TRANSMISSION, STIMULUS FUNDING FOCUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - At a news conference on March 27, 2009, Gov. Dave Freudenthal and State Lands Director Lynne Boomgaarden discussed Wyoming’s expected share of federal economic stimulus funding and the state’s newly launched Web site, found at: http://wyoming.gov/recovery.

Boomgaarden chairs the state’s Recovery and Reinvestment team which is charged with overseeing the state’s response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  

Earlier this month, Boomgaarden attended a stimulus meeting in Washington, D.C. with 49 other states where she said the reporting and accountability of stimulus funds were key issues.

“The theme that both the President and Vice President repeated is this federal economic stimulus program is unprecedented," she said. "They could not have stressed more strongly their commitment to transparency and accountability. President Obama said if the money is misspent, ‘We’ll call it out and we’ll publicize it.’”

Boomgaarden said information about how and when stimulus funding will come to the State of Wyoming varies greatly depending on the program. While some funding has already reached the state, other funding streams will not become available for months.

The Governor said he continues to have concerns about accepting stimulus funds that would be inconsistent with Wyoming’s established programs and policies.  

“I look at it as, we gain all the information we can, which Lynne and this group work really hard at," he said. "And then we look at it and say, ‘Does this fit with us?’ If it fits with our priorities , we take it, if it doesn’t; some other state can use it. I don’t feel obligated to spend it just because it’s available.”

The Governor also discussed a trip to Washington D.C. this week where he met with key federal officials including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and several Congressional energy and natural resources leaders.   

“We spent a fair amount of time in conversations related to transmission," he said. "The Western Area Power Administration was given $3.25 billion under the stimulus for support of transmission lines with a particular emphasis on transmission lines that relate to renewable fuels.”

The Governor said he urged federal officials to establish an organizational plan for the multiple power lines being planned for Wyoming and other Western states in order to reduce the impact on the environment and on landowners.

“My goal is to move the maximum number of megawatts out of Wyoming with the least amount of disturbance and the least amount, frankly, of taking either private land or public land,” he said. 

In discussing the need for building ‘right-sized’ transmission lines, the governor compared the effort to the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950s. While the interstates may have been underused at first, he said they were built with a clear awareness of future demand. He said a similar sense is needed today with respect to transmission lines.

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