Guest Columnists

Points of view on Wyoming issues from Wyoming people.

Letter To The Editor: Defending Wyoming From Harriet Hageman And Her D.C. Handlers

Dear editor: Cowboy State Daily ran an article this week about Project Winchester full of attacks from Harriet Hageman and her nervous DC handlers — but let’s set the record straight.

CSD StaffAugust 06, 2025

Guest Column: Why Are Young People Leaving Wyoming?

Rep. Trey Sherwood writes, "I heard from students, recent graduates and young families frustrated with a lack of job opportunities, cost of housing, limited access to healthcare, attacks on education and individual freedoms."

Guest ColumnAugust 06, 2025

Guest Column: Let's Clear Things Up About Wyoming PBS

Central Wyoming College President Dr. Brad Tyndall writes, "I do not think it is unreasonable for Ms. Kail to ask the national PBS to listen more closely to a greater audience of rural and diverse voices and to consider expanding its programming slate, or at the very least, to study these needs in good faith."

Guest ColumnJuly 31, 2025

Guest Column: Setting the Record Straight on “Nuclear Waste”

Dr. Rita Baranwal writes, "As President Trump’s former Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, I am proud to be a part of a company that is leading the way in advancing the president’s vision for energy dominance."

Guest ColumnJuly 29, 2025

Guest Column: Nuclear Is A Devil That Must Be Exorcised From The State

Campbell County Commissioner Scott Clem writes, "[With nuclear], we won't have any hunting or fishing, everyone will get cancer, our hospitals will be overwhelmed, our pets' heads will fall off, and our babies will start to be born with a third eyeball that's blind."

Guest ColumnJuly 28, 2025

Guest Column: The Promise of Modular Nuclear Energy in Wyoming

Peter Gottfried, who serves on the Wyoming Energy Resources Council, writes, "Wyoming has an unprecedented opportunity to embrace modular nuclear energy — a move that promises not only environmental stewardship but also substantial economic benefits."

Guest ColumnJuly 26, 2025

Guest Column: Wyoming Shouldn’t Rewrite Its Laws for a California Nuclear Startup

Rep. Kevin Campbell writes, "Here’s the deal: Radiant gets the profits, Wyoming absorbs the risk. These microreactors may be small, but they still produce high-level radioactive waste."

Guest ColumnJuly 22, 2025

Wyoming Supreme Court building in Cheyenne.

Guest Column: If You're Curious About Court, Get In There

The Wyoming Judicial Branch writes: "You’ve read the headlines, but how do you know exactly what a judge, jury, or justice decided in any given case, and why? It’s easy to find out. With some exceptions, Wyoming courts are and always have been open to the public."

WJB

Wyoming Judicial BranchJuly 18, 2025

Guest Column: When PBS Stopped Listening, America Stopped Watching

Joanna Kail, CEO of Wyoming PBS, writes, "PBS’s unwillingness to confront growing concerns about ideological bias created a perception that it no longer served the public equally. Viewers walked away, unsure if PBS was still for them."

Guest ColumnJuly 18, 2025

Guest Column: Why Are They So Afraid of Choice?

Rep. Darin McCann writes, "If the WEA believes so strongly in public education, they should welcome the opportunity to prove their model is still the best. But instead, they use legal roadblocks and union muscle to deny families the very freedom they themselves enjoy: the freedom to choose."

Guest ColumnJuly 17, 2025

Guest Column: D.C. Lawfare Meddling In Wyoming’s Election Integrity Movement

Rep. John Bear writes, "When radical left-wing activists from Washington, D.C., backed by millions in dark money and parroting the talking points of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are trying to overturn our common sense law, we know we’re over the target."

Guest ColumnJuly 16, 2025

Guest Column: Accountability Is Not Control

Rep. Daniel Singh writes, "Rep. Mike Yin argues that recent judicial reform proposals threaten the separation of powers. In reality, they aim to restore public accountability. Wyoming’s judicial retention system is one of the least transparent in state government."

Guest ColumnJuly 15, 2025

Guest Column: Windmills for Jet-Set Elites?

Rep. Tomi Strock writes, "Wyoming is not a testing ground for climate experiments. We’re not here to prop up Denver’s carbon-neutral dreams or help wealthy corporations cash in on federal tax schemes. Our energy policy should serve the interests of Wyomingites."

Guest ColumnJuly 14, 2025

Wyoming’s University: A Legacy of Service, A Future of Promise

Guest columnist Ed Seidel writes, "As we look ahead to the upcoming academic year at a time of intense nationwide scrutiny of higher education, it’s worth noting the University of Wyoming’s most important truth: UW is Wyoming’s university."

Guest ColumnJuly 14, 2025

Guest Column: We Need To Save Public Media

Ruby Calvert, chair of the Board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), writes, "In Wyoming alone, CPB provides nearly $2 million each year to public media. That support allows Wyoming PBS and Wyoming Public Radio to reach 97% of the state’s citizens."

Guest ColumnJuly 08, 2025

Guest Column: Freedom Caucus Chipping Away At What Makes Wyoming Great

State Rep. Mike Yin writes, "Right now, the “Freedom Caucus” is busy passing laws that tell you how to go about your personal life. They’ve passed laws that control how you parent your kids. They’ve passed laws telling your small business what it’s allowed to do."

Guest ColumnJuly 07, 2025

Guest Column: Wyoming Leading Nation With Election Integrity Measures Effective July 1

Secretary of State Chuck Gray writes, "Make no mistake. Wyoming is leading the nation in election integrity. A number of these key reforms go into effect July 1."

Guest ColumnJuly 01, 2025

Guest Column: Sen. Mike Lee Needs To Learn About The Importance Of Transparency

Guest columnist Rob Wallace writes, "My hope is that Sen. Lee adopts Wyoming’s proven way of patience and truly listening over coffee if he continues to undertake matters that are so deeply felt by us. Whether in the state Legislature or in Congress, the public has to be a part of public land decisions."

Guest ColumnJune 27, 2025

Guest Column: When the State Silences the Town – A Betrayal of Local Government

Pinedale Mayor Matt Murdock writes, "Wyoming’s Constitution guarantees that municipalities may govern their own affairs. Yet this session, we saw bills that sought to ban our memberships, override our ordinances and zoning with one-size fits all mandates, and second-guess our public votes."

Guest ColumnJune 26, 2025

Guest Column: It's Coal’s Moment to Lead Again

CEO of the American Coal Council Emily Arthun writes, "The American people have been sold a false narrative of energy 'transition.' A narrative that suggests we can power a modern economy with intermittent energy, dependent on foreign supply chains, and subsidized by taxpayers."

Guest ColumnJune 23, 2025

Guest Column: Wyoming Is Full Of Politicians Who Want To Sell Your Public Lands

Rep. Karlee Provenza writes, "This past October, Rep. Hageman, Gov. Gordon, and 26 members of the Wyoming Legislature filed a legal brief in support of a request that Sen. Lee sent to the U.S. Supreme Court to 'transfer' ownership of all federal public lands to the states."

Guest ColumnJune 23, 2025

Guest Column: Setting The Record Straight On Federal Land Sale Proposal

Rep. Harriet Hageman writes, "Unfortunately, a lot of the talk surrounding Sen. Lee's efforts has been misleading or flat out untrue, and as this proposal takes shape in the Senate, it’s important that everyone be armed with accurate information. Here are the facts..."

Guest ColumnJune 21, 2025

State Sen. Mike Gierau during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.

Guest Column: The Real Waste, Fraud And Abuse In Wyoming Is Coming From The Freedom Caucus

State Sen. Mike Gierau writes, "Whether undercutting industry, decrying the process producing good policy, or trying to preempt local government, the Freedom Caucus wastes your time and your dollars."

Guest ColumnJune 19, 2025

Guest Column: Our Public Lands Are Not for Sale

Rep. Mike Schmid writes, "As a member of the Wyoming Legislature, I have deep concerns about the proposal buried in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that would allow the federal government to sell off large swaths of our public lands — under the guise of solving housing shortages."

Guest ColumnJune 19, 2025