Southern mountain routes reopen

LARAMIE - Highways over the Snowy Range and Sierra Madre Mountains have reopened for the spring.

Wyoming 130, or Snowy Range Road, was cleared and reopened all the way from Laramie to Saratoga on Monday, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Wednesday morning, Wyoming 70, or Battle Mountain Road, reopened between Encampment and Baggs after it was cleared.

Both roads were opened earlier than usual.

"Most years, it's closer to Memorial Day before we open Snowy Range Road. And some years, we can't get Wyoming 70 open until the beginning of June," District Maintenance Engineer Tim McGary said.

Steep snow banks still line the roads, making the routes narrow in places. The Department of Transportation is advising against driving long motor homes and trailers over the passes until more snow melts.

Short-term closures of the highways might still occur if snow falls.

Groups sue over seismic drilling project

LARAMIE - Three environmental groups sued the government Wednesday over a seismic drilling project they claim will ruin parts of the Red Desert in southwest Wyoming.

Houston-based Veritas DGC Inc. is proposing exploring for oil and natural gas in a 279-square-mile area north of Wamsutter using 31-ton "thumper" trucks that pound the ground.

The Bureau of Land Management in December concluded that the project would not significantly impact the Red Lake Dunes area.

In the lawsuit, Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance contends that the BLM never considered a lower-impact alternative for the project, such as buggy-mounted drills and helicopters.

The BLM's environmental assessment also failed to consider impacts to wilderness areas within the project area and sand dune communities, group spokesman Erik Molvar said.

"There is going to be plenty of oil and gas development in Wyoming, but that isn't an excuse to drive heavy equipment helter-skelter across some of the Red Desert's most unique and fragile landscapes," he said.

The Wyoming Wilderness Association and state chapter of the Sierra Club also joined the litigation.

Freed of term limits, Philp seeks re-election

RIVERTON - Freed of term limits by a recent Wyoming Supreme Court ruling, Rep. Frank Philp, R-Lysite, plans to seek re-election.

Another Fremont County legislator who would have been term-limited, Sen. Robert Peck, R-Riverton, said his constituents have been encouraging him to run and is "leaning toward running."

The law overturned May 4 limited legislators to 12 years.

As of Monday, no Republican had filed against Philp.

"Quite a few people have asked me to run," he said. "I enjoy serving and think I have a lot of service to give to the state."

Thomas driving for highway spending bill

CHEYENNE - Sen. Craig Thomas is appealing for the passage of a highway spending bill that would funnel $1.6 million dollars into Wyoming over the next six years.

The House passed its version of the bill last month. Since then, Democrats have stalled progress on the measure by refusing to appoint members to a conference committee, Thomas, R-Wyo., said Tuesday.

Nearly eight months have passed since the last six-year, $218 billion highway and transit plan expired.

"We need to get the bill to conference to that we can begin the process of working out differences," Thomas said. "This bill is too important to our nation to have stalled by parliamentary tactics in the Senate."

Besides money, the bill would also provide 21,000 jobs in Wyoming.