Wyoming – As of this month, five states have passed a measure that uses gun rights as a way of repudiating federal authority. It's called the Firearms Freedom Act, and it says that firearms made, bought and held within a particular state are not subject to federal regulation. Governor Dave Freudenthal signed Wyoming's version of the bill this month. Wyoming Public Radio's Molly Messick has this story on the origins and the aims of a growing movement.

By AP

Cheyenne, WY – Plans by the Environmental Protection Agency to set a tougher standard for the amount of a toxic chemical allowed in drinking water will raise the bar for cleaning up contaminated groundwater near old nuclear missile sites.

But a tougher standard for trichloroethylene will add little if any expense to cleaning up those sites.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that once groundwater is cleaned up to the current standard, not much more work is needed to reduce TCE to undetectable levels.

By Bob Beck

By Bob Beck

By Bob Beck

Laramie, Wyo. – The Wyoming Cowgirls outscored Nevada 16 to 5 to start the second half and went on to defeat the Wolfpack 74 to 53 in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament. Aubrey Vandiver led the Cowgirls with 22 points and Hillary Carlson added 19 points and ten blocked shots. Wyoming advances to the second round of the tournament. It hosts Texas Tech Tuesday night.

By Bob Beck

By AP

Riverton, Wyo. – More police officers will be patrolling the Wind River Indian Reservation thanks to a federal pilot program.

The reservation is part of a program involving three other tribal areas in the country to reduce crime by at least 5 percent over a two-year period.

Leslie Shakespeare of the Eastern Shoshone Department of Juvenile Justice says the idea of the program is to reduce violent crime in particular in Indian country.

By AP

Rawlins, Wyo. – Officials with Sinclair Refinery say an equipment malfunction caused the release of more than 1,000 pounds of a flammable, poisonous gas earlier this month.

John Pfeffer is the refinery's environmental health and safety manager. He says the hydrogen sulfide was released during equipment failures on March 8, March 9 and March 13.

He says the company is investigating all the incidents and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and Carbon County Emergency Management were notified.

Laramie, WY – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it will study potential human health and water quality threats from hydraulic fracturing. The oil and natural gas drilling technique injects massive amounts of water, sand and chemicals underground. Meanwhile, the state of Wyoming is
wrapping up a comment period on a rule change requiring more information from those
using the technique.
Fracking has become widespread in a number of areas, including
Wyoming, and has unlocked extensive natural gas reserves. But the

Cheyenne, WY – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department hopes that a new law imposing stiffer penalties for people who stocking fish illegally in state waters will put a halt to the practice.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal on March 10 signed a bill into law that
specifies violators could be fined up to $10,000 and face up to a
year in jail for illegal stocking.
Mike Stone is chief of fisheries for the game department in
Cheyenne. He says that catching a few people breaking the law and
hitting them with the new penalties would probably help to reduce