campbell County, for example, oil and gas revenues help fund the senior center, homeless shelter and soup kitchen, domestic violence shelter, youth crisis and treatment home, and the Boys and Girls Club.

In Converse County, half the annual budget relies on oil and gas revenue, which helps fund senior services, the Humane Society, a youth crisis center, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Douglas and Glenrock, a domestic violence and sexual assault survivors crisis center and shelter, a mental health crisis and intervention center, and more.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"State Already Protects Sage-Grouse"}]

Wyoming attorneys also argued that the state is already protecting sage-grouse habitat — so well that it was praised by the Obama administration at the time.

Since 2008, federal oil and gas leases in core sage-grouse habitat have declined 63%, Wyoming’s attorneys wrote, and reduced production in those areas by 48%. 

The state’s plan has also reshaped development, Wyoming contended. 

“From 2006 to 2012, vertically drilled well permits declined 65%, while directionally and horizontally drilled wells from outside core areas increased by 66% and 1,337%,” the attorneys wrote. “The trend continues with 95% of wells drilled in Wyoming from 2020 to 2024 being directional or horizontal, reducing sage-grouse disturbance.”

Horizontal wells disturb up to 3.5 acres, compared with 19 acres for vertical wells. 

“Thus, deferrals are not needed to guide development away from sage-grouse habitat,” the attorneys wrote. “In sum, the state’s strategy — adopted by BLM — has shifted development away from sage-grouse habitat and changed development patterns to meaningfully reduce impacts.”

Drilling in lower conflict areas is already preferred through the state’s sage-grouse mitigation plan, which protects habitat while allowing economic opportunities, they said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Economic Harm Vs. Legal Violations"}]

The judge in the case acknowledged disruptive economic impacts caused by vacating the lease sales, but concluded that BLM’s legal violations outweighed those considerations except in cases where a lease was already producing oil and gas.

Wyoming, Jonah Energy, and Continental Resources, which intervened in the case, argued that the judge should carve out an exception for leases for wells that have already been drilled and completed.

Jonah Energy told the court it had already spent $68 million developing its leases. Continental said it had spent more than $97.6 million for nine producing wells. 

“The considerations of equity require that the court not vacate the nine already producing leases stemming from the challenged Phase Three lease sales,” Morris agreed, likening the situation to a scrambled egg that can’t be put back into its shell. “Vacatur as to the producing leases could not restore the leases to the pre-leasing condition without further disruption.”

Wyoming oil and gas drilling 2 1 24

<title>Montana Judge Tosses 1.5M Acres Of Wyoming Oil And Gas Leases, Costs State $50M | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A federal judge in Montana has thrown out more than 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases sold under the Trump administration, forcing the state to return $50 million in payments. “The environmental group found a sympathetic venue in Montana,” said a Wyoming landman.

Montana Judge Tosses 1.5M Acres Of Wyoming Oil And Gas Leases, Costs State $50M

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Green

One of Wyoming’s most controversial wind energy developments planned for southern Albany County received a new lease on life Tuesday after commissioners voted 2-1 to grant a five-year extension of the Rail Tie Wind Project's permit.

The vote allows developers to continue work on the 504-megawatt facility proposed on roughly 26,000 acres about 15 miles south of Laramie. The project's Wind Energy Conversion System current five-year permit, originally approved in 2021, was set to expire July 16.

Developers argued the project remains viable despite years of delays caused by litigation and supply chain challenges. 

Opponents who have long been vocal against the development countered that construction progress has been minimal, and they questioned whether the project has demonstrated enough activity to justify another five years.

The wind farm is expected to generate nearly $26 million in county sales tax revenue from construction materials and more than $128 million in future property and production tax revenue, according to Spanish energy giant Repsol Renewables, which is behind the project. 

Developers estimate construction would create about 225 jobs and support up to 23 permanent positions.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"County Staff Recommends Extension"}]

Albany County Planning Director David Gertsch told commissioners that staff recommended approving the extension. Under county regulations, commissioners could grant the extension if they determined the project remained viable. 

Viability was contingent on two factors: determining that a delay in construction was caused by project management and coordination issues that would be resolved in the near future and proof that construction activities had started.

The Wyoming Industrial Siting Council previously approved an extension of the project's state siting permit through 2029, contingent upon continued compliance with county permitting requirements.

"My brief analysis is that ConnectGen Albany County LLC has substantially commenced work on the WECS project until federal litigation forced the construction to be put on hold," Gertsch said, referencing the company that originally initiated and permitted the project.

[{"type":"text","text":"ConnedtGen was acquired by Repsol."}]

Public comment on the permit extension lasted more than an hour, with about two dozen people speaking for and against it.

Mark Stewart, an attorney with Davis & Cannon representing Monaghan Farms, a neighboring nonparticipating landowner, argued the developer has not demonstrated substantial progress.

Stewart noted the project calls for about 60 miles of roads, but only about 5 miles have been completed. Foundations have been excavated for 10 turbines, he said, despite plans for about 120 turbines.

"Zero turbines have been installed and 0% of turbines have been purchased," Stewart said.

Licensed civil engineer Steven Vander Giessen agreed and questioned whether the construction activity completed in late 2024 represents meaningful progress.

"In my opinion, the amount of construction that has been done is minuscule. It's certainly not substantial," he said.

Vander Giessen described the activity as a burst of work at the end of 2024 followed by an apparent halt.

"I believe this was done solely so the applicant can claim they started construction in 2024," he said. "I find it suspicious and I am therefore suspicious of the applicant's intentions."

Several opponents also expressed broader concerns about the growing concentration of wind projects across southeastern Wyoming.

"This commission must address the Wyoming wind wall rapidly forming along the I-80 and Highway 287 gateway to Albany County,” county residents Anne Brande wrote in an email to commissioners.

Wendy Volk questioned whether a permit approved in 2021 should continue unchanged a decade later.

"The decision is not about whether a wind project has a place in Wyoming," Volk said via Zoom. "It is about whether a permit approved in 2021 should automatically remain valid to 2031 when both the project and region have changed dramatically."

Other opponents raised concerns about wildlife impacts, noise and shadow flicker.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Developer Says Litigation Drove Delays"}]

Derek Reiman, chief development officer for the project, said ongoing legal challenges have been the primary reason construction has not advanced more quickly.

"Objectors have repeatedly and unsuccessfully challenged the project's permits and approvals," Reiman told commissioners.

Construction began in December 2024 after earlier legal disputes had been resolved, he said. But almost immediately, another federal lawsuit was filed, creating additional uncertainty.

Charlie Banke, the project's development manager, described himself as the "boots on the ground" representative for Rail Tie and praised the Bath family, whose ranch hosts much of the development area.

He said years of delays have compressed the construction timeline, requiring phases originally planned to happen sequentially to happen simultaneously.

He reiterated that adequate housing supply exists in Albany County to support the project buildout, as housing now “significantly exceeds demand.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Supporters Cite Property Rights, Tax Revenue"}]

Supporters argued the project would strengthen the local economy while respecting private property rights.

Longtime Laramie resident Gary Negich said he has supported the project from the beginning because of its economic benefits.

"What that can do for the local economy that has been suffering for some time is incredible," he said.

Juan Reyes, who has ranched on nearby Boulder Ridge since 1977, said the issue comes down to landowners deciding how to use their property.

"As you're talking viewshed, the way I see it is that my viewshed ends at the end of my property line," Reyes said.

Laramie County rancher Mark Eisele, whose property is already surrounded by wind farms on two sides, disputed claims that wind development harms wildlife or livestock.

He said wind lease revenue has helped keep ranching operations viable and allowed younger generations of his family to remain in Wyoming.

Nancy Bath, whose family ranch hosts much of the project, said wind lease payments have helped fund improvements and support the ranch's future.

"Because of the wind lease we are able to make improvements on our ranch," Bath said. "We would like to continue this ranching tradition, and we feel the wind project will help with that."

She added that rejecting the extension would send a negative message to businesses considering future investment in Albany County.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Commissioners Split"}]

Following public comment, commissioners spent about 10 minutes discussing the proposal before voting.

Commissioner Pete Gosar said much of the public testimony revisited legal disputes that had already been settled years ago.

"Going back over that is not our job today," Gosar said. "I do believe this is a viable project."

[{"type":"text","text":"Commissioner Thad Hoff remained unconvinced."}]

He pointed to a county stop-work order issued in June 2025 and questioned the project's progress over the past five years. Hoff also said satellite imagery appeared to show some project roads had deteriorated.

Addressing Banke, Hoff asked where the project's local presence could be found.

"Where are your boots on the ground here?" Hoff asked. "This is the first time in 18 months that I've met you."

Hoff said he believed the company was "fishing to keep the project alive" and had failed to demonstrate that it was being a good neighbor.

Commission Chairwoman Terri Jones joined Gosar in voting for the extension, giving the Rail Tie Wind Project another five years to move forward with construction.

Rail Tie inset 6 16 26

<title>Albany County Extends Permit For Rail Tie Wind Project Despite Opposition | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Rail Tie, one of Wyoming’s most controversial wind projects, got a new five-year extension from Albany County on Tuesday. The company is “fishing to keep the project alive,” said the lone commissioner to vote against the extension.

Albany County Extends Permit For Rail Tie Wind Project Despite Opposition

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

Clair McFarland

Crime & Courts

Courts

Wyoming’s governor is asking a court to undo the 

 under his purview, saying the board exceeded its law-given authority 

by not accepting a limit on how much property taxes can increase each year.

Gov. Mark Gordon filed a motion Tuesday for the Laramie County District Court to deem Wyoming’s 4% cap on yearly increases in residential property tax assessed values constitutional. 

 asked the court to block the actions of the State Board of Equalization.

The board had issued a report Thursday calling the 4% cap —‚ which has been 

in some form since 2024 — unconstitutional. The board warned county assessors that if the cap is included in their property tax calculations for this year, the board won’t certify those residential property tax values.

That decision came from the two board members who participated in the tax value examination last year: Chair E. Jayne Mockler and Vice-Chair Marty Hardscog.

The third board member, Karl Anderson, did not participate in that evaluation and so didn’t sign the Thursday report.

[{"type":"text","text":"Expects To Move"}]

The board hasn’t yet issued an order requiring Wyoming’s county assessors to rework their pending tax bills without the cap.

But it expects to do so in the coming weeks after working with counties, Mockler told Cowboy State Daily in a Thursday phone interview.

Also, the board has undertaken its work with counties, 

o certify residential property tax values for Campbell, Hot Springs, and Sublette counties on the basis that it believes the exemptions the counties calculated under state law are unconstitutional, says the governor's complaint.

Gordon’s Tuesday legal filing calls the board's actions “ultra vires,” or exceeding the board’s property authority. It asks the court to void the board’s actions.

The Wyoming Constitution requires the governor to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” the governor’s court filing says.

[{"type":"text","text":"The State Board of Equalization falls under the executive branch."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"This maneuver is unprecedented, the governor’s court challenge says."}]

“In the past twenty years, the Board has only delayed certification of values on one occasion,” says the filing. That was in 2006 when the board required one county to equalize its property valuations.

“In that time, it has never declined to certify values,” says the filing.

Besides urging the court to keep the tax board under its limited executive-branch authority, Gordon’s complaint also asserts that a clause of the Wyoming Constitution justifies the 4% tax cap.

Wyoming Constitution Article 15, Section 12, says the Legislature may by law provide for exemptions on “such other property” beyond churches, cemeteries and libraries.

The board’s Thursday report had addressed that section, but said it wasn’t enough to overcome another sections’ call for all taxation within property tax classes to be “equal and uniform.”

Wyoming Attorney General Senior Assistant James Peters signed Gordon’s Tuesday court filing.

The filing also lists as counsel Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz, and Deputy AG Mackenzie Williams.

[{"type":"text","text":"Counties Like This"}]

Because Gordon's filing is, in part, a request for the court to lend clarity to this issue, the Wyoming County Commissioners Association voiced approval of the action Tuesday. 

"It is important that counties, assessors and taxpayers have clear direction as they move through the annual assessment and certification process," said WCCA Executive Director Jerimiah Rieman in a statement. "The Legislature adopted the 4% cap, and counties have worked in good faith to implement that law. We support efforts to obtain timely clarification from the courts so local governments can continue administering Wyoming's property tax system with consistency and confidence."

Uncertainty in applying the cap could create significant administrative challenges for counties, including recalculating assessments, revising assessment schedules, processing appeals and updating tax notices, the statement says. It adds, "Counties also face potential increases in staffing, technology and mailing costs if significant changes occur after assessments have already been completed."

Mark Gordon 20260205 slib 0616 6 16 26

<title>Gordon Sues His Tax Board For Blocking Property Tax Cap | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Gov. Mark Gordon on Tuesday sued his tax board for refusing to recognize a 4% limit on property tax increases. He said the board exceeded its law-given authority, and the executive branch's job is just to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed."

Gordon Sues His Tax Board For Blocking Property Tax Cap

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Outdoors

American robins are such a common sight in Wyoming that most people barely notice them.

They bounce across lawns, tug worms from flower beds and chatter from fence posts all summer long. They're so familiar that they practically become part of the landscape.

But when a rare 1-in-30,000 albino robin showed up in the yard of a Cheyenne-area couple, they noticed this bird was something special.

Heather and Eric Wiseman said that they’ve been keeping tabs on a snow-white fledgling robin with pink-red eyes since it first appeared in their yard June 6.

"Look what I found," Eric Wiseman told his wife, showing her a cellphone photo of the unusual visitor.

That also was the day of a memorial service for one of their friends, Gail.

"If I was to call the bird anything, I'd call it Gail,” Heather Wiseman said.

Coincidence or not, the robin quickly became something the couple looked forward to seeing each day.

"It got me a little down when I didn't see him for a day,” she said. "Then last night, he came back.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Backyard Haven"}]

By day, Heather Wiseman works as an X-ray technician. By evening, she's become something of an amateur birdwatcher.

"I just have a pair of mini binoculars," she said. "I'm not a real birder, but I might join the Audubon Society after this experience."

The couple's property has become something of a sanctuary for small wildlife. They keep fresh water available, maintain two bird baths, and have a bird feeder that attracts a steady stream of visitors.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Nothing special, but they love it,\" Wiseman said."}]

The albino robin seems particularly fond of several towering blue spruce trees she planted about 30 years ago.

The trees provide shade and shelter, and the young bird often disappears among the branches before reappearing on the lawn.

The unusual robin isn't the only surprise visitor the couple has hosted recently. A few weeks ago they spotted a Western tanager. Then came a red-headed woodpecker.

"Three birds in less than three months that we haven't seen before," Wiseman said. "We live in the county, and it's a haven for birds."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Following Mom"}]

The white robin's appearance caught the attention of Zach Hutchinson, community science coordinator for Audubon Rockies.

After reviewing photographs of the Wiseman’s bird, Hutchinson confirmed the bird is a fledgling American robin and that it appears to be a rare albino.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"It's following its mother around and begging for food,\" he said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Several of Wiseman's photographs capture exactly that."}]

In one image, the young bird stands with its mouth open while an adult robin delivers food. In another, the pair forage together in the grass.

Despite its unusual appearance, the fledgling appears to be behaving like any other young robin.

[{"type":"text","text":"To its mother, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual about it at all."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Rare, But Vulnerable"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"What makes the bird remarkable is its coloration."}]

The robin's white feathers and pink-red eyes are consistent with albinism, a genetic condition that prevents the body from producing melanin, the pigment responsible for color in feathers, skin and eyes.

The red eye visible in Wiseman's close-up photographs is one of the strongest indicators of true albinism, said Hutchinson.

While the condition creates a striking appearance, it can also create challenges.

"These animals are easily found by predators, and the albinism can have other effects on their physical health," Hutchinson added. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Birds rely on melanin for more than color."}]

"For instance, in birds, the lack of pigmentation of feathers leads to extreme feather wear and weakened feathers," he said.

That means albino birds often stand out in ways that can make survival more difficult.

Against the dark green branches of a blue spruce tree, the Wisemans' robin seems to glow. Perched on a fence post against a Wyoming-blue sky, it's almost impossible to miss.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Rooting For Gail"}]

Researchers have long noted that albino robins seem to appear disproportionately often among reports of albino birds, likely because robins live so closely alongside people.

Most unusual birds can disappear unnoticed into forests or grasslands. Robins, meanwhile, spend much of their lives in backyards, parks and neighborhoods where people are more likely to spot them.

For now, the Wisemans aren’t focused on scientific theories. Heather said she's​ simply enjoying the chance to watch an extraordinary bird grow up.

[{"type":"text","text":"The robin has become something of a celebrity among family and friends."}]

"I had some family over last night and I got to show them the bird," she said. "It was nice to share."

The photographs that sparked interest online weren't taken with expensive camera equipment or professional lenses.

"I just have a cellphone," Wiseman said. "I don't have a Canon or anything."

Yet those snapshots captured something many birdwatchers never see — a one in 30,000 albino robin. 

Albine Robin 1000011575 6 16 26

<title>Rare 1-In-30,000 Albino Robin Hangs Out In Yard Of Cheyenne-Area Couple | Cowboy State Daily</title>

With its stark white feathers and red eyes, what Audubon Rockies says looks like a rare 1-in-30,000 albino robin has been hanging out in the yard of a Cheyenne-area couple. "It's following its mother around and begging for food,” said the homeowner.

Bonus Video 2: Saturday, August 17, 2024

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