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THE STATE OF WYOMING HAS FILED A CIVIL LAWSUIT THAT CONTENDS THE SINCLAIR REFINERY IN EVANSVILLE REPEATEDLY RELEASED EXCESS AMOUNTS OF TOXIC HYDROGEN SULFIDE.

THE LAWSUIT FILED IN NATRONA COUNTY DISTRICT COURT BY THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE SAYS THE VIOLATIONS OF THE WYOMING ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT OCCURRED FROM JANUARY THROUGH MARCH IN 2016.

THE STATE IS ASKING THE COURT TO FIND THAT SINCLAIR VIOLATED THE EPA RULE ABOUT MONITORING HYDROGEN SULFIDE EMISSIONS, ORDER IT TO COMPLY WITH THE RULE, PAY A CIVIL PENALTY UP TO THE MAXIMUM OF $10,000 FOR EACH DAY OF VIOLATION, AND MITIGATE PAST EXCESS EMISSIONS OF SULFUR DIOXIDE.

WHEN INCINERATED IN A FLARE, HYDROGEN SULFIDE CREATES SULFUR DIOXIDE, A RAPIDLY-DIFFUSING REACTIVE GAS THAT IS CAN HAVE HARMFUL HEALTH EFFECTS ON PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING RESPIRATORY DISEASE OR GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO RESPIRATORY DISEASE.

THE GAS ALSO CAN AFFECT YOUNG CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY, PEOPLE WHO SPEND A LOT OF TIME OUTSIDE, PEOPLE WHO HAVE INCREASED VENTILATION RATES, AND PEOPLE WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE.

ATTORNEYS FOR THE STATE AND SINCLAIR OIL CORPORATION DECLINED TO COMMENT.

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OFFICIALS IN CAMPBELL COUNTY ARE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHY SOME OF THE NORTHEAST WYOMING COUNTY'S EMERGENCY WARNING SIRENS DIDN'T GO OFF WHEN FOUR TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN LAST WEEK NEAR GILLETTE.
SEVEN HOMES WERE DESTROYED AND 12 OTHERS DAMAGED BY THE TORNADOES LAST FRIDAY.

THERE WERE REPORTS THAT TWO PEOPLE RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES.
CAMPBELL COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR DAVID KING TOLD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS THAT ALL THE COMMANDS WERE CODED AND ENTERED CORRECTLY AND THAT THE SIRENS SHOULD HAVE WORKED.

KING SAID THE FAILURE OF THE SIREN SYSTEM DEMONSTRATES THE NEED FOR NEVER RELYING ON ONE SINGLE WARNING SYSTEM.

HE RECOMMENDED PEOPLE LOOK INTO GETTING SMARTPHONE APPS, ADDING THAT MANY PEOPLE WERE SUCCESSFULLY WARNED BY THOSE APPS.
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CASPER POLICE ON MONDAY RESPONDED AFTER A TWO-YEAR-OLD CHILD FELL OUT A FOUR-STORY WINDOW.

THE CHILD WAS TAKEN FROM THE SCENE BY EMS. THE CHILD'S CONDITION WAS UNKNOWN AS OF TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

LT. RYAN DABNEY OF THE CASPER POLICE DEPARTMENT SAID HE COULD NOT RELEASE FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE EXTENT OF THE CHILD'S INJURIES.

LISTED AS A 'TRAUMATIC INJURY' CALL, THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED AT ROUGHLY 10:40 A.M. MONDAY AT A LOCATION IN THE AREA OF PAY IT FORWARD DRIVE.

DABNEY SAID POLICE ALWAYS INVESTIGATE IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT WITH NO CRIMINAL ELEMENT.

TWO POLICE UNITS RESPONDED ALONG WITH CASPER FIRE-EMS AND AN AMBULANCE.
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THE SAGE GROUSE POPULATION IN NORTHWEST WYOMING'S JACKSON HOLE REGION HAS DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY THIS YEAR.

BUT GAME AND FISH SAGE GROUSE PROGRAM COORDINATOR TOM CHRISTIANSEN SAYS THE DECLINES ARE WITHIN THE NORMAL RANGE OF VARIABILITY FOR SAGE GROUSE IN THE REGION.

PARK OFFICIALS AND VOLUNTEER MEMBERS OF THE UPPER SNAKE RIVER BASIN SAGE GROUSE WORKING GROUP MONITORED NINE LEKS THIS SPRING, INCLUDING SEVEN IN GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK.

AT GRAND TETON BREEDING LEKS, THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF MALES OBSERVED ON ANY GIVEN DAY WAS 81. THAT IS DOWN FROM 136 LAST YEAR.

THE BIGGEST DECLINE IN MALE SAGE GROUSE WAS AT THE AREA'S LARGEST LEK WHERE THIS YEAR'S HIGHEST COUNT WAS 28 MALE BIRDS, COMPARED WITH 76 LAST YEAR.
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WYOMING WILDLIFE RESEARCHERS HAVE DETECTED THE FUNGUS THAT CAUSES WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME IN BATS.

THE FINDING OF THE FUNGUS AT THE FORT LARAMIE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE IN GOSHEN COUNTY IS THE FIRST IN THE STATE.

BUT OFFICIALS SAY THE DISCOVERY DOES NOT MEAN THE BAT FOUND WITH FUNGUS HAS WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME.

THE BAT WITH THE FUNGUS WAS CAPTURED ON MAY 16 DURING SURVEYS BY FIELD BIOLOGISTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING WHO WERE WORKING IN A PROJECT FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE FOR WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME SURVEILLANCE AND RESPONSE.

FURTHER TESTING IS UNDERWAY ON FORT LARAMIE BATS TO CONFIRM IF THEY HAVE WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME.

WYOMING AND THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ARE IMPLEMENTING STATE AND NATIONAL RESPONSE PLANS, WHICH INCLUDE MORE MONITORING AND LIMITING ACCESS TO SITES WHERE BATS ROOST AND HIBERNATE.

 

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