Wyoming Briefs June 16, 2023

Barrasso praises House for passing Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act

CHEYENNE (WNE) - U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released a statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1615, the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, by a vote of 248-180.

"The Biden administration is trying to regulate gas stoves and other appliances we use every day. Unless Congress stops this administration's regulatory tsunami, Americans will lose access to the natural gas appliances they need," said Barrasso. " Today, the House voted to block President Biden's radical regulations. This will ensure safe, popular gas stoves remain an option for homes and businesses. The work is not over. The Senate should quickly approve our legislation to stop the Biden administration from outlawing gas stoves and other appliances American families depend on."

Barrasso introduced S. 1043, the Natural Gas Appliance Standards (Natural GAS) Act, on March 29.

According to a news release, the legislation would do the following:

. Require that DOE certify that any stove, water heater or furnace energy efficiency rule would not result in fuel switching from natural gas to electric appliances;

. Specify that DOE may not put forward a rule that would limit the features of gas stoves;

. Exempt small manufacturers from future energy efficiency rulemakings for stoves, water heaters, and furnaces; and,

. Require that existing energy efficiency labels displayed at the point of sale disclose full-fuel-cycle efficiency, rather than just point-of-use energy consumption.

This story was published on June 15, 2023.

Hillside fire deemed human caused

JACKSON (WNE) - A hillside fire earlier this month was human caused, according to the Jackson Hole Fire Marshal.

The blaze started at 3:20 p.m. June 5 on the hillside behind Cutty's Bar and Grill after dead overgrowth caught fire on private property. Fourteen firefighters extinguished the quarter-acre blaze within 20 minutes.

A controlled burn was reported in that area the same day, but Battalion Chief Brian Coe said that a controlled burn was not related to the fire's cause.

Both Fire Marshal Raymond Lane and Coe declined to provide further details about how the June 5 fire started.

"We definitely encourage people to play it safe when doing anything with fire on their property," Lane said. "Always have a water source nearby, and never leave your fires unattended."

Lane is asking the community to participate in revising Teton County's Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Jackson Hole Fire/EMS is welcoming input regarding wildfire concerns, highly valued resources, personal preparedness efforts and general community awareness.

"The plan also goes into evacuation plans," Coe said. "All of the things we can do as a community to be prepared."

Fire/EMS is working in collaboration with the Teton Area Wildfire Protection Coalition to help identify and recommend measures to make buildings and structures more fire resilient, Coe said, and to identify fuel reduction efforts such as overgrown forests and dead trees.

The U.S. Forest Service leads WildfireRisk.org and has determined that Teton County has a high risk of wildfire, higher than 84% of communities in the U.S.

This story was published on June 14, 2023.

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Boulder Roll bikers raise thousands for suicide prevention

PINEDALE (WNE) - On Saturday, 112 individuals participated in the 7th Annual Boulder Roll, raising $1,720 just in registration fees to help prevent suicide and raise awareness in Sublette County.

With the registration money added to the proceeds from the 50/50 raffle, the Bug Splat Bet, the donation jar, an auction and the poker hand purse, the bikers raised a whopping $11,150, with 100 percent of the funds staying in Sublette County.

The Boulder Roll poker run began in 2017, in memory of Jim "Crash" Newman, a Pinedale resident and avid motorcyclist who died by suicide in 2016. As part of their healing, Newman's biker friends decided to honor him by doing what they all love best, heading out on the highway.

The event aims to build camaraderie and eradicate the stigma associated with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Riders are urged to make a call to someone they haven't spoken to in a while just to check in each time they put their motorcycle kickstands down.

Each rider in the 2023 event received a commemorative purple bandana and a card containing information about the state's suicide hotline, 988.

The 2023 Annual Boulder Roll began with breakfast on June 10 at the VFW Post 4801 in Pinedale and ended at the Boulder Bar and Grill in Boulder. In between, bikers made a half dozen stops at The Place in Cora, the Green River Bar in Daniel, The Spur Bar in Big Piney, The Eagle Bar in La Barge and Waterhole #3 in Marbleton, where they each drew a card. Each biker dropped a card at their final stop in Boulder. Participants with the best and worst poker hands won prizes at the end of the day.

The live and silent auctions raised $6,610.

This story was published on June 16, 2023.

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