By Steve McManamen

Wyoming’s energy industry and private landowner’s rights were targeted as key topics by Wyoming’s congressional delegation Saturday. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and Rep. Cynthia Lummis spoke to members of the Stock Growers Association during the Wyoming Cattle Convention and Trade show at Cam-plex.

Here’s what they had to say:

- Sen. John Barrasso: He said President Barack Obama is misleading people on energy.

“Sure we need the renewables and we need to be efficient in how we use our energy, but we need the oil, gas, coal and the uranium for nuclear power,” Barrasso said. “We need it all, and we have it all.”

Barrasso said the Obama administration wants to make “green energy” the cheapest form of energy by raising taxes on other forms of energy like coal. Issues going through federal energy committees now have a lot to do with wind energy and transmission lines in Wyoming.

“I’m in the middle of a fight with the chairman of the energy commission … a disagreement about the issue of the use of eminent domain,” Barrasso said.

Barrasso told the association he has an amendment to a bill concerning transmission lines that says if more than a certain percent of your state is owned by the federal government, then eminent domain shouldn’t be used. Instead government land should be used for those transmission lines. Under the proposed amendment, Wyoming would qualify.

- Sen. Mike Enzi: He talked about issues he is working on, including a bill that got some heat from one speaker at the convention.

The bill would stop years of unfair and manipulative meat packer practices that negatively impact ranchers and farmers, according to a May 20 press release from Enzi’s office.

“The speaker yesterday that talked down my bill was using a previous version,” Enzi said. “Not the one we worked with to get amendments. I’m very sensitive when anybody talks down my bill.”

A representative of the National Cattleman’s Association apparently used a version of the bill that was defeated two years ago. “I think if we get everybody together we can pass this,” Enzi said. “In spite of the tremendous lobby against it.” Enzi spoke about stopping Washington, D.C., from getting a vote in Congress. The measure has passed the U.S. Senate, but is held up in the House.

“If we don’t stop the D.C. voting train then our vote gets diluted,” Enzi said.

- Rep. Cynthia Lummis: She said the wild horses and burros act would create single species sanctuaries for horses on public lands.

Lummis said the bill would elevate the status of horses above all other species that use public lands.

“(We) tried to amend it rather than try to fight it out of fear that it would pass,” Lummis said. “We were successful in getting two amendments onto that bill.” The two amendments would make sure something could be done if the horses had a negative impact on the grass resource or other species.

source: Gillette News Record