CHEYENNE, Wyo. –Governor Dave Freudenthal urged the leader of the U.S. House of Representatives to delay action on oil and gas regulations under a proposed bill that has been hastily drafted.

“Provisions which have been added to this bill would affect onshore leasing and energy production and rob the States of their traditional role of overseeing energy production within the States,” Freudenthal wrote.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Freudenthal warned that the legislation, known as HR 5626, is a mistaken overreaction to the offshore oil spill in the Gulf.  “The State of Wyoming has had effective regulation of the oil and natural gas industry through a variety of programs designed to gather and share information, technology and best regulatory methods for several decades,” he wrote.

Freudenthal said the federal government’s move amounts to preemption of long-established State authority.  “This is overreach of the first order,” Freudenthal wrote.

“It is my view that the federal government lacks both the jurisdiction and the expertise to effectively oversee oil and natural gas production in the State of Wyoming and I urge you to reject the preemption of Wyoming’s and other State’s authority to perform this important function,” Freudenthal wrote.

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