The Casper Star Tribune reports that “when it comes to the debate over climate change, the inclination in Wyoming has long been to fight. Gov. Matt Mead proudly touts his administration’s legal battles with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over emission standards in stump speeches. In the country’s top coal producing state, the line is generally a crowd pleaser.”  

“But amid a historic downturn in the coal market and tightening air quality regulations, Mead and other state policymakers are increasingly stressing a new tactic in the climate fight: support for carbon cutting research.”  

“The approach is not exactly new. The University of Wyoming has spent some $84 million on carbon capture and sequestration research over the last eight years. Nor does it signal a new acceptance of climate science by state officials. Mead has promised to continue the legal fight against the EPA’s new carbon standards for coal-fired power plants.”