The Wyoming Freedom Caucus promised to make massive cuts to state spending when members campaigned last year. So far, the group has kept that promise, making about $195.2 million in cuts to the supplemental budget so far in the 2025 session.
Although Wyoming is in a relatively stable financial position, it is the view of many legislators that the state has been spending too much money at the expense of the taxpayers.
Don Richards, budget and fiscal administrator for the Legislature, told the Joint Appropriations Committee members Thursday — many in or aligned with the Freedom Caucus — that they had removed $195.2 million from the supplemental budget over the past four days alone.
More cuts could be yet to come as the budget still needs approval from both the full House and Senate.
Energy Project Cuts
On Thursday, the committee pulled $100 million from Gov. Mark Gordon’s energy projects matching funds initiative. This money became a target of the Legislature last year due to the governor having unilateral discretion over awarding money and the types of projects funded.
These programs are intended to leverage millions, and potentially billions, in private and federal dollars to support energy innovation projects such as carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen energy and other low-emission initiatives in Wyoming.
Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, co-chair of the Joint Appropriations Committee, criticized the arrangement, describing it as “not a natural market” that makes Wyoming dependent on federal programs.
“I think it’s important that we minimize the funds that are out there for these matching funds,” Bear said.
The state leveraged $10 million of this money to secure a $40.5 million grant from the Department of Energy to support a carbon capture project brought by a company called Frontier Carbon Solutions. Bear said Frontier only put up $1 million for the grant project and has no customers to date in Wyoming.
The DOE grant only covers a portion of Frontier’s overall work in Wyoming, which it has invested much more than $1 million in.
“This system is really dependent on pressure from the federal government to dictate that CO2 be sequestered,” Bear said. “With the incoming (presidential) administration, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.”
DOE nominee Chris Wright and Interior secretary nominee Doug Burgum have both expressed support for carbon capture and other green energies in the past but have been less committed about offering government incentives and mandates toward these efforts.
Rob Creager, executive director of the Wyoming Energy Authority which oversees the state’s matching funds program, said cutting $100 million would be a serious hit.
“It would be a significant hurdle in our operations,” he said.
The committee removed the funding on an 11-1 vote, excluding large infrastructure projects used by the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
A requirement was also added by Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, that all expenditures from these funds must first be approved by the Legislature’s Management Council.
The committee also cut $14.3 million from the Wyoming Business Council’s Business Ready Community Grant Program. In the 2023-2024 biennial budget, the budget for this program was increased by about $29 million.
Bear explained he found this increase to be “excessive” because most of the needed money has already been spent.
Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, spoke against the cut, seeing it as oppositional to diversifying Wyoming’s economy against the state.
“That’s what business is, you invest and you try and do,” he said. “They’ve been working hard, and I think they do a good job.”
The funding was cut on a 9-3 vote.
Employee Positions And Raises
On Wednesday, the Appropriations Committee approved $48.8 million for an 8.5% raise for the state’s teachers but rejected an additional $11 million to give an 8.5% pay bump to classified employees, which includes paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers and custodians.
Many of the state’s schools have struggled to find and retain these types of employees due to the lower wages associated with their jobs. In Laramie School District No. 1 alone, there are more than 20 vacant positions in the custodial department and no substitute employees on-staff.
On Thursday, the committee also went forward with cutting 14 vacant state positions for a total salary savings of $1.3 million.
There was also discussion about cutting an additional eight vacant positions from Wyoming State Parks for archeology work, but state staff successfully convinced the committee that keeping this position would be valuable due to the expected uptick in energy projects under President Donald Trump’s administration that are expected that would require certain archaeological inspections on the land.
The committee also cut a $431,403 position added by the state Charter School Authorizing Board this summer without legislative approval.
State Rep. Abby Angelos, R-Gillette, during a Joint Appropriations meeting at the Capitol on Jan. 23, 2025. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
The Joint Appropriations Committee meets Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
State Sen. Mike Gerau, D-Jackson, during a Joint Appropriations Committee meeting Jan. 23, 2025. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)
High Plains Arboretum Cut
On a 10-2 vote, the committee also stripped $3.3 million for the High Plains Arboretum to make improvements at its site northwest of Cheyenne.
The Legislature allocated money for the research station in 2024 after back-and-forth debate that saw $3.5 million included, removed, and then finally included again in the final biennial budget.
Since that time, $161,000 was spent on a study to see what it would take for the state to get the facility back to a point where it could be sufficiently operated, which Bear said would cost about $20 million.
Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Horticulturist Jessica Friis told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that losing the money would be “devastating” for her facility. Friis said they hope to use the money for building and parking lot upgrades.
“It complicates things as the money is being used for staff and capital improvements on the site,” she said. “It makes those efforts very difficult without funding.”
The arboretum has also started harvesting seeds from trees on site to reforest areas of Wyoming that have suffered wildfire. Friis said this is critical as transporting in seedling trees from other states doesn't tend to be as successful for reforestation as native Wyoming species.
“Losing this funding is making it to where we can’t regrow trees,” Friis said. “The historic site will really be impaired if we can’t have this funding.”
A separate bill has been brought by Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, that would designate the facility as a state historic site and require the department of state parks and cultural resources to manage it, and restore the $3.3 million needed. The facility is currently being run by the state under a formal agreement with the City of Cheyenne.
“I recommend this body, the state, not take over that arboretum,” Bear said.
Fire Money
On Tuesday, the committee voted to reduce Gordon’s $130 million recovery request in response to the state’s historic wildfire season last year to $100 million, and to make the money only available through a 2% interest loan program instead of offering grant funding.
Gordon recommended the money be set aside in the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust for “treatment of invasive grasses, to help restore watersheds, habitat, and replace lost agricultural infrastructure through targeted relief.”
Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, co-chair of the Appropriations Committee, told reporters on Tuesday he still considers the revised program to be “a very generous loan for those who want to use it,” while retaining some responsibility for the individual landowners who suffered damage.
“There is a role for government in some things and for others, perhaps the landowner is responsible for those events that are unforeseen but obviously need to be taken care of,” he said.
On Thursday, the committee clarified the program would offer 20-year loans that could include coverage for wildfire-damaged land, livestock and structures, including fencing. It was also expanded to include any natural disaster. Final approval for all loans will be given by the State Loan and Investment Board.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
