The Trump administration tapped a former Wyoming lawmaker to lead the Rocky Mountain and Plains states’ division of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Cyrus Western, a Sheridan County Republican, served as a state representative for three terms until deciding not to run last year. He wanted more time to raise his newborn daughter, but now he’s balancing that with regulating extractive industries in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Montana, the Dakotas and 28 tribal nations.
“When the president asks you to work for them, you don't say no,” Western told Wyoming Public Radio.
He said his goal is to give states like Wyoming more voice at the table.
“They're sick and tired of federal agencies coming in and thumping their chest and saying, ‘We're the big, bad feds. We're going to tell you how it's going to be,’” Western said.
Instead, he said he’ll employ a kind of “cooperative federalism,” partnering with states to solve the issues that are important to them. He plans to find a “middle ground” when it comes to implementing an EPA initiative restoring American energy dominance, while also protecting air and water.
“I think folks kind of try to frame this as a false binary,” he said. “Either you want to protect the environment and you’re anti-industry, or you’re pro-industry and you want to trash the environment. And I just fundamentally reject that dichotomy.”
He said he can make sure the fossil fuel industry doesn’t have adverse health impacts on communities, while also protecting those middle-class jobs.
During his time as a lawmaker in 2020, Western came under fire when he posted on social media about the appointment of a county sheriff, who is Black, according to reporting by WyoFile. Regardless, the state’s congressional delegation championed him for the EPA job.
“As a seasoned Wyoming legislator, Cyrus knows firsthand how we can protect America’s air, water, and land without suffocating our economy,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) said in a statement.
Western said his main experience comes from his time in the Legislature, where he served on the Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee and worked with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
