Legislative Actions:

• I cosponsored Senator Debbie Fischer’s (R-NE) joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act on the EPA’s new rule requiring more stringent emissions standards on new heavy-duty trucks.
  • When you increase the cost of a new heavy-duty truck, you end up increasing the prices that people in Wyoming pay for essential goods. This overly burdensome rule from the EPA would cause incredible harm to not only the trucking industry but our supply chain as a whole.
• I joined Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in sending a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) highlighting the challenges veterans face when seeking mammogram services, which are key medical examinations that help detect early signs of breast cancer.
  • The rural nature of Wyoming creates challenges for veterans trying to access needed services like mammograms and examinations that catch early signs of breast cancer. These services are not always available in-house at many VA medical providers to begin with, causing patients to travel even further for essential care. In our letter, we called on the VA to update us on its plans to increase the number of mobile mammography units across the country.
• I cosponsored Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) No Coyote Cash Act which expressly criminalizes the act of providing payments to human smugglers, also known as “coyotes” when the funds are intended to assist with unlawful entry into the United States.
  • Though Wyoming is not a border state, Interstate 80 is a major corridor for human trafficking and drug smuggling. It is important that law enforcement have every possible tool at their disposal to protect our citizens against the increase in human trafficking and drug smuggling.
    

The story of Wyoming’s grizzly bears is one of triumph and recovery. When the grizzly was placed on the endangered species list in 1975, the species had been almost entirely wiped out. Just 136 grizzlies roamed the forests of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Today, the Greater Yellowstone grizzly community has reached more than 1,000. Not only have their numbers skyrocketed, but they are now migrating into residential and farming areas, posing a threat to humans and livestock. For this reason, Senator John Barrasso, Governor Mark Gordon and I have announced our support for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) removal of grizzly bears from the endangered species list. Science supports their full recovery, and it's time that control over their management returns to state wildlife scientists so we can continue to facilitate the safety of our hunters, hikers and ranchers as well as the bears themselves.

News Around Wyoming:

Wyoming saw population influx from Colorado during pandemic, data shows
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Data from the early pandemic years shows that more people migrated into Wyoming than left the state, and most came to the Equality State from Colorado.

An influx of people from the Front Range means potential new businesses and additional workforce, but also puts a strain on the Capital City’s already stretched-thin housing market, experts say.

Uh-Oh, Although Pine Beetle Threat Has Subsided, Two More Insects Could Wreak Havoc On Wyo Trees
Cowboy State Daily
Wyoming’s forests were hit in the 2010s with an epidemic of the mountain pine beetle, which left vast swaths of dead trees.

Wyoming wasn’t alone. Throughout the Pacific Northwest, the beetle took out around 45 million acres of pine forest. With rising average temperatures, the pest remains a major threat.

U.S. Senators move again to protect Devils Tower name
The Sundance Times
U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso have resubmitted a bill that would protect the name of Devils Tower National Monument.

The bill, which was introduced on January 22 and has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, would designate the monument as “Devils Tower” and commands that it shall be referred to as such in any law, map, regulation, document, paper or record.