Wyoming business: Wyoming puts up cash to enhance air service

CHEYENNE — Wyoming’s continuing dream of improving commercial air service is taking a different approach these days with direct financial incentives to airlines that commit to improving air service or lowering fares.

The Wyoming Legislature earlier this year approved a $3 million fund for air-service incentives and also provided funds to hire an air-service consultant.

The Wyoming Business Council has retained an international air-service consultant and will hold community meetings with the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division around the state later this month to help meet the legislative mandate.

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SH&E International Air Transport Consultancy, the nation’s largest commercial-air-transportation consultant, has been hired to help the Business Council develop contracts with an airline or airlines to provide better air service to Wyoming’s 10 commercial airports at lower fares.

“We are examining all options with the ultimate goal of attracting airline service that develops and becomes self-supporting,´ said Patrick Pitet, WBC director of Minerals, Energy and Transportation. “New airline service contributes to community economic development, but the impact is only beneficial if realistic service levels are ? maintained from real demand in the market.”

The WBC is required to report progress to several legislative interim committees by Sept. 30.

Sturm Wyoming banks merge

CHEYENNE — Four Wyoming community banks in the Sturm Financial Group recently became one bank, and a similar change is expected next year for Sturm’s three banks in Colorado.

The four Wyoming banks are American National Bank in Cheyenne and Casper, the Bank of Laramie in Laramie, Stockgrowers State Bank in Worland, and Wyoming Bank and Trust in Buffalo. They now operate under the American National name but retain local autonomy and still are devoted to community service, officials say.

“Nothing changes but our name,´ said Mark Zaback, president of American National in Cheyenne, who oversees the community-based operation.

Zaback said two of Sturm’s three banks in Colorado, Western and Bank of Cherry Creek, merged last year. There are similar plans to collapse the charters in Colorado and create one bank, also to be called American National Bank, by bringing in Mesa National of Grand Junction, which has 16 locations on the West Slope.

The Sturm Financial Group, a private equity group based in Denver, has about $1.4 billion in total assets with about $950 million in assets in Colorado, $300 million in Wyoming, and $150 million in a bank with four locations in the Kansas City area.

Enzi tackles ESA costs again

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi has reintroduced legislation to force the federal government to pay for managing endangered plants, fish and animals.

The Wyoming Republican said if the federal government is going to make protection of endangered species a top national priority, then it should help pay for that priority instead of dumping the cost on local governments and private citizens and businesses.

Enzi’s Endangered Species Funding Act would amend the Endangered Species Act to require the federal government to pay for all costs relating to the establishment of a state management plan. ESA management includes monitoring, consultation and administration, surveys, conservation agreements, land acquisitions, losses from predation, losses in value to real or personal property or any other cost imposed for mitigating management of a covered species.