Wyoming leaders say the state's energy-based economy is suffering under recent Obama administration environmental initiatives.
Republican Gov. Matt Mead plans to testify next week in Cheyenne against a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal to restrict emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Mead says the rule will cost Wyoming's five coal-fired power plants about $1 billion initially and perhaps $100 million a year thereafter. He says implementing the regulations won't affect haze.
Mead and other Wyoming officials also say they're concerned about recent cuts to federal mineral royalty payments and abandoned mine land funding.
But some others say they see a clear connection between fossil fuels and global warming and say Wyoming needs to find other ways to develop its resources.
