Wyoming Gov. Mead unveils energy policy blueprint

Gov. Matt Mead is leading a Republican governors’ charge to propose a federal energy policy, and on Wednesday he presented highlights of the plan to the public. The policy calls for state control of the energy industry to be prioritized, an increase in energy production and a reversal of several measures supported by the Obama administration, especially relating to fossil fuels. Mead said an effective energy policy would limit time for environmental impact reviews of projects to a year. The Republican governors’ plan also calls for a cost assessment of policies proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA formally disapproved of Wyoming’s regional plan to control haze, a pollutant produced by burning coal. Mead said the governors’ plan would establish clear guidelines for the review process. Among the projects supported in the plan are the Keystone XL pipeline project — delayed by the president earlier this year — and “responsible development” of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge...more