New food rules for holiday events

RIVERTON -- A new state law requires that food sold at holiday bazaars and bake sales must carry detailed labels about the food contents.

The Wyoming Legislature passed a law earlier this year allowing cottage food business operators to make certain foods in home kitchens, rather than in licensed and inspected commercial kitchens.

Stephanie Styvar, a Riverton area representative for Wyoming Department of Agriculture Consumer Health Services, said the labels are meant to protect consumers with food allergies.

A department official says inspections are possible. The food contents may be listed on a poster when the items are sold at a manned booth.

Under the new law, foods that still must be prepared in licensed kitchens are salsa, relish, salad dressing, home-canned foods, meat and dairy products.

Lawmakers mull digital product taxes

CHEYENNE -- A Wyoming legislative committee has voted to sponsor a bill to generate taxes on such things as music, video and software sold through the Internet and other multi-state electronic systems.

The Wyoming Legislature's Joint Revenue Interim Committee voted late last week to sponsor the bill to be taken up when the Legislature begins meeting this winter.

The bill attempts to define what is taxable in the fast-changing digital marketplace.

Dan Noble, excise tax administrator for the Wyoming Department of Revenue, said such a definition is complex because of how digital products are used.

Chamber executive director resigns

RAWLINS -- The executive director of the Rawlins-Carbon County Chamber of Commerce has resigned.

Dennis Schuster resigned last week -- three days earlier than planned -- after other board members decided Schuster should not take part in selecting his replacement.

Schuster said he doesn't think the chamber does enough for its members.

Board President Amy Berg appointed board member Kevin O'Grady to serve as the chair of the hiring committee.

Fed program approves biofuel plant

CHEYENNE -- A company that runs a pilot cellulosic ethanol plant in northeast Wyoming has won approval to participate in a new federal program that aids development of biofuels.

KL Energy Corp. has been working on perfecting a process to produce ethanol from wood chips at its test plant in Upton.

The wood chips are gathered from trees and brush in the Black Hills National Forest, which straddles the Wyoming-South Dakota state line.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a new program called Biomass Crop Assistance Program that will help KL Energy with its feedstock costs at the Upton facility.

Company CEO Steve Corcoran said the federal program is an important incentive to potential partners and project developers in KL Energy's biomass efforts.