Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
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The Senate health care bill would make a bad situation better, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). Enzi told reporters the bill would make initial improvements and allow states to make even more. He said budget rules prevent some proposals from being considered now, but work on health care will continue in the Senate. Below are key excerpts of the interview: On content of the bill: “There are always a number of things; I’ve been working on this for a number of years and had my own ten step health plan. The one thing that’s in here...
A Sunday afternoon 30 years ago this week found me busy sitting at my desk as editor-publisher of our local newspaper office. While the weather was beautiful outside, there was work to be done inside. It was impossible to not keep looking out the window. The beautiful Lander weather beckoned to me. My output just kept getting slower. The sun was shining on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Yet here I was, inside my office, pounding on the keys of a computer terminal. I picked up the telephone and...
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), joined with Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Boozman (R-AR), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to introduce S. 1514, the Hunting Heritage and Environmental Legacy Preservation (HELP) for Wildlife Act. The bipartisan legislation will reauthorize or establish several important government wildlife conservation programs. The HELP for Wildlife Act will also provide regulatory clarity for sportsmen....
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., released the following statement on the administration’s announcement today of a proposed rule to repeal the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “The overreaching Waters of the United States rule would allow Washington to regulate nearly every creek and pond,” Enzi said. “The EPA should not have complete control over one of Wyoming’s most precious resources. For the sake of farmers, ranchers and small businesses, I am pleased that the Trump Administration is taking this important step to overturn the Water...
Former U. S. Rep and Vice-President Dick Cheney would often tell this story about how his last name is pronounced. He says he attended a family reunion some years ago and sought out a favorite uncle who was the oldest person there. The old man was sitting in a rocking chair with a gentle dog in his lap. Dick asked his uncle: “Is our name pronounced CHEENEY or CHANEY?” The uncle paused for a minute and then said “it is pronounced “CHANEY.” Dick thanked him and complimented him on his little do...
The League of Women Voters of Wyoming (LWVWY) is urging Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso to use their roles on the U.S. Senate’s working group on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) to protect health care and insurance for 20,000 Wyoming residents. “Please use your position on the working group to preserve important patient health care and insurance protections while fixing flaws with the current law. It may become necessary to scale back promised tax breaks for wealthier Americans,” the letter says. It adds, “We urge you to work this bill...
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., made the following statement after Senate Republicans released their discussion draft of legislation to stabilize health insurance markets and bring down health care premiums: “After months of hard work, Senate Republicans are proposing solutions to address the challenges to health care created by Obamacare that are affecting millions of hardworking families,” Enzi said. “Senate Democratic leaders have repeatedly declared they would not be part of getting rid of the current deficient system. Members of the GOP c...
Now this is a headline that I never thought I would write for any news story or column: Tornadoes strike Wyoming. But on Monday, June 12, sightings of up to 20 tornadoes were reported all across the state, luckily not killing anyone but causing lots of damage and scaring the heck out of everyone. Along with that came 90 mph winds in some places and hailstones the size of baseballs. It was a long night as power went out, trees came down and punishing wind, rain, and hail bombarded folks from...
The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan measure June 15 that would allow expanded sanctions against Iran and Russia. Wyoming Republican U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso both supported the measure. The bill would impose sanctions on persons involved with Iran’s ballistic missile program and those that transact with them. It would apply terrorism sanctions to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and codify sanctions for individuals who contribute to Iranian support for terrorism. It would also require the president to block the prope...
On June 15, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), delivered the following remarks at a committee business meeting on the reappointment of the Honorable Kristine Svinicki, to serve as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Svinicki’s nomination was advanced by the committee by voice vote. Senator Barrasso’s remarks: “I applaud the president’s nomination of Ms. Svinicki. “Ms. Svinicki has served as a member of the NRC for more than 9 years, including the last 6 mo...
As a long-time observer of our two U. S. Senators and one U. S. Congressperson, it would seem to me that today we have a chance to have more clout in Congress than ever before. Senior Sen. Mike Enzi is one of the most effective bill-passers in the Senate and holds powerful positions. He is widely respected and has been in Congress long enough that when he talks everyone listens. Junior Sen. John Barrasso has chosen a path climbing up the power pole in the Senate and currently is the...
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., is encouraging Wyoming juniors in high school to apply to be a Senate page for the fall session in Washington, DC. There are 30 page positions in the U.S. Senate each session. One of those positions is reserved for Enzi to sponsor a student from Wyoming to serve as a page. The deadline for applications is June 27. “Along with allowing students a front row seat during debates in the Senate, pages have the opportunity to explore the nation’s capital and interact with students from across the country,” said Enzi....
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), and committee ranking member Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) released the following statements regarding the Senate passage of S. 826, the Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver (WILD) Act. “The Senate has passed important bipartisan conservation legislation,” said Barrasso. “The WILD Act rewards innovative ideas to safeguard threatened species and keep invasive species under control. The legislation will also reauthorize vital conse...
Although they have had eight generations living in Wyoming, the Driskill clan of Devils Tower originally came from Texas and as a result, it seems most everything about these folks is big. State Sen. Ogden Driskill (R-Devils Tower) showed my wife Nancy and me around northeast Wyoming recently but also shared some of the more interesting things about his unusual clan. As for big, Ogden was feeling pretty good about his newfound self, weighing just 315 pounds. During lunch in Hulett, he was...
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., released the following statement on President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. “I applaud President Trump for making the decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. The choice by the former Administration to join the agreement without any input from Congress was disingenuous and irresponsible. The Constitution requires the Senate to advise and consent to any treaty made by the president. “The Paris agreement demanded too much from...
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), released the following statement on the administration’s decision for the United States to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. “President Trump is keeping his word and getting America out of a bad deal,” said Barrasso. “The Paris climate agreement set unworkable targets that put America at a competitive disadvantage with other countries and would have raised energy costs for working families. “This pact was signed by former Pr...
A flooding mountain river in Wyoming can be an “insatiable monster.” That is what I called the middle fork of the Popo Agie River here in Lander seven years ago when we experienced a 50-year flood event. Unfortunately, based on snowpack in the mountains, it is entirely possible we will see a 100-year flood event this year. For those of us who lived through what occurred here in 2010, it is hard to imagine that it could get any worse. But snowpack levels, as I write this, are at 326 percent of...
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) today led a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers to introduce major legislation to lift the Cuban trade embargo. The bipartisan legislation would eliminate the legal barriers to Americans doing business in Cuba. The Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2017 would pave the way for new economic opportunities for American businesses and farmers by boosting U.S. exports and allow Cubans greater access to American goods. The legislation repeals key provisions...
U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, and Representative Liz Cheney, all R-Wyo., introduced legislation today that would allow states to collect their own federal mineral royalties, protecting money that is rightfully owed to the states. The bill would effectively eliminate a collection fee charged by the federal government, which amounts to around $40 million per year. “Mineral royalties are supposed to be split 50-50, but by charging an unfair collection fee, the federal government is squeezing the states for more dollars to pad its o...
I am not afraid of tomorrow for I have seen yesterday and I love today. – William Allen White This is a message for 2017 graduates – there are just two times in your lives when you feel you are done with learning and just do not want to learn any more. First is when you graduate. Enough already! You have had your poor brain filled with so much stuff in your young life, that you are ready to just go out there in the working world and start using all that knowledge. The second time is when you...
The Homeland Security and Government Affairs (HSGAC) Committee voted May 17 to advance two bills that could help control excessive government regulations. The bills, cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, both R-Wyo., would give Congress new options to review regulations and rules proposed by bureaucratic agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Labor. Enzi, who serves on the HSGAC committee, voted to advance both bills so they can be considered by the full Senate. “Congress has given far t...
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) questioned William Hagerty, President Trump’s nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Japan, on soda ash, beef exports and energy security. The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held Hagerty’s confirmation hearing today. On Soda Ash: “The United States is the most competitive supplier of soda ash in the world because of the abundance of the raw material trona in our country. “U.S. ‘natural soda ash’ is refined from the mineral trona. The Green River Basin in Wyoming has the world’s largest-known...
It was 21 years ago this spring that my old friend Loraine Ocenas emceed my 50th birthday party and claimed its theme was: “How does it feel to have your future behind you?” My answer, of course, was “my best years are ahead of me” and indeed, that turned out to be true. Now at 71, if someone asked me the same thing at a similar party, I might attempt to say the same thing, but perhaps not quite so vigorously. Where did all those years go? An awful lot has happened both to me and to the world w...
U.S. Senators Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced legislation on May 10 to ensure that those traveling with a properly secured knife are not prosecuted under local or state laws which ban certain knives. “Growing up in Wyoming, I know that knives are an essential tool for hunters, ranchers, farmers and other various everyday uses,” Enzi said. “But with conflicting knife laws across the country, it can make it difficult for responsible knife owners to know if they are violating the law if they are travelling with a knife. This b...
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), released the following statement on President Trump’s announcement that he intends to nominate Susan Bodine to serve as the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "The Environmental Protection Agency needs strong and experienced leadership,” said Barrasso. “That is why I am so pleased that President Trump intends to nominate Susan Bodine to serve in th...