Latest news with #Wyomingite
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Yellowstone grizzly managers — dispersed, reduced by DOGE — shine little light on delisting battle
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team fit a grizzly bear with a radio collar in 2016. Once a bear is radio collared, biologists can track its movements with telemetry. (Photo courtesy of the United States Geological Survey) This story was first published by WyoFile on May 2, 2025. CODY — Two days of discussion about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's grizzly population passed before anyone inquired about the status of the species the meeting was focused on. Under a court order in January, the Biden administration's Fish and Wildlife Service proposed continuing with Endangered Species Act protections in the Yellowstone region and all other portions of the Lower 48 where grizzlies reside. Shortly thereafter, pro-delisting leadership was installed by the Trump administration: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Brian Nesvik, a former Wyoming Game and Fish Department director who's now nominated to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For months, there's been little official word about what's going on with Fish and Wildlife's proposal, though the agency delayed the deadline for the public to provide feedback. In Cody this week, the topic was barely broached at the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee's semi-annual Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee meeting. It only came up because a member of the public, local resident Dewey Vanderhoff, asked 'where we're at in the overall picture with delisting' during the meeting's closing minutes. Matt Gould, the new leader of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, presents an update about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's population of bruins at a spring 2025 meeting in Cody. (Mike Koshmrl/WyoFile) Hilary Cooley, Fish and Wildlife's grizzly bear recovery coordinator, pointed out the proposal on the table — and said she couldn't say much more. 'As far as what happens with that proposal, we're waiting for leadership to be installed,' Cooley said. 'Acting leadership is not interested in making decisions right now.' As of Friday, 27 pending nominees appeared above Nesvik on the U.S. Senate's Executive Calendar, which suggests the wait could drag on. The Trump administration also appointed another Wyomingite — mule deer advocate Josh Coursey — to a high Fish and Wildlife Service post, albeit one that doesn't require Senate confirmation. Even if expected Fish and Wildlife Service leaders don't attempt to pull back the existing continued-listing proposal administratively, legislative efforts are underway to delist grizzly bears, including from U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming. DOGE impacts work of Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team The gathering of Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear managers in Cody differed from typical meetings because of the turmoil and turnover the Trump administration has brought to the federal government via its Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. Most federal members of the committee attended remotely due to travel and spending restrictions. There were also new faces, goodbyes and discussion about what the diminished Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team can realistically accomplish going forward. 'One way or another, the USGS is not going to have the resources they've had in the past,' Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Administrator Ken McDonald told the group. 'At the November meeting, we better have a plan for the following spring.' Biologist Matt Gould, the study team's new leader, told the group that, despite changes in capacity, the committee's science arm will continue with grizzly monitoring, data collection and administering the new population model to assess bear numbers — last estimated at 1,050 in the ecosystem's core. Wyoming Game and Fish Department Chief Warden Dan Smith presents longtime Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team leader Frank van Manen with a plaque commemorating a career devoted to grizzly bear recovery. (Mike Koshmrl/WyoFile) The Cody meeting was the last as a full-time employee for Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team Leader Frank van Manen. The longtime federal biologist retired earlier than expected, though he is staying involved in an emeritus role. He helmed the group for 13 years. 'I know there are some challenges ahead, but keep up the good fight,' van Manen told the group. 'This endeavor has been successful for 50 years, for a good reason: Agencies working together.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gordon signs Religious Freedom Restoration Act bill into law
CHEYENNE — Wyoming joined 28 other states in passing its own state-level Religious Freedom Restoration Act after Gov. Mark Gordon signed House Bill 207 on Thursday. After Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 1993, a U.S. Supreme Court decision later found it violated the Constitution as it extended to the state and local levels. In City of Boerne v. Flores, the high court decided Congress could not create a religious exemption that would be generally applicable to state and local laws. Since this decision, 28 states have passed RFRA laws, and nine other states have effectively done so through their court systems. House Bill 207, primarily sponsored by Rep. Art Washut, R-Casper, protects religious exercise and observance by people, including corporations, from state government interference. The bill prevents state action from 'burdening' a person's ability to exercise their freedom of religion, including state laws with general applicability. An exemption is made for a state law where there is proven 'compelling governmental interest' that is pursued in the least-restrictive way possible. Washut previously told House Judiciary Committee members the purpose of the bill is to change the standard a judge uses to evaluate cases regarding religious freedom. The Senate added two amendments to the bill after it crossed over unamended from the House of Representatives. A standing committee amendment passed during the first floor reading in the Senate aligns definitions in the bill with the federal RFRA and other, similar state acts. Sen. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo (2025) Sen. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo 'This bill is really about process, and process only,' said Sen. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo. 'It ensures every Wyomingite, regardless of their belief system or political power or understanding, receives a fair hearing when the government seeks to force that person to violate his or her religious beliefs.' Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander (2025) Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, who voted against the bill, asked how far a person could go in claiming religious interference, such as being required to take a vaccine. Crago referred to the test provision in the bill, where the state must prove it has compelling interest and is furthering that interest in the least-restrictive way possible. 'That's up to the courts to decide,' Crago said. Sen. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne (2025) Sen. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne Sen. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, also noted in the bill that the belief must be a 'sincerely held religious belief.' The point of the bill, Crago concluded, is to give people a better standing in court when they feel their religious exercise or belief has been violated by the state government. 'We're not picking winners and losers,' Crago said. 'We're just giving folks their fair day in court.' The heart of the bill, he said, provides declaratory and injunctive relief to those who feel their religious rights have been violated. Crago successfully added an amendment that removed language regarding civil actions and unlimited damages. Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne (2025) Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne Majority Floor Leader Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, who strongly supported Crago's amendment, said she counted 19 bills at that time that eliminated governmental immunity and authorized 'unlimited financial damages to government entities related to non-negligent actions of the government.' 'If you are concerned about any other funding of government, you should be concerned about that trend,' Nethercott said. The bill is effective July 1.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Wyoming lawmakers override veto on law requiring ultrasound for pill abortions
Women trying to get the abortion pill in Wyoming now need to undergo an ultrasound after state lawmakers overrode the governor's earlier veto of a bill requiring the procedure. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) vetoed the 'Chemical abortions-ultrasound requirement' bill earlier this week citing concerns over its invasive nature and the bill's lack of exceptions for victims of rape or incest. 'It creates the prospect of an unnecessary, intimate, and invasive procedure (transvaginal ultrasound) which subjects women to an uncomfortable and potentially traumatic experience in what may already be a very overwhelming situation,' Gordon wrote in a letter to Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman (R), the bill's main sponsor. Under the bill, women seeking to end a pregnancy using abortion medication need to receive a transvaginal ultrasound at least 48 hours before receiving the necessary pills. During the procedure, a health care provider inserts a device called a transducer into the vagina to record images of the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. State senators voted to override Gordon's veto of the bill in a 22-9 vote on Wednesday following a House vote in which members voted 45-16 to do the same. Wyoming became the first state to try to outlaw abortion medication in 2023, but both surgical and chemical abortions remain legal as multiple bans on the procedure remain tangled in court. There are 10 other states that require an abortion provider to perform an ultrasound on a person seeking an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Among those states, eight require the provider to offer patients the chance to look at the image of their ultrasound. Reproductive rights advocates in the state called the move by the Legislature 'cruel.' 'We are saddened so many legislators lack empathy for women seeking abortion care and fundamental respect for women's decision-making ability,' Christine Lichtenfels, executive director of the reproductive access nonprofit Chelsea's Fund, said in a statement. 'Chelsea's Fund is already challenging this unconstitutional, unnecessary and demeaning bill in court, and stands ready to help every Wyomingite who needs assistance accessing abortion care,' she added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
06-03-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Wyoming lawmakers override veto on law requiring ultrasound for pill abortions
Women trying to get the abortion pill in Wyoming now need to undergo an ultrasound after state lawmakers overrode the governor's earlier veto of a bill requiring the procedure. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) vetoed the 'Chemical abortions-ultrasound requirement' bill earlier this week citing concerns over its invasive nature and the bill's lack of exceptions for victims of rape or incest. 'It creates the prospect of an unnecessary, intimate, and invasive procedure (transvaginal ultrasound) which subjects women to an uncomfortable and potentially traumatic experience in what may already be a very overwhelming situation,' Gordon wrote in a letter to Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman (R), the bill's main sponsor. Under the bill, women seeking to end a pregnancy using abortion medication need to receive a transvaginal ultrasound at least 48 hours before receiving the necessary pills. During the procedure, a health care provider inserts a device called a transducer into the vagina to record images of the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. State senators voted to override Gordon's veto of the bill in a 22-9 vote on Wednesday following a House vote in which members voted 45-16 to do the same. Wyoming became the first state to try to outlaw abortion medication in 2023, but both surgical and chemical abortions remain legal as multiple bans on the procedure remain tangled in court. There are 10 other states that require an abortion provider to perform an ultrasound on a person seeking an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Among those states, eight require the provider to offer patients the chance to look at the image of their ultrasound. Reproductive rights advocates in the state called the move by the Legislature 'cruel.' 'We are saddened so many legislators lack empathy for women seeking abortion care and fundamental respect for women's decision-making ability,' Christine Lichtenfels, executive director of the reproductive access nonprofit Chelsea's Fund, said in a statement. 'Chelsea's Fund is already challenging this unconstitutional, unnecessary and demeaning bill in court, and stands ready to help every Wyomingite who needs assistance accessing abortion care,' she added.
The Hill
28-02-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Wyoming adds new regulations for abortion clinics
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) signed a new bill into law regulating surgical abortions in the state. Gordon signed House Bill 42 late Thursday night which adds 'additional safety requirements' to surgical abortion facilities in Wyoming while the state's 'the state's abortion prohibition is being considered by the Wyoming Supreme Court,' according to a statement from his office. Abortion is currently legal in Wyoming until fetal viability after a years-long battle in the state to restrict access. Anti-abortion advocates and some Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation seeking to ban the procedure. Under the new law, the state's only clinic offering surgical abortions — Wellspring Health Access — will need to be licensed as an ambulatory surgical center before it can perform the procedure again. It also requires clinics that perform at least one abortion a year to have a physician with admitting privileges to a hospital located within 10 miles of the clinic. Physicians must also report each surgical abortion to the Wyoming Department of Health. 'Make no mistake—this law directly targets our clinic with the explicit goal of forcing us out of business,' President of Wellspring Health Access Julie Burkhart said in a statement. 'By doing so, it limits healthcare options, increases costs, and puts countless individuals at risk.' Wellspring added in its statement that the law is 'blatantly unconstitutional' and interferes with Wyomingite's ability to 'freely exercise their constitutional right to seek health care as they see fit. Wellspring has since filed a lawsuit challenging the newly enacted law. 'The newly approved Criminal TRAP Laws will strip Wyoming women and their families of their fundamental rights,' the lawsuit reads. '…[they] attempt to indirectly ban abortion by regulating Wyoming women and abortion providers…' The lawsuit also seeks to challenge another piece of legislation on its way to the governor — House Bill 64 — which requires women in the state to undergo an ultrasound within 48 hours before receiving the drugs needed for a medication abortion. Under the bill, pregnant women will receive an ultrasound to provide them with the chance to 'view the fetal heart motion' or to 'hear the heartbeat' of the fetus.
