Gov. Mead responds to various issues in State of the State

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead addressed Wyoming legislators in his annual state of the state address Wednesday in Cheyenne. Here are the issues Mead stressed in his speech.

Coal

Mead says he will continue to fight with “bulldog determination” for the future of coal. He says he has never seen an onslaught against a single industry like President Barack Obama’s administration’s anti-coal agenda.

Wyoming is the nation’s largest coal-producing state but demand for coal has been sagging in recent years in the face of tough new federal power plant regulations and cheaper natural gas.

Mead says he intends to press for access to ocean ports to allow export of Wyoming coal overseas. Wyoming and Montana are both appealing a recent decision by the state of Oregon rejecting an energy company’s proposal to build a coal terminal on the Columbia River.

Medicaid

Mead says Wyoming must act to address the Medicaid expansion issue.

Expanding Medicaid is a cornerstone of the federal Affordable Care Act.

Mead in the past has opposed expanding the Medicaid program to offer insurance to some 17,000 low-income adults. He has said he doesn’t trust federal promises to continue to pay most of the cost of expansion.

The Legislature repeatedly has rejected expansion proposals in the past.

But Mead told lawmakers on Wednesday that the state is losing money to other states by rejecting the program while sticking hospitals with the cost of uncompensated care.

Water

Water is Wyoming’s most important resource, and the state needs to take steps to safeguard its supplies from downstream demands, said Mead.

He says his administration is working on a statewide water policy that should be released soon. He says the strategy will call for building 10 small reservoirs over the next ten years in addition to other projects.

Mead in his supplemental budget request to lawmakers for this legislative session is asking for an additional $18.6 million to fund water projects.

Savings

Mead is calling on Wyoming lawmakers to formulate a plan for how to handle the state’s roughly $2 billion rainy day fund.

He is asking legislators to approve an additional $156 million in spending on top of the two-year budget the state passed last year. He hasn’t specified where the money should come from, but says spending on state infrastructure can be the best investment.

Mead says he wants lawmakers to specify what the state’s $2 billion reserve fund will be used for.

Many lawmakers are concerned Wyoming’s energy revenues will take a hit as a result of the recent world-wide decline in oil prices.