Old King Coal not such a merry old soul

Laramie River coal plant near Wheatland 

China burns half of the world's coal production every year. It pollutes its air and kills its people, making heart disease the nation's number one killer. China's fossil-fuel habit is one of the main culprits of global warming.

Wyoming and Montana companies dig thousands of tons of coal from the ground every day. Our power plants can't burn all that coal to send power to Colorado and Texas and Utah. Other U.S. plants can't burn that much coal. Many states, Texas included, are scrubbing plans for new coal-fired plants.

To fill China's endless coal appetite, and to contribute to the further spread of cardiopulmonary illnesses, our states want to export more coal to China. There's money to be made, too. Not only for the coal companies, but for severance taxes which pay the salaries of government workers such as myself.

But Washington state is getting in the way of progress.

The Cowboy State and The Treasure State want to ship their coal directly to Asia through a port in Cowlitz County, Washington (a.k.a. The Gateway to Mt. St. Helens). Officials in the county have approved an upgrade to its Columbia River port, but environmental groups say not so fast (from the Casper Star-Tribune). 

On Tuesday, the Washington Department of Ecology petitioned to intervene in the appeal filed by Earthjustice. Ecology spokeswoman Kim Schmanke said the agency wants a seat at the table because it may be asked to approve other permits for the project.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer plans to travel to Washington state next week to seek support for the project. He said he's going to tell state officials it's irrational for them to oppose a port to export Montana coal when utilities that serve Washington state burn Montana coal.Freudenthal said Thursday that he would not expect Schweitzer to accomplish anything but making the trip. 

Freudenthal doubts Washington state officials will receive advice from someone from another state any more than Wyoming officials do when they get similar visits from an outsider. 

The immediate problem, Freudenthal said, is how to get the port exporting Wyoming coal. The larger issue is the need to figure out carbon capture and sequestration in order to receive support from the "rational" environmental groups, he said.

Meanwhile, Gov.-elect Matt Mead is working on a letter of support to send with Schweitzer next week, Mead spokeswoman Susan Anderson said Thursday. Mead takes office Monday. 

Freudenthal said people need to realize that the coal industry is "at risk" whether they agree that climate change is real or not. "This is about coal production, market share and jobs," Freudenthal said.

We're going to see more of these conflicts as we attempt to switch from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources that don't melt the ice caps and lead to the flooding of port cities from Seattle to San Diego. Red states want to ship their coal to China but the coastal blue states won't let them. No alternative but to send it to Houston and then on to the Panama Canal and then on to China. But that route would add time and miles and make the whole enterprise less cost-effective. The states could send the coal to Vancouver, B.C., which shipped about 26 million tons of coal to China this year. But how would that look, red-state Wyoming shipping its coal from Socialist Canada?

Even George Will is getting into the act. In a column this week, he could barely contain his glee that millions of tons of global-warming-contributing coal could be shipped out of a port adjacent to the Green Capital of the U.S. and maybe the world -- Portland, Oregon.

Cowlitz County in Washington state is across the Columbia River from Portland, Ore., which promotes mass transit and urban density and is a green reproach to the rest of us. Recently, Cowlitz did something that might make Portland wonder whether shrinking its carbon footprint matters.

I wonder why conservatives take such delight in destroying the planet? The fundies are all convinced that the end is coming anyway so why fight it? Doesn't matter to them if it's flood or fire. But George Will isn't in this Know Nothing camp. He's smarter than that. While he will no longer be with us when Washington Post columnists commute by gondola, one wonders why he doesn't care for the future of his family or your family or my family.

George Will makes his living by being the conservative curmudgeon in the bow tie. He's also a language scold and a know-it-all baseball fan. That's his platform and to turn Green (or even hint at it) at this late date will cost him.

He provides several quotes from James Fallows' recent cover story about coal in The Atlantic. In "Dirty Coal, Clean Future," Fallows makes the case that we can only get out of this hydrocarbon dilemma by trusting in China's new technologies to burn coal cleaner. The only way out is through. I just read the synopsis, but it seems as if Fallows would give a green light to the shipping of coal from Washington state. And the more we can ship, the better.

I'll read the article and respond. Meanwhile, here's a few parting words from George Will:

If the future belongs to electric cars, those in China may run on energy stored beneath Wyoming and Montana. 

And so run the hopes of the Govs of Wyoming and Montana. 

Leslie Petersen drops into Cheyenne Sept. 28

The Leslie Petersen campaign sent this notice:

Leslie Petersen, Democratic Candidate for Governor, will hold a News Conference in Cheyenne in the Wyoming Capitol on Tuesday, September 28th at 10:30 AM.

Governor Freudenthal will appear with Petersen to talk about her candidacy at the beginning of the press conference.

The subject of the press conference is funding for our communities and the need for adequate and reliable funding for local services.

Leslie will take questions from the media and the public after her opening remarks.

Dave Freudenthal will not seek a third term

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal announced today that he will not run for a third term.

I was at the Capitol Building this morning when the news broke. The last few days of legislative business is filled with salutes to our troops and performances by drum groups -- along with some last-minute votes and bill signings. This morning, Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt read his poetry in each chamber. Both were about his daughter, who's now 21 and attending college out-of-state. This is the sixth year that David's read to the legislators. They always seem interested in his words. Maybe it's because his words are a welcome break from the avalanche of legalese they face each session. It's also because David tells stories they can relate to. Riding horses across the prairie or fixing fence in Johnson County. Kayaking with his teen daughter on a Wyoming lake. Love and fear and relationships and all the things people care about, whether they be legislators or poets or even bloggers.

While I waited for the reading, I ran into one of my fellow Dems from Laramie County. She's a lobbyist, and once upon a time staged a losing race for a legislative seat. We jawed about gubernatorial possibilities with the Democratic Party. Milward Simpson had declared several weeks ago that he wasn't running. He's a Democrat in a family full of Repubs, including his cousin Colin Simpson, son of Big Al. Colin is running for governor, but must first get through a phalanx of other Repub candidates, including Matt Mead, grandson of a former Wyoming U.S. senator, and Ron Micheli from the southwest corner of the state. Also, State Auditor Rita Meyer. There will be more, making for a lively primary.

Meanwhile, crickets are chirping on the Dem side of the aisle. Tumbleweeds roll unmolested through party headquarters.

My lobbyist friend today wondered if candidates could emerge from the ranks of county commissioners or city councils or the legislature. I wasn't sure. The name of Sen. Mike Massie from Albany County has been bandied about. But conventional wisdom has him running for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Conventional wisdom can be woefully incorrect. But he's also from the university town of Laramie, known for pointy-headed intellectuals, even in Wyoming. We even have special pointy-headed intellectual cowboy hats for them to wear to summer rodeos.

Someone will emerge from the shadows. It's possible. But this year's governor's race looks as if it belongs to the Repubs.

New Repub tactic for luring physicians to Wyoming -- ban same-sex marriage

Several Sundays ago, local right-winger Richard Wall surprised me with some common sense in a Wyoming Tribune-Eagle guest column.

He urged increased efforts to recruit more physicians in sub-specialties to move to Wyoming. He was especially insistent that we don't have enough pediatricians who address the medical and mental health needs of children and teens.

That's a bandwagon I've been riding for awhile. More than once I've pointed out that Wyoming lacks child psychiatrists. When I say "lacks," I mean that literally -- there is not one child psychiatrist in the entire state.

Huzzah for Mr. Wall! Now we have common cause on a very important issue.

But my joyfullness was short-lived. In the very same column, Mr. Wall leaped on his favorite bandwagon -- the evils of homosexuality. He wants the Wyoming Legislature to legislate against same-sex marriage. It's not same-sex marriage that irks him. It's the fact that married gays and lesbians can move into Wyoming and expect the Equality State to live up to its name.

During two of the past three legislative sessions, bills were introduced to ban approval of same-sex marriages performed in other states. Both times, the legislation was killed by outspoken Republicans who obviously take seriously our "Equality State" motto. Since our Legislature is heavily Republican, it's easy to pass any bill if all Repubs hop on board. If some hop off, well...

Read details about last year's anti-gay bill at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2009/01/wyoming-legislators-confront-same-sex.html. At the time, I noticed that one of the bill's backers was the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, the same equality-minded entity that brings you today's Super Bowl ad that aims to demonize every woman who's had an abortion -- or even thought about it.

Also find info about the 2007 bill at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2007/03/zwonitzer-takes-stand-for-basic.html

As I look at this year's docket on the Legislature's web site, I find nothing about gay marriage. That's not unusual, as this is a 20-day budget session and consideration of new bills is limited (although you wouldn't know it after looking at the long list).

Maybe by the time 2011 rolls around, the legislative loonies who sponsor these bills will have given up. By then, "Don't Ask Don't Tell" will be a thing of the past in the U.S. military and Wheatland, Wyoming, will have re-installed the "No Place for Hate" banners.

There is a dark cloud on the horizon, equality-wise. In his column, Mr. Wall pledged his support to the 2010 gubernatorial campaign of right-winger Repub Ron Micheli. Mr. Micheli is a rancher from Fort Bridger who spent most of his 16 years in the state legislature towing the fundie line on abortion and gay rights. He's also on the 10th amendment bandwagon (so many bandwagons these days) which puts him in the same category as the Tea Partiers who were whooping it up with Sarah Palin last night in Nashville. Of course, this emphasis on the 10th amendment, which most of us never paid attention to until recently, is also a newly-discovered cause of our Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal.

Let me get back to Mr. Wall. I still support his call for more and better-educated physicians in Wyoming. I just wonder how that recruitment will go when our Equality State slogan has been so tarnished by the likes of the hate-filled wingnuts among us. Yes, some young physicians are conservatives and will prefer the ambience of high plains small towns such as Wheatland.

But most physicians come from cities (even the majority of Westerners now live in statistical metropolitan areas) and are educated in cities and go to school with ethnic minorities and might even be minorities themselves. They may even be LGBT! Specialists in particular seem to gravitate to city life. Cities boast an array of schools and soccer fields and music classes and theatres and shopping. Pay is better, especially for docs.

Rural living is a hard sell anyway. Add to that an unwelcoming attitude toward people who may be a little different -- you really have a problem.

WPR: Gov. Freudenthal is not doing much fund-raising (2010-01-07)

WPR: Freudenthal's not doing much fund-raising

He's only raised a few bucks for a 2010 campaign. But won't he have enough time to do so even if he declares after the legislative session?

Stay tuned...

P.S.: Governor Freudenthal's Chief of Staff, Chris Boswell, will be the speaker at the Laramie County Democrats first meeting of the year on Monday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m. at the IBEW Hall in Cheyenne. Maybe Chris will drop a few hints as to "will he or won't he?"

Folks for Freudenthal enlist polling company to study possible 2010 campaign

The AP's Ben Neary wrote this piece that appeared in yesterday's Casper Star-Tribune [http://www.trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_19a3956b-925c-5a23-be93-91c99f4bffb3.html]:

Gov. Dave Freudenthal is polling public opinion of him and other possible candidates in next year's governor's race, even as he says he hasn't decided whether he will run again.

The Folks for Freudenthal committee paid $20,000 this month to Global Strategy Group, a New York political consulting and polling company, according to a report filed Monday with the Wyoming secretary of state's office.

The Repubs will have a field day with this. Let's hope it does lead to a third Freudenthal term. The state can't take another Republican governor, especially if taxes from energy extraction keep shrinking.

First Ladies lend muscle to arts support

America's First Ladies are charged with promoting the boring stuff: Arts, culture, education and gardening -- to name a few.

It was Hillary, not Bill, who attended D.C.'s arts events in the nineties. When I was in D.C. from 1993-95, Hillary presided over the NEA's annual National Heritage Fellowship awards and almost all other arts and humanities awards ceremonies. She attended concerts and plays and ballet performances. Sometimes Bill tagged along.

Laura Bush, a librarian and book-lover, worked with the Library of Congress to launch the annual National Book Festival on the National Mall. The next one is scheduled for Sept. 26 and features one of our own, mystery writer Craig Johnson.

Laura's husband, Pres. George W. Bush, is known to have read at least one book.

Michelle Obama takes her role seriously as Arts Educator in Chief. When designers across the U.S. came to D.C. for the annual National Design Awards, Ms. Obama dispatched them to five museums to conduct free public lectures. So these designers headed off to museums: Bill Moggridge, designer of the world's first laptop; Calvin Klein's Francisco Costa; Calvin Tsao and Zack McCown, both interior designers. They spoke about cothes designs, architecture, sustainable neighborhoods, engineering and jobs. Later they returned to the White House for lunch.

Here are some quotes from Ms. Obama's speech, as reported by AP:

"An educational foundation is only part of the equation. In order for creativity to flourish and imagination to take hold, we also need to expose our children to the arts from a very young age."

She said Albert Einstein had it right when he said imagination is more important than knowledge. "We need to ensure that our children have both — knowledge and imagination. I know I want that for my girls. They deserve to have access to a good education and access to ideas and images that will spark their creativity."

She also spoke of her efforts "to break down barriers that too often exist between major cultural establishments and the people in their immediate communities."

"So we've been sending a lot of role models out there in the far reaches of this city and then inviting kids to come back here to the White House. That's been a big part of the messages of every single event that we've done here at the White House. These kids who are living just inches away from power and prestige and fortune and fame, we want those kids to know that they belong here, too ... and in the museums, and in libraries, and laboratories all over this country."

"What I love about design is the artistic and scientific complexity that also becomes useful: A laptop, a bridge, an outfit, a garden. All drawn from a thousand wells of inspiration and yet grounded in the basic principles of math or science."

Knowledge combined with imagination will lead us out of the crises posed by global warming and endless war. Well, maybe not the latter. But engineers and designers will design fuel-efficient buildings and cars and aircraft. Our local library received 2008 National Library of the Year honors for its role as a great library with helpful, knowledgeable staff. Also, its LEEDS-certified and the landscaping consists of native, low-water plants. We have a new library in Pinedale made of rammed earth and a library addition in Lander that uses alternative energy including geothermal. Those huge windmills going up east of Cheyenne are a marvel of engineering and design. I'm still waiting for a small rotary windmill for my roof. Maybe I should say an affordable rotary wind generator.

Too bad those First Ladies take care of the boring stuff. That's also true on thje state level. Governor Dave Freudenthal is a lawyer and former prosecutor who also refurbishes old sheep wagons. His name is on the proclamations for the annual Governor's Arts Awards. But he always credits his attorney wife Nancy with having the artsitic taste in the family. She appears regularly at arts and humanities events. She also was the catalyst behind the state's first Arts Summit in 2007.

Roberta "Bobby" Hathaway pushed her husband, Gov. Stan Hathaway, to establish the Wyoming Arts Council in 1967. She was on the first board. Sherri Geringer, wife of Gov. Jim Geringer, wrote the intro for the WAC's 30th anniversary publication, "Portrait of the Arts in Wyoming."

These are smart and powerful women. Hillary Clinton came within a gnat's eyelash of being the Democratic Part's presidential nominee. Wyomingites talk about a possible gubernatorial run by Nancy Freudenthal. Her husband's two terms expire next year and Gov Dave is being coy about seeking a third term.

So, when Michelle and Laura and Hillary take on a project, it will get done. And stay done.

Legislature: Not a cent for children's health needs, but lots of dough for pet projects

Joan Barron reports in today's Casper Star-Tribune that Gov. Freudenthal is "puzzled at the overall thrust of the legislative session that wraps up tonight."

He said he was disappointed that the Wyoming House last week rejected a bill to set up a health care reform pilot program financed with tobacco fund money, and another proposal for $90,000 to expand the children's health insurance program.

"I think there's some ideological stuff going on, particularly in the House. They want to meddle in your personal life. Somehow the government can do that, but it can't help kids get insurance," Freudenthal said. "That doesn't fit for me, particularly when we are heading into these economic times."

He said health care costs are not coming down, which is he why he liked the health care reform pilot program. The pilot may not have worked but it could have provided the state with information about what might work, he said. "I don't know if it's just ideologically without rudder and it's just kind of the winds and the mood of the House or whether there's a purpose," he added.

The Legislature, dominated by Republicans, spent an inordinate amount of time on some of the Far Right's favorite topics -- gay rights (very much against), guns (FOR!), abortion (against) and "fetal rights" (FOR!). They socked away more money that we don't have, as budget surplusses have shriveled with falling energy prices. But it's more important for Republicans to sock away money than to spend it on children's health needs.

Sk(r)ewed priorities.

How much stimulus dough will come to WYO?

Ben Neary of the Associated Press reports that Sen. John Barrasso estimates Wyoming may receive up to $540 million from Pres. Obama's economic stimulus bill.

But Barrasso, a vocal opponent of the $787 billion stimulus bill, warned Wyoming lawmakers on Friday that they will have to consider carefully whether to accept federal dollars that may come with strings attached.

The Republican said only one copy of the lengthy bill was distributed in the Senate before last week's vote to approve it. He said that made it impossible for senators to read it before voting on it.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal has said this week that his administration is working to make sense of the bill and to determine whether accepting federal money would commit the state to future expenditures.

It's one hell of a deal when federal money comes with strings attached. Such as, when the feds give Wyoming money for highways, the gubment expects the money to be used for highways. The gall! The same goes for federal funds for education, toxic waste clean-up, even the arts.

Some Repub governors have made noises about not accepting the stimulus money. Louisiana's Republican Gov. Bobby Jindel, currently GOP Golden Boy, made some threats along those lines last week. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin took time out from Mardi Gras festivities to say he'd take any of those federal funds that the Gov turned down. Still a lot of rebuilding to do in New Orleans.

That's the thing. Repub Govs may jabber all they want about not accepting stimulus money. But when it comes right down to it, they take it because their constituents -- Dem and Repub -- need it. Govs of southern states have been the most vociferous. They usually have sent Repubs to the U.S. House and Senate. But in the end, they'll take the money. State budgets are in touch shape. And Republican margins of victory weren't all that impressive in the recent elections.

In Wyoming, our budget surplus, brought to us by the energy extraction industries, have shrunk. All agencies in state government have been told to plan on 5 percent budget cuts this year and 10 percent for budgets in the next biennium. These are permanent cuts, not storm warnings that may be lifted in a few months. Wyoming is not exempt from the economic distress that's afflicting its neighboring states. A lumber mill shut down in Laramie this week, throwing 67 employees out of work. There's a lot of that going on.

Instead of worrying about some imaginary strings attached to the stimulus package, I'd suggest we take the money and keep people employed -- and put others back to work.

11/08: One for the history books

November 2008 goes down in history at midnight tonight. And what a month it was. Last-minute surge to elect Barack Obama as president. Lots of Dems elected to U.S. House and a few newbies to the U.S. Senate. It took awhile for Alaska to count its votes, as they were transported to the capital by Todd Palin's sled dogs. Georgia has a run-off on Tuesday, with Democrat and Vietnam veteran Jim Martin and Republican chickenhawk Saxby Chambliss duking it out for the U.S. Senate. I've lost track of proceedings in Minnesota. Is Al Franken our first comedian/script-writer/author/radio host to be elected to the U.S. Senate? We've had actors, of course, and jocks, but never someone who wrote for Saturday Night Live. Guess I'll have to go check out the Minnesotans on leftyblogs.

The month wrapped up with the horrible attacks on Mumbai. Terrorism is still with us, an ongoing problem that will be Obama's to handle. He will announce his National Security team tomorrow (Dec. 1) and let's hope they work fast to undo torture policies, close Gitmo and get us out of Iraq. Meanwhile, they can focus on the real terrorist threats in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Here in Wyoming, Republicans still rule the roost, although we get two more years of Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal (Gov Dave) before the 2010 gubernatorial elections. No names are surfacing on the Dem side (thus far) but it's inevitabvle that there will be a slew of Repubs interested in the job. Wonder if some of the WyoGoppers returning from D.C. will be interested in running for office. This is always the hidden danger of a Dem in the White House.

The state legislature comes to town in January and there is talk about the budget surplus being less surplustic due to a drop in oil and gas prices as well as a downturn in tourism which leads to a drop in taxes. Press reports during the past week say that the economic downturn has yet to hit Cheyenne and the rest of Wyoming. How long will that last?

Gary T. and Gov Dave -- together at last!

Gov Dave endorses Gary Trauner

Wyoming's Democratic Governor, Dave Freudenthal, endorsed Gary Trauner today for Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat. As he noted in his remarks at a noon press conference, he doesn't do many endorsements. In fact, some of us Dems have been a bit upset that his endorsement didn't come earlier. But, better late than never. In Sunday's Casper Star-Tribune poll, Trauner led Republican Cynthia Lummis 44-43 in this squaker of a race. Gov Dave's endorsement may help. The Gov is wildly popular, his approval rating in this Republican-heavy state hovering around the 81 percent mark. During the summer, he was the second-most popular Western governor, ranked just behind Sarah Palin of Alaska. But her numbers have taken a hit since emerging into the national spotlight.

I won't quote all of the governor's remarks about Trauner. You can get a transcript and an audio at http://www.traunerforcongress.com.

Here are a few choice paragraphs:

It's the same thing in another of the ads that his opponent [Lummis] runs that talks about during her tenure, she developed $5 billion in state money. Well, the truth is, anyone can take credit for that. I can take credit for that, the Legislature can take credit for that. The real reason that that money exists is the way that this economy has been over the last five or six years. I make a persuasive argument that it all happened because I was elected Governor. Because about the time I was elected, if you remember, that's about the time that prices went up.

I think we need to be realistic about what it is that we say to the public in terms of these races. The fact of the matter is that as politicians, we shouldn't believe our own press releases. The reason that this state is prosperous, and the reason that we have the money that's available, is not by virtue of somebody who was in office, whether they were Governor or Treasurer, but by virtue of the fortuitous circumstances of the nature of this state's economy.

Who's popular now, Governor Palin?

Back on Aug. 29, I crowed about the fact that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin wasn't the only Western governor with high approval ratings. I scoffed at the fact that she had an 82 percent rating, which wasn't all that great for a somewhat competent Republican governor in a red state. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal had equally impressive numbers as a Democrat in a Really Red State. Here were the stats from an 8/24 article in the Denver Post:

The six-state Mason-Dixon poll also asked voters to judge their governors' performance. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter received excellent or good ratings from 60 percent of those polled. That put Ritter on the lower half of the scale, compared with 81 percent approval for Dave Freudenthal in Wyoming, 82 percent for Jon Huntsman Jr. in Utah and 66 percent for Janet Napolitano in Arizona.

At the time, Palin had not been recruited for the Veep spot on the Republican ticket.

What are the latest approval ratings in Alaska for Palin? That would be 68 percent. Maybe it's because Alaskans haven't seen too much of her lately, or maybe because they've seen too much of her on TV interviews (quick, name your favorite newspaper -- or least favorite Supreme Court decision!). Or maybe it's because so many sordid details of her governance have been revealed by that nasty liberal press.

What if Dave Freudenthal had been tapped by Obama as his running mate? I know it's far-fetched, but just think about it. How many skeletons does the Gov have in his closet? In the 2006 race, desperate Wyoming Republicans dug deep for dirt. They discovered a non-scandal about alleged misuse of the state airplane. That went nowhere (the scandal, not the plane). Considering the resources at the disposal of Repubs in this state, with old pal Dick Cheney just a phone call away, you'd think they could come up with something solid -- or just make up something completely outrageous, which is their usual m.o. (Cheney's, especially).

They couldn't, and didn't. Our governor remains popular two years into his second term. Sure, Wyoming has a huge budget surplus, which makes things easier on the decision-maker. And we're a pretty easy-going bunch here in the least-populated state in the nation. We seem to like the fact that we have something Alaska doesn't -- a governor who reads, thinks and can speak in complete sentences.

Live from Jackson: It's "Meet the Govs"

As Tom Brokaw wrapped up this morning's "Meet the Press" interview with Gov. Dave Freudenthal and Gov. Bill Ritter, he reminded the audience that the show was not filmed on a set. Out the window was a view of the Tetons -- the real thing. A gorgeous blue-sky image, with just a hint of a haze from Western wildfires burning in Colorado and California.

"Meet the Press" is in Jackson Hole for the annual Western Governors Association conference, which starts today. Ritter and Freudenthal were up first, and then Brokaw promised us Rep. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger from California later in the show. The theme of the day was the West's possible influence in the 2008 elections. To point out the political oddity that the West has become, Freudenthal pointed out that Schwarzenegger, the Republican, was more liberal that most of the Democrats elected as governors in the Intermountain West.

But back to the environment. Wildfires are not exclusively a Western issue -- just look at what happened last year in Georgia and Florida. But summers in the West means fires, whether we're in the midst of a drought or one of the wettest years in recent memory. Periodic fires existed here long before people did, and climate change, drought, and booming populations just make them worse, or at least more spectacular to the media.

Land use issues include wildfires, oil & gas drilling, water rights, wildlife management, and a host of others. As Freudenthal said this morning, the states have been cooperating on these issues for a long time, but "there's no federal partner. With this administration, the only resources they want to maximize are oil and gas."

They're maximizing them at a heady rate, with new wells going in daily in sensitive environments around the West. Oil companies are anticipating a change in the regulations with the November elections. Those changes may be huge.

Brokaw asked about V.P. Dick Cheney, who lives in Jackson Hole. Do his low approval numbers nationally hold true in Wyoming?

"Wyoming people ask, 'What happened to Dick Cheney?' " said Freudenthal. He noted that Cheney had a strong reputation as an able state legislator and U.S. Congressional rep. "His standing has declined in Wyoming," he added.

Cheney's not exactly persona non grata -- this is his home state -- but when he returns, he's not exactly treated like a homeboy hero. He's shuttled from place to place in armor-plated vehicles surrounded by Secret Service. Last week in Casper, he dropped in out of the sky to a Republican fund-raiser and then was whisked away back to his secret bunker somewhere in D.C. He comes with all the security trappings of a Third World dictator.

But Thermopolis-born-and-raised Freudenthal, more a native son than Cheney who was born in Nebraska, knows that political realities can change over time. "We'll end up being proud of Dick Cheney," he told Brokaw.

I've never been proud of Cheney and his Neanderthal politics. But Freudenthal is in this for the long haul. As he noted earlier in the interview, the state is 67 percent Republican and the last Democrat Wyoming voted for in a presidential race was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Freudental received a lot of Republican votes in his two election runs and he'll also need those votes if he ever runs for the U.S. House or Senate. Don't know if he will, but who can tell?

Freudenthal supports "Post 9-11 G.I. Bill"

It's great to see that Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal is one of the 23 governors signing a May 15 letter to the U.S. Senate urging the passage of the "Post-9/11 G.I. Bill." Today, the House of Represenatives passed the bill 256-166, with Wyoming's lone rep, Barbara Cubin, voting against it. The bill now goes on to the Senate, where it appears that Wyoming's Mike Enzi and John Barrasso will join their Republicans colleagues and vote against it. C'mon, guys. Do you have more loyalty to your party bosses than you do to the troops? We'll keep track of the votes and report them here.

Vietnam veteran and author Sen. James Webb of Virginia is the impetus for this legislation. He gathered a lot of supporters along the way, but he's the one who got the ball rolling.

For more info, go to the site of Irag and Afghanistan Veterans of America at http://www.iava.org/ or the G.I. Bill site at http://www.gibill2008.org/.

Meditations in Green, May 4-10, 2008

Green is the color of insanity. Not sure why, but that’s what it said in the handout distributed today at the Children's Mental Health Awareness Week luncheon in Cheyenne.

In the 1800s, the color green was used to brand people who were labeled "insane." The children’s mental health community decided to continue using the color green, but with a different focus. Green signifies new life, new growth and new beginnings.

We wore green ribbons. Green balloons flanked the entrance to the luncheon. Green flowers graced the tables. Most of us – or our children – have struggled with mental illness. I never related green to my own depression – or vice versa. My son had teen bouts with drugs and alcohol and spent a year in a treatment center. My teen daughter battles depression and has also done time in a treatment center. My wife Chris and I used to wonder "why us?" – until we met all kinds of people with the same problems. Mental health problems are as ubiquitous as health problems. Families are just as likely to experience depression or bipolar disorder or schizophrenia as they are diabetes and cancer. Thing is, you can talk about your skin cancer, but it’s hard to openly discuss how hard it is living inside your own skin.

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal spoke at the luncheon. Life is difficult and complicated in the 21st century, he said, even in the least populous state in the union. Growing up outside post-war Thermopolis was idyllic, even with seven siblings and the limited budget of a farm family. People took care of one another. Ministers and teachers and the local sheriff could step into bad situations and make a difference. But there was at least one bad thing about the good old days -- people didn't discuss their deranged Uncle Bill or the kid in sixth grade who rocked back and forth all day. These days, we talk about the mentally ill amongst us, and we take strides to assist them. We have the dragon on the run, he said, but we can't beat the dragon until we all start working together. That was a message for all the nonprofits and government entities in the room. Share your resources and pull in the same direction. This is one of our toughest tasks. Too often we guard our territory at the expense of those who need help.

I work in the arts world, but volunteer as a board member for UPLIFT of Wyoming (sponsor of the luncheon) and serve on the Governor's Mental Health Council. Arts organizations fall prey to the same territoriality. None of us are the better for it.

So, here's some background on this huge issue:

The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health again declares the first full week in May, May 4-10, 2008 as National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. The National Federation would like to invite all of its local chapters and statewide organizations to use this week to promote awareness about children’s mental health. Join the national office in sending the following messages:

Mental Health is essential to overall health and well being; serious emotional and mental health disorders in children and youth are real and treatable; children and youth with mental health challenges and their families deserve access to services and supports that are family driven, youth guided and culturally appropriate; stigma associated with mental illness should no longer exist.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For my header, I borrowed the title of Stephen Wright's excellent 1983 novel, "Meditations in Green," once out of print but recently reissued by Vintage Contemporaries. It has a lot to say about sanity and insanity as it relates to drug abuse, the Vietnam War, and over-the-top human behavior. One of my favorite authors, Don DeLillo, described the book this way: "Precisely that brutal hallucination we desperately wanted to end."

Tickets still available to Dem bash in Mont.

The Associated Press reports this:

Tickets to the Democratic Party's annual Harry S. Truman Dinner next week in Billings remain available, but if you buy one, don't expect a meal.

The party says tickets to the dinner featuring remarks by former President Clinton and Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal are sold out. Bleacher seats remain available, however. The price is $40.

The event May 10 will be in the gymnasium at Montana State University-Billings. Yellowstone County Democratic Party Chairman Ray Tracy says the gym holds about 3,700 people.

Clinton's appearance is part of the presidential campaign by wife Hillary Clinton. Freudenthal will speak on behalf of her rival, Barack Obama.

Obama addresses clean coal at Mont. event

This morning's AP story about the Barack Obama rally Saturday in Missoula opened this way:

Democrat Barack Obama said Saturday he supports environmentally-sound ways to use coal and promised to appoint a high-level adviser on Indian issues if elected president.

Obama acknowledged his support of clean-energy technology might worry voters in a region that produces lots of coal.

"I know Montana's a coal state. My home state, Illinois, is a coal state, but we've got to make sure that we are investing in technologies that capture carbon because we can't sustain the planet the way that we're doing it right now," Obama said, speaking to 8,000 people at a college arena. "Look at this incredible landscape around you. We've got to pass that on."

Sen. Obama said basically the same thing during his speech in Laramie March 7. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal was in the audience, and it probably pleased him that Obama was speaking about issues important to the West. He has since endorsed Obama for president. We're still trying to figure out cost-effective technology to remove greenhouse gases from coal-burning plants. Let's face it -- we have plenty of coal to burn and just need a crash program to clean or sequester or otherwise render emissions harmless (or a lot less so).

Sen. Obama also talked about other issues important to us dwellers of the Rocky Mountain states. Personal freedoms, for one, and Native American issues, for another. He also talked about his plans to end the Iraq War once he takes office. He can't do that soon enough.

The question remains: can Obama win in MT-UT-ID-WY? He has a much better chance than Hillary, but I fear that the Republicans may take Independents with them into the McBush -- I mean McCain -- camp come November.

Gov. Freudenthal endorses Sen. Obama

It's not exactly breaking news, but Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president. Freudenthal is a Democrat, one of a long line of Dem govs in this Republican-dominated state, our only statewide elected official with a "D" by his name. The blue-and-white bumper stickers for his 2006 reelection campaign read "Gov Dave." Chalk that up to his long last name which would gobble up valuable truck bumper space. It's also folksier, an even more valuable commodity in Wyoming.

Gov Dave said that he talked with both Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton during their March swings through the state. He was impressed with Obama's grasp of energy and environmental issues. He has witheld his endorsement as a superdelegate for what he said was a lack of attention to Western issues by the candidates.

There's a bigger issue at stake, as the Governor said at yesterday's news conference:

"The overriding consideration is my belief that Senator Obama constitutes the one candidate in the race who possesses the skills the take this country away from the sort of vicious partisanship and anger that characterizes everything that goes on in Washington, D.C., and has led to essentially a paralysis in this country."

He's the third of five Wyoming superdelegates to declare for Obama.

Carbon sequestration bills become law

Brodie Farquhar wrote a fine wyofile piece yesterday on carbon sequestration legislation that included an interview with Gov. Dave Freudenthal. Read the entire story at http://www.wyofile.com/carbon_capture_sequestration_pore_ownership.htm. Here’s an excerpt:

Tuesday, Gov. Freudenthal plans to sign House Bill 90/HEA 25 (carbon capture and sequestration) and House Bill 89/HEA 18 (ownership of subsurface pore space) at noon in the Capitol Rotunda. The two bills will put Wyoming out in front of all the other states and in front of federal regulations expected from the Environmental Protection Agency this summer. Basically, HB 90 charges the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality with regulating "geologic sequestration" of CO2. Companion bill HB 89 mandates that the surface owner owns below-ground "pore space" in which CO2 might be stored.

Whatever rules and regulations the EPA or Congress may yet come up with, Gov. Freudenthal said he’s confident that Wyoming is headed in the right direction. That confidence was buttressed by a long conversation he had last week with John Bruton, the European Union ambassador to the United States. Europe sees carbon capture and sequestration as an essential element for energy and global warming policies, said the governor.