Officials Ask To Ease Hiring Rules For Supervisor

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — The interim state oil and gas supervisor says the qualifications for the post should be loosened.

Bob King told a state legislative committee on Tuesday that the position need not be filled by a professionally licensed geologist or engineer, as mandated by state statute.

King says most of the work he's done in his interim term and previously as supervisor of the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission was administrative. The commission is the state's leading oil and gas regulatory body.

He says that the commission already has engineers and geologists on its staff.

The Associated Press reports  that King says only about six or seven of about 25 people applying for the job met state qualifications.

The lawmakers took no action.