Governor: No Word Back Yet [AUDIO]

Wyoming’s governor took questions from the media on Thursday in another press conference for the state’s chief executive. Gov. Matt Mead, when asked if he had heard anything about the letter he sent to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the governor said he hadn’t.

Mead gave Secretary Salazar the benefit of the doubt, saying he realizes the secretary must get a lot of mail, but Mead said his concern about a secretarial order to designate public land as wild lands hasn’t lessened; in fact, others have joined Mead in opposition to the push for wild land designation.

Growing opposition:

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“The Wyoming County Commissioners have joined and have passed a resolution saying the Association strongly opposes Secretarial Order 3310. And, I appreciate the support of the County Commissioners. They share my concerns about that Order.”

Gov. Mead also defended his funding recommendations for highways and local governments, which the Legislature acknowledged in the Joint Appropriations Committee, but not with the budgetary support the governor had proposed.

Funding local governments:

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“I think the investment in Wyoming, in our towns and our counties, is a good investment because I have faith in our towns and our counties. This is a good time to do it when so many states are struggling; we can do infrastructure projects for less money because the cost of labor and the cost of materials is cheaper.”