Four-State Tour Gets Praise From Sponsors, Gop Leaders Environmental Groups Say Narrow Viewpoint Presented

Cattle rancher Frank Shepperson literally tipped his hat to congressional members touring the region for enacting policy changes to help small businesses like his.

The group - along with state legislators, county officials and land users also being shuttled around by the Western States Coalition - spent Friday touring a coal mine near Gillette, stopped off at an oil field and wrapped up the Wyoming leg of a four-state tour with a barbecue lunch at Shepperson’s ranch, about 40 miles north of Casper.

The tour concluded Saturday, after visits to West Yellowstone, Mont., and Yellowstone National Park.

Earlier, the group visited Utah, Idaho and Montana.

But it’s not clear if the coalition’s $250,000 investment will pay off.

The coalition, which is comprised of 3,000 elected officials from throughout the West, ultimately hopes to see the federal government turn over some of its responsibility to the states, according to WSC spokesman Mike Heatwole.

“We, the people who live on the lands, have a better understanding of how to run them,” he said.

On Friday, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and other top-ranking House Republicans were singing the praises of Wyoming and the trip - which gave industry officials unprecedented access to the political powerhouses.

After touring the Black Thunder Mine - the nation’s largest surface coal mine - House Majority Whip Tom DeLay said Wyoming serves as an example to the rest of the country because it has succeeded in developing a thriving economy without sacrificing the land or wildlife.

And Gingrich credited earlier presentations for helping the group develop a better understanding of appropriate forest management issues and a sense of the complexity involved in Western land issues.

“When we’re back in Washington and we’re on the floor in a debate and we’re talking at a personal level, these kind of conversations have a huge impact,” Gingrich said, adding that the image extremist groups convey doesn’t match what he has observed.

Environmental groups in several states have criticized the tour for failing to present differing viewpoints.

The executive director of the Wyoming Outdoor Council, Tom Throop, said he and other environmental advocates were disappointed the delegation wasn’t interested in listening to a breadth of interests.

Throop also doubted it would produce any federal policy changes.

“It’s really preaching to the choir,” Throop said. “The Western States Coalition - which is essentially a front for mineral, mining and energy interests - brought out people known to be conservative Republicans who are closely allied with the mineral, mining and energy industry.”

Heatwole said the coalition is under no obligation to invite environmental advocates to participate. And he said he considered the presentations fairly open and balanced.

By the time the group reached Shepperson’s ranch Friday, a charcoal-gray wall of clouds was closing in - leaving House Majority Leader Dick Armey and Wyoming House Speaker Bruce Henchy barely enough time for a quick horseback ride.

Trip organizers said the 67,000-acre property, which consists of a mix of leased public land and private holdings, was included in the tour to illustrate complications associated with land patterns in parts of the state.

Shepperson used the opportunity to commend the Republican-run Congress for backing changes to inheritance taxes, capital gains taxes, income averaging and the balanced budget amendment. He said those policy changes will ensure the future of the family business, which is now in its fifth generation.

The ranch lost $75,000 last year, but is poised to turn a profit thanks to GOP-backed policies, he said.

Shepperson said his operation requires 90 acres to graze one cow because of the poor quality of the leased lands.