Showing posts with label Wyoming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wyoming. Show all posts

Friday, August 28, 2015

[VIDEO] Wyoming man files suit over massive EPA fines for building pond

A rancher is taking the Environmental Protection Agency to federal court, asking a judge to stop the agency from fining him more than $16 million because he built a small pond on his property. 
Andy Johnson of Fort Bridger, Wyoming says he made sure to get the proper permits from his state government before building the pond. After all, this is America in the 21st century, and nothing done on your own property -- certainly when it involves the use of water -- is beyond government concern. 
Johnson is facing millions in fines from the federal government after the EPA determined his small pond -- technically a "stock pond" to provide better access to water for animals on his ranch -- is somehow violating the federal Clean Water Act. 
"We went through all the hoops that the state of Wyoming required, and I'm proud of what we built," Johnson said. "The EPA ignored all that." 
In a compliance order, the EPA told Johnson he had to return his property -- under federal oversight -- to conditions before the stock pond was built. When he refused to comply, the EPA tagged Johnson with a fines of $37,000 per day. 
Dismantling the pond within the 30-day window the EPA originally gave him was "physically impossible," Johnson said. 
That was in 2012. Today, Johnson owes the federal government more than $16 million, and the amount is growing as he tries to fight back. 
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court on Thursday, lawyers representing Johnson argue the EPA overstepped its authority by fining the rancher. 

Friday, July 17, 2015

Federal Judge Block’s Obama’s New Fracking Rules

In a legal setback for the Obama administration's environmental agenda, a federal judge in Wyoming sided with the Attorney Generals of Colorado, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming,  temporarily blocking implementation of the administration’s regulations for hydraulic fracturing on federal land, hours before they were set to take effect. 

On June 23, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a preliminary stay to Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) planned June 24th launch of the administration’s first major rewrite of fracking regulations on energy companies that lease federal land. 

Oil-and-natural-gas-heavy Colorado, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, sued to stop the rule, along with did two industry associations. 

In remarks, presiding Judge Scott Skavdahl said the stay was necessary to give the federal government more time to explain how it developed the rule and how it considered public comments. 

“It is too important an issue” for a quick ruling, Skavdahl said. 

Associations, States, Applaud Decision

Kathleen Sgamma, vice president of government affairs at the Western Energy Alliance, one of the two industry associations which sued to stop the rule, issued a statement saying, “BLM was ill-prepared to implement an extremely complex rule in a short period of time. We highlighted how the BLM Washington office has not given sufficient guidance to the state and field offices that are implementing the rule, and as a result they were issuing confused instructions to companies on how to comply. 

Sgamma continued, “The judge agreed that it makes no sense to implement an ill-conceived rule which could ultimately be overruled in court.” 
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R) applauded Skavdahl’s decision on Twitter, saying, “We appreciate the court is taking its time to carefully consider this important decision.” 
Lawsuits were filed challenging the new rule within an hour of the BLM publishing them in  March. 

The standards addressed well construction, wastewater storage and fracking chemical disclosure.

The four states involved in the suit argued their own fracking regulations are sufficiently protective of public health and the environment and ought to supersede federal rules.
The Interior Department indicated it will comply with the judge’s order while considering its next step. 

BLM, Congress Reviewing Next Steps

The Hill (6/23/15) reported, Interior Department spokeswoman Jessica Kershaw said, "The BLM is consulting with the Office of the Solicitor and the Department of Justice about the decision of the U.S. District Court in Wyoming to temporarily stay implementation of the hydraulic fracturing rule. While the matter is being resolved, the BLM will follow the court's order and will continue to process applications for permit to drill and inspect well sites under its pre-existing regulations.” 

Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, told the June 24, Denver Business Journal, “We are pleased the court agreed that the new BLM regulations present serious and difficult questions that justified a stay of these rules’ effective date." 

"We believe these rules intrude on Colorado’s sovereign right to responsibly and safely regulate the oil and gas industry within our borders," said Coffman. 

Judge Skavdahl required the federal government to provide documents necessary for him to rule more fully on the injunction by July 22.

In the meantime, the Senate Interior Department appropriations bill, passed out of committee, would rescind the new federal standards and instead require the BLM to defer to state fracking regulations.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Enzi: ICBM Cuts 'Naive and Short-Sighted'

Image: Enzi: ICBM Cuts 'Naive and Short-Sighted'Cutting the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile capability would be "naïve and short-sighted," said Wyoming Republican Sen. Mike Enzi.

"America’s ICBM force is a visible reminder that America is prepared to protect itself and its allies from any nation that wishes to harm us," said Enzi,  who co-founded and chairs the Senate's bipartisan ICBM Coalition. "This administration’s tendency to arbitrarily and unilaterally reduce our nuclear force only increases threats to our national security."

Enzi has introduced two amendments to protect ICBMs. The first, supported by all members of the coalition, would prohibit the Defense Department from removing ballistic missile silos containing a deployed missile, and requires missiles to be kept at least in a "warm" status. 

The second, co-sponsored by fellow Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso and North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, both Republicans, calls for any further reductions in the nation's nuclear force to be made through the formal treaty-making process outlined in the Constitution.

The moves come as protests stack up against plans by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to  conduct an environmental-impact study on the possible elimination of ICBM silos. 

A timeline prepared by Hagel's office would eliminate one unidentified ICBM squadron and destroy its silos by Dec. 5, 2017, reports The Washington Free Beacon,  in order to "meet the New START Treaty compliance date." 

According to the timeline, the military would start removing the missiles in October, after the proposed environmental assessment is finished. After that, the silo elimination would start in May 2016, taking 19 months to finish, The Beacon reports.

Via: Newsmax


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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Report: NY, NJ, CA Worst Business Tax Climates


CNSNews.com) -- Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nevada, in that order, have the "business-friendliest" tax climates, according the Tax Foundation in its report, the 2013 State Business Tax Climate Index, which was released today.
Those three states held the same top three  “business-friendliest” rankings as last year, according to the Tax Foundation.
The 2013 State Business Tax Climate Index measures the components of an individual state's tax system, such as the corporate tax index, individual tax index, Sales Tax Rank, unemployment insurance tax rank, and property tax rank.
Six states are tied for first in the individual tax index rank. However, three states –Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nevada – ranked first, second, and third respectively in the “overall” business tax climate index category. The top ten rankings in that “overall” category are as follows:
  1. Wyoming
  2. South Dakota
  3. Nevada
  4. Alaska
  5. Florida
  6. Washington
  7. New Hampshire
  8. Montana
  9. Texas
  10. Utah
At the bottom of the list were New York (50th), New Jersey (49th), and California (48th).

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