Coming Together to Help Northwest Wyoming

Coming Together to Help Northwest Wyoming

Just as the busy summer tourism season was kicking off in Wyoming, disaster struck last weekend when a massive landslide caused a section of Highway 22 to crumble down the mountain in what can only be described as a catastrophic failure. The natural disaster threatens the livelihood of thousands of workers and local businesses in the northwest corner of the state.

Wyoming’s booming tourism industry depends on workers accessing the Teton Pass to meet peak season demands. While the natural disaster is a setback, I could not be prouder of the way Wyoming has come together and sprang into action.

On Monday, Senator John Barrasso and I hosted our monthly telephone townhall where we were joined by Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) Director Darin Westby who provided an update on the tremendous work being done to create a temporary detour and ultimately repair and reopen Highway 22.

I also led a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg alongside U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Representatives Harriet Hageman (R-WY) and Mike Simpson (R-ID) urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide necessary federal assistance to WYDOT as it works to repair Teton Pass.

I want to thank the engineers and hardworking men and women of WYDOT for all they have done and will continue to do to repair Highway 22. Thanks to their hard work, early reports are that a detour could be constructed within a matter of weeks.

I will continue to work with our state, local and federal partners to help facilitate a timely repair and ensure disruptions to businesses, workers and tourists are minimal.

Happy Trails,

Senator Lummis' Week in Pictures

Wyoming will soon be home to the most advanced nuclear reactor in the world.

Welcome to the Cowboy State, TerraPower.

No better way to spend a day than with my fellow ranchers at the Wyoming Stock Growers Association.

These hardworking men and women put food on the table for households across the country.

I was honored to celebrate legendary Wyoming State Senator Hank Coe by attending the dedication of the "Senator Hank Coe Terminal" at Yellowstone Regional Airport.

I was proud to call Hank a dear friend, and I am thrilled to see him honored in his beloved hometown of Cody. And it is always a treat to see the legendary Senator Al and Ann Simpson!

It was great to speak with the Wyoming Mining Association about the importance of boosting domestic mining.

We cannot allow the Biden admin to stifle Wyoming miners and increase our dependence on China.

Legislative Actions

I joined U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) in introducing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Accountability Act which seeks to make the agency accountable to the people of Wyoming by requiring its funding be appropriated by Congress, as is the case for other executive branch agencies.

Currently, the Federal Reserve is required to provide the funding the CFPB requests within certain limits, a highly unusual arrangement that allows the CFPB to avoid fiscal accountability.

President Biden has created a bloated government that is a regulatory nightmare, and it is time for some accountability.

It is time to subject the CFPB to the appropriations process like other federal agencies to ensure it is transparent and accountable.

Working for Wyoming

I grilled U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams during an Environmental and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing on the agency’s failure to respond to Wyoming’s grizzly bear delisting petition and its blatant overreach on wolf management.

I questioned Director Williams about the agency’s unlawful delay in responding to the State of Wyoming’s petition to establish grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem as a distinct population segment and remove them from the endangered species list.

I also questioned the wisdom of the agency’s hiring of a third-party “mediator” to discuss how wolves and people can coexist while simultaneously establishing a “National Recovery Plan” for wolves already under state jurisdiction.

Last month, I led Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in introducing Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions to overturn the Biden administration’s reversal of key reforms to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by the Trump administration that increased stakeholder engagement, defined critical habitat and ensured species recovery plans were effective.

Click here to watch my remarks.

Grant Information

The U.S. Department of Transportation has opened $50,000,000 in funding for Fiscal Year 2024 Stage 1 Smart Grants. This program prioritizes planning, prototyping and collaboration to advance public sector data and technology projects.

Eligible applicants include states, political subdivisions of states, federally recognized tribal governments, public transit agencies, public toll authorities and metro planning associations.

To find out if you are eligible and to learn more click here.

Wyoming Shoutout

Congratulations to Gannett Peak Elementary second grade teacher Toni Hudson, Star Valley Middle School teacher Scott Milne and Cheyenne Central High School teacher Bryce Strampe for being selected as the Wyoming Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Teachers of the Year.

They will now be considered for national teacher of the year by the VFW.

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, and good luck in the national competition!

Photo courtesy of County 10.