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August 14th, 2015

Aaron Schrank

Listen to the full show here.

Pope's Environmental Message Can Be Challenging For Coal Country Catholics

Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment is getting a thorough reading here in Wyoming—the country’s top coal-producing state. The letter presents a moral framework for approaching issues like global climate change. As Wyoming Public Radio’s Aaron Schrank reports, it’s a difficult subject for Catholics in the Cowboy State.   

Congress Is Hoping To Debate An Energy Bill

Congress hasn’t passed an energy bill since 2007, but a bill is winding its way through Congress that has the chance of becoming law. Matt Laslo reports from Washington that while the bill is attracting support from Republicans and Democrats, no one is completely happy with it.

Governor Mead Advocates Moving Beyond Climate Debate

Energy has always been an important topic in Wyoming, but it’s increasingly becoming an important global conversation, especially in the context of climate change. Wyoming, as the second-largest energy producing state in the nation, is central to that conversation. Decisions made today will likely affect the state and the country for years and decades to come. In an interview with Wyoming Public Radio’s energy reporter Stephanie Joyce, Governor Matt Mead started by saying he thinks it’s time to move past the debate about climate change.

Advocate Pushes For A Statewide Conversation On Elderly Issues

In Laramie the Eppson Center for Seniors is looking at how it should operate in the future. Lynne Simpson is overseeing that effort. She says the kinds of discussion surrounding independent living that’s taking place in Laramie should occur throughout Wyoming. 

Outdoor Groups Wade Into Debate Over Downgrade Of Mountain Stream Quality

The phrase “mountain streams” usually comes with the word “pristine” in front of it. But here in Wyoming, some outdoor recreation groups are saying…not for long. That’s because last year, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality downgraded the status of about 87-thousand miles of small creeks and drainages in the state’s high country. For years, these streams have been considered primary recreation…that means they could be used for swimming and the DEQ would clean them up even if a small amount of e. coli was found in them. But now the DEQ has re-classified them as secondary, which would allow five times more of the bacteria before they’d get cleaned up. Wyoming Public Radio’s Melodie Edwards took some kids up into the Snowy Range near Laramie in search of some of these downgraded streams.

Gillette, A Town Built On Coal, Contemplates Its Future

The coal industry in other parts of the country has fallen on hard times in recent years... but the Powder River Basin has been left largely unscathed. The mines around Gillette produce almost 40 percent of the nation’s coal, supplying power plants in 32 states.

But under the Obama administration’s new regulations for carbon emissions from power plants… demand for coal is expected to plummet. Even so, as Wyoming Public Radio’s Stephanie Joyce reports, Gillette isn’t giving up on its black gold anytime soon.

A Decade After Scandal, Wyoming Is Once Again A Hotspot For Business Formation

Almost ten years ago Wyoming came under intense political and media scrutiny for its lax standards for setting up businesses. That made the state a hotspot for fake businesses known as “shell companies.”  In response, the state tightened its regulations. Things slowed down for a while, But as Wyoming Public Radio’s Miles Bryan reports, the business of business formation is booming once again.

A Laramie Ultra-Marathoner Finds Peace In Running

Lots of people like to run and many have chosen to run marathons. But not that many have decided to run beyond that. One such person is gearing up for an upcoming 100 mile race that she’s running for the second time. Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck profiles a mother, a health care professional, and ultra-marathoner. 

Bob Beck retired from Wyoming Public Media after serving as News Director of Wyoming Public Radio for 34 years. During his time as News Director WPR has won over 100 national, regional and state news awards.
Based on Capitol Hill, Matt Laslo is a reporter who has been covering campaigns and every aspect of federal policy since 2006. While he has filed stories for NPR and more than 40 of its affiliates, he has also written for Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Campaigns and Elections Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Guardian, The Omaha World-Herald, VICE News and Washingtonian Magazine.
Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.