Wyoming

Gordon Vetoes Bill To Deregulate Mining Over Casper Gravel Pit Amendments

Published

1 month ago

March 18, 2024

Gordon Vetoes Bill To Deregulate Mining Over Casper Gravel Pit Amendments

Calling it a threat to Wyoming’s ability to generate mining revenue on state lands, Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a bill Monday that would have allowed certain mining operations to have less state regulation.

Gordon said he supported Senate Enrolled Act 62 as originally written, but that amendments added to the bill would have given local counties authority over state lands.

“Ultimately, the flaws of Enrolled Act No. 62 as it has arrived on my desk outweigh its benefits,” Gordon writes in his veto letter.

Senate File 44 was designed to reduce regulation on non-coal mining operations in Wyoming. The bill also intended to address existing bonding deficiencies for issuing permits for limited mining operations (LMOs) by updating bonding requirements to take into account inflation and other withdrawals from reclamation funds.

LMOs in Wyoming are now limited to various kinds of sand, gravel and rock quarries operating on 15 acres of land or less. SF 44 would have expanded that to all non-coal minerals including rare earths, essentially making it easier for small-scale energy operations to meet the lower regulation criteria offered for LMOs, and easier to make a transition to full permitting if they chose to expand in the future.

State Rep. Donald Burkhart, R-Rawlins, chairman of the House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, said he was disappointed by the governor’s veto of his committee’s bill, but also saw some legitimacy to it. He said the amendments added to the bill took away from its original purpose.

“I’m disappointed, but there were some legitimate legal issues that he raised,” Burkhart said.

If the bill had passed, the only requirements needed to begin mining from the state would be that the operator receive permission to mine from the landowner and notify the Department of Environmental Quality and the inspector of mines within the Department of Workforce Services where they would be mining.

But Burkhart said an amendment added to the bill by Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, on its third reading in the House altered the bill so that it gave counties some control over state mining and thus primacy over state lands.

“Which you can’t have,” Burkhart said.

Casper Gravel Pit

There were a number of late amendments made to the bill specifically targeting development of an exploratory license that had been previously granted for a contentious gravel pit located on state lands southwest of Casper.

These amendments were added for the purpose of stopping further development of an exploratory license for the gravel pit.

Gordon said these amendments would have done nothing to resolve the gravel pit situation.

“Statutory changes are not the proper place to address specific concerns for individual operations,” Gordon wrote in his veto letter. “While Wyoming seeks to manage her state lands cooperatively with counties and their land use plans, the state is not constrained by them. State lands and minerals are important to our state’s economic well-being and need to be treated the same as other lands in the state.”

Other Consequences

Gordon said the bill also would have had constitutional consequences as to how state lands are managed, and limited Wyoming’s ability to generate revenue from state lands and take management and decision-making authority away from the state.

The bill would have implemented an increased setback requirement of 500 feet on state lands and a new requirement for counties to review and issue conditional use permits. LMOs on private or federal lands only have to adhere to a 300-foot requirement, so Gordon said requiring the additional 200-foot setback for state land mining would make it uncompetitive.

“State lands and minerals are important to our state’s economic well-being and need to be treated the same as other lands in the state,” Gordon writes.

Burkhart said the Minerals Committee will take the bill back up during the upcoming interim session.

Five Bills Signed Into Law

Gordon also signed five bills into law Monday.

Senate Enrolled Act 36 will help Wyoming judges freeze passports and issue other orders to block child abductions by parents or guardians.
Senate Enrolled Act 36 will authorize natural or adoptive parents or legal guardians to change a minor child’s name without giving public notice of the name change.
Senate Enrolled Act 44 will amend the Wyoming Stable Token Act to allow for investments in cash and government securities, and authorize the Wyoming Stable Token Commission to issue different types and amounts of stable tokens and to contract with financial service providers.
Senate Enrolled Act 45 will provide an exception to special district bond elections for improvement and service districts and water and sewer districts.
Senate Enrolled Act 31 provides a process by which special districts that have been required to dissolve for audit report noncompliance may reinstate the special district or stop the dissolution.

Leo Wolfson can be reached at Leo@CowboyStateDaily.com.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Man Who Saved Family From Burning House Awarded Nation's Highest Heroism Award

Published

6 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Press Room

Wyoming Man Who Saved Family From Burning House Awarded Nation's Highest Heroism Award

Most people would like to think they’d act as Ryan Pasborg did Feb. 1, 2022, when he rushed into a burning Green River home to save a mother and her child stuck inside, but it’s impossible to know until faced with that situation.

Pasborg’s life has changed a lot since that fateful day, receiving a Carnegie Medal — the nation’s highest civilian honor for heroism — and a new job and career as a result of his heroic actions that day.

On Saturday night, Pasborg was awarded his Carnegie Medal by Gov. Mark Gordon at the Governor’s Mansion in Cheyenne.

As Gordon presented Pasborg the award, the Rock Springs resident’s eyes welled up.

“I never thought it would happen,” Pasborg explained to Cowboy State Daily after the presentation. “I never believed it would go as far as this.”

Gordon said the “One Wyoming” slogan used by the University of Wyoming reminds him of Pasborg, whose sacrifice and heroism epitomizes the state’s hardy culture and dedication to the Code of the West.

“Here, we can count on heroes like Ryan,” Gordon said. “We get a toughness and a grit from our shared experiences, from our weather and from a oneness in looking out for each other.”

Gordon also presented Pasborg with a Wyoming State Challenge Coin, which is given to all Wyoming National Guardsmen and those who have done remarkable acts in the Cowboy State.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, from left, Karmin Pace, Ryan Pasborg and Pace-O-Matic founder and Chairman Michael Pace at the Governor’s Mansion in Cheyenne on April 27, 2024, to present Pasborg with the Carnegie Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor for heroism. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)
Gov. Mark Gordon, right, meets Stephanie Wadsworth and her son, Weston, and the rest of their family at the Governor’s Mansion in Cheyenne on April 27, 2024. Stephanie and Weston were pulled out of a burning trailer the morning of Feb. 1, 2022, by local resident Ryan Pasborg. The family and Pasborg were in Cheyenne to receive his Carnegie Medal. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)
Ryan Pasborg, right, receives the Carnegie Medal from Gov. Mark Gordon on April 27, 2024, at the Governor’s Mansion in Cheyenne. The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor for heroism. He saved a mother and her young son from a burning trailer on his way to work the morning of Feb. 1, 2022. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)

New Opportunities

Pasborg was unemployed in December when it was announced he was awarded the Carnegie Medal. He had recently been laid off from his job as an oil field worker while on medical leave for a benign tumor.

Pace-O-Matic, a software company that creates Cowboy Skill games, knew Pasborg from honoring him at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 2022.

When representatives from the company learned he was unemployed, they instantly knew that’s the type of person they want on their team and offered him a job.

“He fits right into what Pace-O-Matic does,” said Paul Goldean, president and CEO. “It’s about caring for your community, it’s about taking that extra step, doing those things that most people are never faced with doing.”

These words mean a little more considering that Goldean served five years as a special ops Army Ranger.

“For him to do what he did is of the utmost caliber of person from my experience,” he said.

The deep sense of selflessness and character Pasborg showed is also a necessary trait in the gaming industry, said Pace-O-Matic founder and Chairman Michael Pace.

“We’re in an industry full of crooks, and we’re not,” he said. “That’s why we’re fighting all the time to distinguish ourselves, and we thought who better to help do that?”

Karma Comes Around

Pasborg had been offered a new job on the oil field shortly before Pace-O-Matic made their offer, but his pastor gave him a message that he should never work in the oil fields again.

Pasborg said if it weren’t for that guidance, he might have turned down the Pace-O-Matic opportunity.

Pasborg had no past experience relevant to his new job, but that doesn’t matter to Goldean, who said his high sense of character makes him easy to teach, adding that he’s doing a great job.

The company flew Pasborg out to the company’s headquarters in Georgia for training, where Goldean said it felt like Pasborg was hiring Pace-O-Matic, not the other way around.

In his role, Pasborg represents the company and its machines throughout Wyoming. It’s a job, Goldean said, that requires working with little guidance, but heaps of local knowledge.

“We needed someone in Wyoming, and we found someone special in Wyoming,” Goldean said.

Pasborg said it’s a job that’s changed his life. He now plans to retire with the company.

“It’s a dream,” he said. “They’re amazing people.”

Ryan Pasborg ran into this burning house to save a Green River woman and her son. (Courtesy Photo)
Ryan Pasborg ran into this burning house to save a Green River woman and her son. (Courtesy Photo)
Ryan Pasborg with his boys. (Courtesy Photo)
Ryan Pasborg was honored by the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office after saving a woman and her child from a burning trailer. He’s now also been recognized with the Carnegie Medal, North America’s highest civilian honor for heroism. (Courtesy Photo)

Role Model

Pasborg said he expects his three children to act just as he did in 2022 if presented with a similar situation, when he crawled on his hands and knees to rescue Stephanie Wadsworth and her 4-year-old son Weston from the burning home, both of whom were unconscious.

Wadsworth and Weston also were at Saturday’s award presentation to see their personal hero be recognized.

“It’s amazing, we wouldn’t be here without him,” she said.

Whether it’s being polite to strangers or holding doors, what matters to Pasborg is taking the extra step to help out others.

“I raise my kids the same exact way,” he said. “I teach my kids how I was raised. That’s a family thing that will be passed down forever.”

When he showed his son Braxton the Carnegie Medal, Braxton remarked, “That’s awesome,” to which Pasborg gave him a big hug.

Pure Instinct

Pasborg said it was pure instinct and adrenaline that kicked in when he made his rescue on Feb. 1, 2022. He has no memory of any thoughts he had during the rescue.

Pasborg was already late for work that day, but when he saw the flames shoot up from the home and no fire trucks in the area, Pasborg said he knew had to stop and help the three little children – still in their pajamas – who he saw fleeing from the home.

When they told him their mom and little brother were still inside, Pasborg bolted through the kitchen door and into the burning structure.

He couldn’t see anything because of the thick smoke, so Pasborg said he had to crawl until he felt the child’s legs. He grabbed the boy and took him outside. Worried about the subzero temperatures, Pasborg put all of the children in his truck to stay warm.

He then went back into the burning home and found the mother on the floor badly burned and unconscious.

After rescuing her from the house, Pasborg performed CPR on Wadsworth and then drove her and her children to emergency responders.

When Pasborg’s son Braxton heard the news about what his father had done, he said he couldn’t believe it.

“I thought he was lying,” he said.

Weston said he couldn’t believe it either. And now, the young man says he’s certain he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.

Pasborg said he plans to keep in touch with the Wadsworths for the rest of his life, and their families plan to go camping together this summer.

Pasborg is one of the first Wyomingites to be recognized by the Carnegie Hero Fund. In March, it was announced that Evanston native Kendell Cummings will be awarded a Carnegie Medal for his role in saving a wrestling teammate who was being attacked by a grizzly bear in 2022.

Contact Leo Wolfson at leo@cowboystatedaily.com

Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

PhotoFest! Wyoming Track Classic

Published

14 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Press Room

The Wyoming Track Classic was held on Thursday at the Harry Geldien Stadium in Casper with cool, cloudy but calm conditions. A pair of WTC records were broken as Taliah Morris of Cheyenne East set a new mark in the long jump at 19-7.25 and Thunder Basin’s Bradley Ekstrom set the new standard in the 400 in 48.12. The bad news from the meet was Natrona’s Kaiden Lee suffered a broken ankle and ligament damage in the high jump. He won the event at 6-6 and was going for 6-8 when he got hurt. The senior had the state’s best marks this season in both the high jump and the long jump.

Here is the list of the top 2 finishers in each event:

Girls:

100 Meters:

1. Brooklyn Asmus-Torrington 12.40

2. Desirae Iacovetto-Wheatland 12.61

200 Meters:

1. Taliah Morris-Cheyenne East 24.60

2. Brooklyn Aumus-Torrington 25.02

400 Meters:

1. Lainey Berrybill-Laramie 56.10

2. Cherise Douzenis-Worland 57.32

800 Meters:

1. Ada Nelson-Cody 2.15.76

2. Ashley Gross-Natrona 2.18.53

1600 Meters:

1. Ada Nelson-Cody 5.06.50

2. Nicole Clark-Natrona 5.21.90

3200 Meters:

1. Maggie Madsen-Cheyenne East 11.10.64

1. Ally Wheeler- Natrona 11.22.44

100 Hurdles:

1. Addison Alley-Riverton 15.07

2. Carly Norman-Buffalo 15.10

300 Hurdles:

1. Paisley Hollingshead-Lander 45.57

2. Lillie Kirkham-Cody 46.32

High Jump:

1. Sarah McNiven-Burlington 5-3

2. Ashley Rogge-Thunder Basin 5-1

Long Jump:

1. Taliah Morris-Cheyenne East 19-7.25

2. Lily Nichols-Wheatland 17-5.25

Triple Jump:

1. Karson Tempel-Cheyenne Central 30-00.24

2. Nadia Burnett-Cheyenne East 35-9.25

Pole Vault:

1. Ava Andrews-Rock Springs 11-0

2. Isabelle Paddock-Cody 10-6

Shot-Put:

1. Teagan Becker-Kelly Walsh 42-10

2. Adelyn Anderson-Lander 42-3

Discus:

1. Brynn Sybrant-Natrona 128-4

2. Teagen Becker-Kelly Walsh 126-0

Boys

100 Meters:

1. Gavin Stafford-Big Horn 10.80

2. Tegan Krause-Cheyenne Central 11.04

200 Meters:

1. Carson Lundberg-Natrona 22.09

1. Bridger Norton-Thunder Basin 22.09

400 Meters:

1. Bradley Ekstrom-Thunder Basin 48.12

2. Flynn Arnold-Laramie-48.46

800 Meters:

1. Jonah Rigg-Cheyenne Central 1.55.15

2. Kalel Brubaker-Natrona 1.55.75

1600 Meters:

1. Race Morrell-Cheyenne Central 4.22.33

2. Trevor Schmidt-Cheyenne Central 4.22.76

3200 Meters:

1. Lucas Steveson-Cheyenne East 9.49.80

2. Davian Spoonhunter-Riverton 9.54.12

110 Hurdles:

1. Caleb Ortberg-Kelly Walsh 14.91

2. Shawn Basart-Cheyenne Central 15.31

300 Hurdles:

1. Caleb Ortberg-Kelly Walsh 39.36

2. Shawn Basart-Cheyenne Central 39.74

High Jump:

1. Kaiden Lee-Natrona 6-6

2. Josh Coleman-Natrona 6-4

Long Jump:

1. Gavin Stafford-Big Horn 23-0

2. Landon Walker-Kelly Walsh 22-5.25

Triple Jump:

1. Landon Walker-Kelly Walsh 46-9.75

2. Matthew Newman-Lovell 43-10.75

Pole Vault:

1. Maddix Blazovich-Rock Springs 15-6

2. Kavin Hoff-Natrona 15-6

3. Nicholas Lewis-Cheyenne Central 15-6

Shot-Put:

1. Quade Jordan-Encampment 56-8

2. Tyler Bennick-Torrington 55-7.75

Discus:

1. Tegan Seeds-Douglas 159-3

2. Logan Class-Cody 153-6

We have a large collection of photos from the Wyoming Track Classic Courtesy of Shannon Dutcher and WyoPreps. You can view those in our gallery below. Enjoy!