As the number-two producing state in America for natural gas, you would think that Wyoming would have established a foothold a long time ago in the establishment of natural gas-powered cars and trucks.

         But, alas, it had not.

         Thanks to the last Legislature, though, the landscape for such vehicles is changing in the Cowboy State. And it is about time.

         Back in July of 2008, I wrote a series of columns lamenting why Wyoming did not grasp this concept? Gasoline prices were sky-high back then and it just made sense for Wyoming to copy neighboring Utah’s successful attempts to establishing a CNG (compressed natural gas) industry.

         Attitudes have changed in the last three years and legislative leaders and Gov. Matt Mead both have embraced promoting CNG, albeit on a limited scale to start.

         Personally, I have a CNG project that we have been mulling over. Our family drove Suburban and Denali gas hogs for decades but in recent years we have downsized because of the high price of gasoline.

         I am looking for a high mileage but well cared-for big rig that I can convert to CNG. It would be a fun experiment and would provide a good test vehicle to see if these vehicles are what they are touted to be. We will keep you posted.

         With Wyoming being one of the largest natural gas producing states, would it not make sense for us to be a leader the USA in usage of vehicles powered by this abundant substance?

         As gasoline moves toward $4 per gallon and a natural gas-powered car runs on $1.25 per gallon-equivalent cost, well, would it not make economic sense for us to push for this development?

We are finally seeing a few new natural gas stations. There is even one being planned for Riverton. There are reportedly 500 vehicles now running on CNG in Wyoming.

         Big news across the country is the vast proliferation of hybrid cars and even the appearance of all-electric cars. Yet, here we are in natural gas-rich Wyoming with product that we cannot even get to market. Why not jump into this fray and lead the nation with this type of development?   

Up to now one of the biggest problems has been the lack of fueling stations. Wyoming should pioneer such a network.

In the meantime, a Canadian company has developed a home system where you can re-fuel your car overnight using your own natural gas system in the garage. It is a slow process, though, as the gas is pumped at 3,600 pounds per square inch in order to become CNG and fit in the tank. Ideally you need filling stations, though.

         Another downside is that reportedly in extreme cold, the efficiency suffers, but it is a small price to pay for the overall, year-around benefits.

One of my coffee buddies told me about his son-in-law who lives in Brigham City, Utah and commutes 144 miles a day to his job in Magna, Utah.

         He said the fellow expects to save many thousands of dollars a year when he takes delivery of a Honda Civic GX car. It burns compressed natural gas rather than the gas hog Toyota Sequoia he has been driving.

         Honda has been making these cars for some time. In fact there are about 172,000 natural gas-powered vehicles in this country today. And over eight million worldwide. So the technology is proven.

         This technology works very well for big-city buses although one drawback in small cars like the Honda Civic is that the CNG tank pretty much wipes out the trunk space.

         Another downside is that the CNG cars are not available just anywhere. Next-door Utah is a big booster of these kinds of vehicles. That state has promoted the construction of more than 750 special service stations featuring CNG. More than 100 Utah businesses and government agencies are using vehicles powered by compressed natural gas.

         So how do these cars work? An airline pilot named Jeff Church of Los Angeles has put 53,000 miles on his 2003 model. He says with his home unit, he only pays 98 cents per gallon for fuel. He says it is the perfect vehicle for folks who drive a lot of miles.

         Last time I checked, Wyoming people actually drive more miles per-capita than just about anyone in the country. Plus big pickups and SUVs probably outnumber cars in our state. Any way to convert these gas-guzzlers to lower costs would be pretty inviting.

         If asked, here is some of the advice I would give today’s high school graduate:

         “What’s your hurry? You will probably live to be 95 years old. You literally have all the time in the world to explore things. You have to fight the urge to be impatient. Time is on your side.”

         If someone had told me that at my graduation 47 years ago, it would have made me mad as hell. 

We were in a hurry back then to get out into this big old world and experience all those new things.

         And, obviously, time has a way to tempering these notions.     

         It’s hard to believe that almost half a century went by so quickly. Although I would love to do it all over again, I would not want to be 18 again.

         This is my annual column, which is pretty much my speech if asked to speak at a high school graduation. Giving that speech is a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it. Here are some more of my thoughts for graduates:

         Mentors can make or break a young person’s early career. The importance of having more experienced men and women advising and guiding you cannot be over-estimated.

         Most people can share with you horror stories of how they careened from one career to another, suffering through horrible jobs and distasteful circumstances that taught them nothing – or just taught them that this was not what they wanted to do.

         Despite that occasional misstep, we are lucky to live in a place and time where we actually often get to pick what we want to do for a career.

         And that is why it is so important for young people to seek out and talk to mentors for guidance. Even if you do not like the advice you are given, absorb it and learn from it.

         One of my favorite business sayings is that “it is not what you know or who you know that counts in getting ahead with your career. It is what you know AND who you know.” Yes, use your mentors.

         Earlier I wrote about what’s your hurry? That was being somewhat facetious in that it is almost impossible to tell an ambitious young person to slow down.

         One of the words used by my parents’ generation to describe a go-getter was “gumption.” You don’t hear that word any more (except maybe from Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes), but that word describes an approach to life that is essential for success.

         So my three first pearls of wisdom for grads are:

         Slow down.

         Seek mentors.

         Exercise gumption.

         My fourth and final admonition to today’s graduate is to remember what I consider the number-one rule in business success: “timing is everything.”

         Although I am advising you to slow down, always be checking the weather (figuratively) and watch out for opportunities. Be very careful about letting good opportunities slip through your fingertips.

         Our children are now grown. Some contributed to a booklet put together by middle daughter Shelli Johnson with advice for graduates. Here is what they wrote:

         Shelli Johnson: “Live your life with purpose. What if you started each day as if it were your last? How would you spend your time, and whom would you spend it with? Strive to live according to your answers to these questions.”

         Amber Hollins: “At birth you inherited half a million hours, not half a million dollars. You have complete control over the way you invest this time. “(From a book by the Budziks)

         Alicia Haulman: “In college, go to class, then immediately do your homework, then you have the rest of the day to have fun, which you should!”

         So to wrap this up, I would add a favorite quote: “The problem with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.” How true.

         So, to you new grads, how can you make a good future in the face of uncertainty?

         A sense of responsibility and good character do not come from an easy life. They come from overcoming adversity and surviving tests. The real definition of maturity is where a person ends up, after dealing with a series of problems and solving them. You do not mature by running away from your problems.

Your number-one advantage is your youth. How ever this all turns out, if you work hard and pay attention, you will be a better person because of all the uncertain times you will live through.

00         While we often wish for spring moisture in our dry Wyoming, those springs when Mother Nature exceeds our wildest dreams can turn this part of the year into a nightmare.

         That was my life a year ago when Lander endured the second highest flows of the Popo Agie River in recorded history.

         For three weeks in May and June 2010, there was little let-up.

         So here we are this year. And we are again talking about flooding.

Only instead of it being concentrated on the south end of the Wind River Mountains, it seems like the whole state is in danger.

With much of Wyoming now in the throes of flood watches and flood warnings, it seems appropriate to write about what happened to us last year as a cautionary tale for these other places this year.

         And although snow packs are high in our area, most experts hope we will not sustain the flooding we saw a year ago. Snow pack totals are off the charts in other places around the state right now.

Some places are 250 percent and others even near 500 percent.

         Gov. Matt Mead spoke to state emergency folks about ten days ago urging them to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

“We have snow packs in Wyoming that we have not seen in 30 years,” Governor Mead said. “The potential for flooding and the potential for damage are real.”

He said the snow pack statewide is at 155 percent of average, but several areas are over 200 percent.

“We are in a better position than we were last year as far as preparation, but we need to be because the snow pack is greater,” Governor Mead said. “We have a flood plan for Glendo State Park, which we did not have last year, and have distributed roughly a million sandbags around the state.”

Last year in Fremont County, alone, hundreds of thousands of sand bags were filled and utilized. Such an effort no doubt prevented a much worse damage to property and prevented people from getting hurt or killed.

The State is also working with federal agencies to do risk assessment of flood potential and put in place protective measures for critical infrastructure. The Army Corps of Engineers has already completed this process with officials in Carbon County.

Last year, 43 local, state and federal agencies mobilized in Lander, including the National Guard. It was assumed to be the largest such response since the 1988 Yellowstone fires.

Here is what I wrote a year ago:

         “Here in Lander we were in the middle of the largest public disaster effort in the state’s history.

         “Millions of dollars were spent. Some 400 National Guard soldiers were here. Over 500,000 sand bags were filled. Over 35,000 hours of volunteer effort had been documented.

         “Fire departments from around Wyoming were supposed to gather in Lander on the flooding weekend for their annual convention but it was cancelled due to the flooding. Some 11 counties sent emergency crews to help out, anyway. At one point, more than 32 square miles of normally dry Fremont County land was under water.”

         Thanks to millions of dollars spent on barricades and protective dikes, the only major losses were three bridges and to me. We lost 18 trees, four-tenths of an acre of prime river frontage and a small cabin that had been remodeled by my daughter to be her office.

         You can see that cabin being washed downstream on YouTube.

         As for personal safety, we were really, really lucky.

         Joe Austin, an executive wih the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, was washed through a culvert during the height of the flooding. His fellow workers thought he was gone. Then they heard a shout from a spot some 100 yards downstream from where he had (whoosh!) been deposited after being sucked through the pipe.

         This happened at night and on his birthday. What a miracle.

         Our mayor Mick Wolfe joked that he was the most seriously injured casualty. His hand was jabbed by a shovel when he said his reflexes were getting too old to move in time as the sand bag he was holding was getting filled.

         Fremont County is still under threat of flooding this year but not quite as bad as a year ago. Many parts of Wyoming are in serious danger as I write this.

         Good luck and Godspeed to you all. Let’s hope you come through this flood year as well as we came through ours a year ago.

         Back in 1998, I thought I had it made.

         Nancy and I owned newspapers in the Rocky Mountain Region and also in Hawaii.

         My “easing toward retirement” gig back in those days could easily be seen as spending winters on Maui and summers in Lander. Not too shabby.

         What got me thinking about this recently was a study that pointed out that Wyoming people were the second happiest of any state in the union. The folks in first place? Hawaii.

         Looking back on it, yes, my anticipated gig was a helluva good plan. 

         But things did not work out. 

Instead of spending time in paradise, we spent two years nursing my wife back to health from cancer. Sold the Maui paper and the Wyoming papers, too.

Then the craziest idea of all occurred—I ran for governor. I started out an underdog and ended up an underdog.  

         It is easy for me to understand how people in Hawaii and Wyoming can be so happy.

         Perhaps the isolation of both states would contribute to being happy. Hawaii is in the middle of the gigantic Pacific Ocean. Wyoming is in the middle of the vast ocean of high plains prairie in the west central USA.

         Often things are less confusing when you are not in a cluttered environment.

         Here some other items of interest around and about Wyoming:

         • In another poll, Wyoming fared pretty well when it came to measuring “under-employment” in various states.

         North Dakota ranked first and Wyoming second for the least number of people who are underemployed. 

         This was surprising to me as I thought we ranked much higher in this department. One of the things that stood out to me as I toured the state during that above-mentioned governor campaign was the number of people who seemed to be working for sub-standard wages.

         Gallop says just 12 percent of workers in Wyoming fit into category. I must have run into most of them during those trips around the state in 2002.

         • You can take the bishop out of Wyoming but you cannot take Wyoming out of the bishop.

         Former Bishop of Cheyenne David Ricken, who is now the Bishop of Green Bay, was asked to say the invocation at the start of a recent session of the Wisconsin legislature. He reportedly said:

         “ . . . and thanks to you legislators for all your wonderful service to the people of Wyoming.”

         Bishop Ricken was back in Wyoming this past Saturday during the graduation of the first-ever class of seniors of the new Wyoming Catholic College in Lander. The bishop was one of the co-founders of the college along with current WCC President Fr. Bob Cook and Professor Dr. Robert Carlson.

         • Are we Wyomingites or Wyomans?

         Rick Simineo of Cheyenne found an interesting tidbit written at the end of the U. S. Supreme Court water decision between Wyoming and Montana (which Wyoming won).

         In a footnote to his dissenting opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia suggested, “The people of Wyoming should be referred to as Wyomans.” Scalia wrote: "The dictionary-approved term is ‘Wyomingite,’ which is also the name of a type of lava . . . I believe the people of Wyoming deserve better."

         • Folks in Sheridan were honored recently when that small Wyoming city was named the first ever Wyoming municipality to be mentioned as one of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust of Historical Preservation.

         Quite an honor for a place relatively young compared to those really old cities and towns across the eastern and western parts of our country.

         Penny Becker wrote me that Sheridan, nominated by Sheridan Travel and Tourism, was selected for its vibrant Main Street commercial district, abundant recreational opportunities and its authentic Western character, all set “in the shadow of the Big Horns.”

         “Sheridan is a classic Western town, offering visitors a real taste of its ranching, farming and mining heritage, as well as contemporary theater, arts and dining opportunities,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the Trust.  “Outdoor enthusiasts, history buffs and shoppers alike will be amazed by Sheridan’s amenities, including hiking, hunting and fishing; archeological sites and public art; and top-notch purveyors of Western art and apparel.  

“Downtown Sheridan boasts 46 late 18th-century/early 20th -century brick and iron-clad storefronts that house a wide variety of successful retailers, including shops that specialize in Western art, antiques and collectibles, leather crafts, ropes and horse tack, log furniture, jewelry and more. “

Wyoming’s robust energy future found confidence in two diverse and unusual places recently – the New York Times and one of the world’s richest men, Warren Buffett.

         With oil over $100 per barrel, all sorts of good things are starting to happen in the Cowboy State.

         Not sure President Barack Obama is using this fact or not, but the fact that oil prices are so high means that it makes economic sense to drill for oil right here in the good old USA. The Bakken Formation in North Dakota, alone, has gigantic reserves.

         The new oil play in SE Wyoming is partially being fueled by high oil prices.

         Typically, as the rest of the country is struggling with high-energy prices, things in Wyoming are starting to boom again.

         Although millions of motorists are griping every time they go to the pump, the brew of high oil prices, new technologies, horrific nuclear tragedies in Japan and craziness in the Arab world could all result in spectacular economic news on the energy front for Wyoming.

         In perhaps the biggest irony of all, the president could boast about Wyoming’s economy gains while the people in our state, by and large, reject him. Just 32 percent of Wyoming voters supported Obama in the 2008 election, the lowest percentage in the country.

         And yet even the liberal, pro-Obama New York Times said the following:

         “Economists say administration policies to reduce imported energy, along with higher commodity prices, are bolstering what Wyoming has to offer — natural gas and oil, coal so near the surface it can be harvested without underground mines and endless wind for electricity turbines.

“Just last month, Obama’s interior secretary, Ken Salazar, came to Wyoming to announce the timetable for billions of dollars in new coal leases near Gillette, in the state’s northeast corner. Some coal industry boosters saw that as a strong signal of support — coming less than two weeks after the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis — for traditional energy as the backbone of the national supply.”

Another comment from the Times article written by Kirk Johnson was just as interesting:

         “The administrator of the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division, Buck McVeigh, said he thought Salazar’s visit, talking about coal so soon after the Japan quake, was a subtle but powerful message that Wyoming’s role as the nation’s biggest coal provider was not going away.”

If Wyoming had an energy bust, it was brief. Pretty much the total extent of that decline was less than a year and it is roaring back like an energy tsunami.

Coal looks better all the time. And with the potential of coal plants’ carbon sequestration being used to revive old oil fields, well, that is truly turning lemons into lemonade.

Natural gas is continuing to look like the energy of choice going forward. Wyoming is already the second largest producing state of natural gas.

We lead the nation in the production of uranium. Despite assumptions to the contrary, this mining industry appears to continue to thrive.

And wind. Our wind resources have become the stuff of legend around the country. No place has wind like we have. Any Wyomingite could have told them that long ago.

While I was in the Omaha area last week, I attended the annual Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting where multi-billionaire Buffett weighed in.

He is still a big booster of nuclear power, despite the problems with Japan’s reactors. He also expressed optimism over a series of mines his company is involved with in Australia. “It makes sense to produce raw materials to export to those growing Asian countries.” Could this set the stage of more investments in Wyoming? His aged partner Charlie Munger, who got a laugh from the crowd by denying knowledge of technology, said basic industries made sense to him.

Buffett’s Rocky Mountain Power is probably Wyoming’s biggest power company, hence my suspicion that company might get even more involved. 

Wind turbine development was not discussed while I was in the room (the Qwest Center with 35,000 others) but surely it will be factor going forward.

I did not hear any scenario from Buffett or Munger that would cause Wyoming not to boom in the coming years.

Perhaps a final word from the Times article would make some sense here:

“The spokeswoman for Salazar said there was no doubt that Wyoming’s broad portfolio of energy sources, from coal, oil and gas to wind and geothermal, made the state crucial in Mr. Obama’s plan to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported fuels.”