Wyo. could lose up to $700M under federal budget

Wyoming stands to lose up to $700 million over the next decade under a budget extension expected to win approval in Washington. Last week, the U.S. House passed the measure, which is aimed at avoiding a government shutdown when the current budget expires Sept. 30. At issue are taxes paid by coal producers for abandoned mines. Half goes to the federal government and half goes to states. A previous transportation bill capped payments to states at $15 million. The budget measure restored payments to other coal states but not to Wyoming, the nation's top coal producer. It's the only state that was expected to get more than $15 million next year. Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis calls it a "raid on Wyoming."