CHEYENNE -- The Wyoming Department of Transportation's 'ready-to-go' highway projects top Gov. Dave Freudenthal's list of economic stimulus requests.

The governor is asking for $400 million for highways in his request to President-elect Barack Obama for infrastructure project money for 2009 and a portion of projects for 2010.

Obama has called for state and local government leaders to submit requests for projects intended to help the nation's faltering economy and rebuild its infrastructure.

Wyoming's list'of projects in 15 different areas'totaling more than $1 billion also includes water development, addressing beetle-killed timber, environmental restoration and construction at National Guard facilities.

'Wyoming's list of projects and initiatives proposes an ambitious effort to participate in the revitalization of the nation's economy,' Freudenthal wrote in his request to the president-elect.

' I do not envy you and the Congress as you formulate the priorities within the stimulus package. However, I look forward to working with your administration on these and other initiatives,' the governor added.

According to published reports that quoted aides to Obama, the spending plan would cost between $675 billion and $775 billion and is the president-elect's top agenda item.

Freudenthal suggested guidelines in the distribution of the stimulus money, including accounting of the state and local dollars and use of significant tax relief and temporary adjustments in the tax code to encourage investment in technology development and job creation.

'Wyoming is one of those states for whom the recession is arriving late,' the governor wrote. 'In general we tend to be slower entering recession and slower recovering from recession. In some cases we simply do not participate in national economic prosperity as was the case during the dot-com period.'

' As events are unfolding, it clearly would be useful, if not imperative, for Wyoming to participate in the national stimulus package,' Freudenthal added.

'Presumably this will be a stimulus package and not simply a financial bailout of pre-existing state and local government obligations,' the letter continued. 'Allocation of funds based on some form of public debt index would have the unintended consequence of penalizing those who have operated within the context of state constitutional mandates requiring balanced budgets and restricting debt.'

The Part I infrastructure list identifies types of projects within broad categories that the state would pursue if money becomes available.'

Part II discusses several regional/national infrastructure investments related to the evolving carbon-managed economy.

Freudenthal noted the need for significant investment in low-cost financing or direct incentives to private developers to build natural gas pipelines and electrical lines.

Significant investment in clean coal technologies and carbon capture and sequestration also is needed to achieve environmental and energy objectives, the governor wrote.

'Love or hate coal, it is part of America's energy mix for many decades to come.'This is equally if not more true with regard to world energy production,' Freudenthal wrote.

Among Freudenthal's other requests are the following:

-- $73 million for airport projects.

-- $60 million for community colleges.

-- $56 million for Wyoming Business Council projects.

-- $50 million for a supercomputer project at the University of Wyoming

-- $43 million for state parks and cultural resources.

-- $42 million for school construction.

Contact capital bureau reporter Joan Barron at (307) 632-1244 or joan.barron@trib.com