Wyoming
Gubernatorial Candidate Brent Bien Outlines Conservative Platform at Rock Springs Meet and Greet – SweetwaterNOW
ROCK SPRINGS — Retired Marine Corps Col. Brent Bien brought his second campaign for Wyoming governor to Sweetwater County April 1 and 2. He outlined a sweeping conservative platform that calls for eliminating residential property taxes, abandoning electronic voting machines, halting wind energy expansion and overhauling public education.
Bien, a University of Wyoming engineering graduate and combat veteran, told the crowd he first entered the race after Gov. Mark Gordon shut down the state during the COVID-19 pandemic and the legislature failed to act during a subsequent special election.
“This was never a bucket list thing for me,” Bien said. “But I do understand the value and worth of our freedom, an I am willing to go to the mat for it.”
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Taxes and Spending
Bien argued Wyoming has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and called for the states first full budget audit since 1989. He proposed eliminating the residential property tax, cutting fuel tax, and reducing the sales tax by 1%. He estimated the total combined reduction at roughly $1.1 billion annually.
He said Wyoming’s approximately $34 billion in reserves generate nearly $1.9 billion in interest annually. Bien said that the interest alone is enough to cover essential services without touching the principal.
“Everybody in here deserves to know the final resting place of every tax dollar.” he said.
Energy
Bien is sharply critical of what he described as production restrictions under the current administration, saying Wyoming oil output has fallen between 65% and 70% and mining activity has dropped 18% under Gordon. He pledged to streamline permitting for oil, gas and coal development and said he would oppose all new wind energy projects in the state.
“My answer is unequivocally no,” he said of new wind proposals.”I’ll do everything to stop all that.”
He also called for eliminating carbon capture subsides and said he wants to reorient Wyoming’s energy policy back toward the industries he said build the state, coal, oil, gas and trona mining.
Elections
Bien said he would not vote to certify a Wyoming election so long as the state uses electronic tabulation machines. He said the official vote should be determined exclusively by hand tabulation of all cast paper ballots.
“It’s the government’s job to gain the trust of the citizenry, not the other way around,” he said.
Public Lands and Agriculture
Bien raised concerns over what he called the rewilding of Wyoming, describing biodiversity conservation contracts that pay ranchers to take land out of agricultural production under nondisclosure agreements. He identified Fremont County as a focal point of those efforts.
He said he would defend Wyoming’s water rights, oppose surrendering additional allocations under an expected renegotiation of the Colorado River Compact and push for wolves to be delisted so Wyoming hunters can manage predator populations without outside intervention.
Education
Bien said Wyoming spends roughly $22,000 per student annually, about twice neighboring Idaho, yet produces test scores he called unacceptable. He called for a full audit of education spending, reinstatement of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools by executive order and elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion curricula. He also said he wants daily physical education required through the senior year of high school.
“Until we’re number one in this nation, we should never accept anything less,” he said.
The annual Wyoming-Montana All-Star basketball series celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer. The State of Wyoming released its rosters for the 2026 event, which is on Friday, June 12, at the Pronghorn Center in Gillette. The series will move to Lockwood High School in Billings, MT, on Saturday, June 13. The girls’ games will start at 5 p.m., followed by the boys’ games at 7 p.m. both nights.
WYOMING ALL-STAR BASKETBALL PLAYERS 2026
This year is the 50th for the boys’ series and the 29th for the annual girls’ series. They did not play in 2020. The Wyoming girls broke a 16-game losing streak against Montana in 2025 after an 81-75 victory in Billings. Montana holds a 42-14 advantage in the series. In the boys’ series, Montana swept the Wyoming boys last summer, 102-90 and 98-73. They lead the all-time series, 69-29.
The Wyoming girls’ squad is highlighted by all-state award winners and five college commitments. The boys’ roster features players who earned multiple all-state honors, and four players have already committed to playing basketball at the collegiate level.
As the 50th anniversary approaches, organizers are preparing a series of commemorative events to celebrate the legacy of this historic rivalry and showcase the incredible talent of Wyoming’s young basketball stars.
Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps
Wyoming-Montana All-Star Basketball Series Girls Recap 2025
Wyoming-Montana All-Star Basketball Series Boys Recap 2025
Wyoming-Montana All-Star Basketball Preview 2025
Wyoming Rosters for Wyoming-Montana All-Star BB Series 2025
WYOMING-MONTANA GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAMES 2024
WYOMING GIRLS ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAME INTERVIEWS 2024
WYOMING-MONTANA BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAMES 2024
WYOMING BOYS ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAME INTERVIEWS 2024
WYOMING-MONTANA ALL-STAR BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2024
3A-4A Wyoming HS Girls Basketball All-State 2026
3A-4A Wyoming HS Boys Basketball All-State 2026
1A-2A Wyoming HS Boys Basketball All-State 2026
3A-4A Wyoming HS Boys Basketball All-Conference 2026
1A-2A Wyoming HS Boys Basketball All-Conference 2026
3A-4A Wyoming HS Girls Basketball All-Conference Players in 2026
1A-2A Wyoming HS Girls Basketball All-Conference Players in 2026
WyoPreps 3A-4A Girls State Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls State Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps 3A-4A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps 1A-2A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026
The 2026 rosters feature 10 girls and 10 boys
Wyoming Girls Roster:
Elizabeth Needham – Cheyenne Central (signed with LCCC for basketball)
Cashlynn Haws – Cheyenne East (will serve a mission in the Philippines)
Sydney Simone – Cody (signed with Carroll College for volleyball)
Erica Wilson – Pinedale (signed with Northwest College for basketball)
Camryn Wagner – Sheridan (attending Univ. of Utah)
Jaylin Mills – Sundance (signed with Northwest College – basketball & volleyball)
Ashtyn Ketchum – Thunder Basin (attending UW)
Reece McGrath – Thunder Basin (attending UW)
Addy Rouse – Thunder Basin (attending Nova Southeastern Univ.)
Chaney Reish – Tongue River (signed with Northwest College – basketball & volleyball)
Wyoming Boys Roster:
Jack Andela – Campbell County (signed at Carroll College for basketball)
Collin Roberts – Douglas (signed with Northwest College for basketball)
Carter Alvar – Kelly Walsh
Mason Eager – Kelly Walsh
Owen Walker – Lovell (serving a mission)
Gavin Patik – Natrona County
Nate Miner – Sheridan (signed with Rocky Mountain College)
Cooper Lancaster – Star Valley
Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (signed at Gillette College)
Trypp Burtsfield – Thunder Basin
Six of the eight state championship teams during the 2026 high school season are represented on the girls’ and boys’ teams. On the girls’ roster, 4A champ Cheyenne East, 3A champ Cody, and 2A champ Sundance have players involved. For the boys, it’s 4A champ Sheridan, 3A winner Lovell, and 2A champ Thermopolis.
Nine of the 10 Wyoming girls selected earned all-state awards during the 2026 high school season, and four of them will be playing collegiate basketball this fall. One will be playing volleyball. Eight of the ten Wyoming boys chosen also received all-state honors earlier this year. One more was named all-conference.
Wyoming’s head coaches in 2026 are Liz Lewis (Women’s Team) and Shawn Neary (Men’s Team). They are the current head coaches at Gillette College. Lewis led the Pronghorns to a 24-11 record in the 2025-26 season. They won the Region IX Women’s Basketball Postseason Tournament and reached the NJCAA DI Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. Neary guided the Gillette men to a 13-15 record in the 2026 season.
Wyoming-Montana Girls All-Star Basketball
Wyoming-Montana Girls All-Star Basketball
Gallery Credit: Frank Gambino
Wyoming-Montana Boys All-Star Basketball
Wyoming-Montana Boys All-Star Basketball
Gallery Credit: Frank Gambino
Australia-based American Rare Earths, which operates a US subsidiary called Wyoming Rare, has advanced the pilot plant program for its Halleck Creek Project in Wyoming to produce a high-purity separated rare earth oxide.
The company has signed agreements for initial processing to be done in Wyoming through Western Research Institute in Laramie and DISA Technologies in Casper, followed by a final stage of hydrometallurgical processing and oxide separation at the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) in Saskatoon, Canada.
The pilot plant program has been structured in three stages. The first two stages, milling and sizing followed by mineral separation and concentration, will take place in Wyoming. SRC will handle leaching, impurity removal and oxide refining in the third stage.
This will allow the front end of the pilot plant processing to stay in Wyoming, as it will process ore that has already been extracted from the American Rare Earths Halleck Creek site and stockpiled in Laramie. It will then leverage the downstream facility at SRC to accelerate production, the company said.
The pilot plant will use DISA’s patented high-pressure slurry ablation (HPSA) technology to handle coarser particle sizes and then use the GradePro reflux classifier and induced roll magnetic separators to perform primary mineral separation and secondary concentration.
The SRC facility has a similar process configuration to the type of downstream processing facility American Rare Earths intends to build in Wyoming. The company will use the data generated during the pilot campaign to further develop its plans for the commercial plant and mine.
“The pilot plant and production of pre-production rare earth oxide were previously expected to take several years. This defined pilot pathway now materially shortens the timeline and positions the Company to deliver outcomes within months,” said Mark Wall, CEO of American Rare Earths.
Source: American Rare Earths
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