Governor Mead Praises Energy Executive Order
Wyoming Governor Matt Mead is speaking out in favor of an executive order issued by President Trump on Tuesday calling for energy independence.
The order directs the Environmental Protection Agency to review a Clean Power Plan backed by former President Barack Obama to fight climate change and to review all rules hampering domestic energy production It will also rescind a moratorium on coal mining on federal lands in the United States.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the governor said the Clean Power Plan "shut down many research opportunities." The governor also said Wyoming wants to be a leader in both coal production and research on alternative uses for coal.
Governor Mead also invited the Trump Administration to involve Wyoming in developing strategies for energy production.
In recent years Wyoming's coal industry has slumped badly. Many state residents blame what they say is a federal "war on coal" in the form of environmental regulations that discourage the use of coal.
Supporters of the regulations argue the burning of coal is a major cause of ''greenhouse gasses" which they say are to blame for global warming and climate change.