This story first appeared on Cowboy State Daily.

By Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily

Resolutions calling for the dismantling of some of the largest federal and state government agencies were approved Friday by the state’s Republican Convention Committee on Resolutions.

Among the resolutions approved Friday for consideration by all convention delegates at their Saturday business meeting were measures calling for the termination of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and national and state offices of the U.S. Bureau of land management.

A few people like Delegate Kathy Orchard have expressed concern that disbanding the EPA could allow some more left-leaning states like Washington to become more empowered to make unilateral environmental decisions, like stopping Wyoming coal producers. to use the port terminals of their State.

This has been a problem with government oversight, prompting legal challenges from Wyoming and Montana alleging discriminatory denial of their products.

“If we have the responsibility that the EPA stays in the individual states that want to transport coal and the railroads go through multiple states, what kind of a mess is that mess going to create?” she questioned the committee.

Isaac Best of Sublette County argued that Wyoming would still have its own state EPA in place to handle these issues.

The Committee also voted to abolish the BLM at the national level, before also agreeing later in the meeting to abolish the agency’s state offices as well.

“Really, the land should be state land, not federal land. What about private owners? said Jana Williams of Uinta County.

During the discussion of these issues, there was little consideration of the logistics of eliminating core government departments.

Nina Webber, a member of the state’s GOP National Committee, said the resolutions are a roadmap for state lawmakers to follow, not hard and fast legislation.

“Resolutions are not laws,” she said. “It’s the grassroots effort. We intervene and represent counties and county interests.

Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, Co-Chair of the Resolutions Committee, expressed satisfaction with the committee’s efforts.

“The Wyoming Republican Party resolution committee did a great job,” he said. “The resolutions have been subject to careful consideration and a basic process.”

Gray said he takes resolutions very seriously in his job as a lawmaker, but Lincoln County Delegate Kevin Aznoe said he hasn’t seen many other lawmakers pay much attention to resolutions during that they were in session.

Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland), co-chair of the resolutions committee, told committee members at the start of their meeting Friday how important the work of the committee is.

“The resolutions make us react to a left-wing agenda,” he said. “We will always fight against this program. This is the enemy’s program.

Other resolutions approved included calling for an end to the Wyoming Department of Education,

The resolution had the support of Tom Kelly, one of the Republican candidates vying for the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

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