Features Reporter

David Madison

David Madison is an award-winning journalist and documentary producer based in Bozeman, Montana. He’s also reported for Wyoming PBS. He studied journalism at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has worked at news outlets throughout Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana.

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Latest from David Madison

Beth Butler, a Converse County cattle rancher with a background in petroleum remediation, told the committee she supports the bill but wants to preserve the option of using wastewater for hydrogen production.

Wyoming Lawmakers Move To Ban “Destruction” Of Water For Hydrogen Production

A bill born from the fight over a controversial Converse County wind and hydrogen project passed the House Ag Committee 8-1 on Tuesday. The legislation could impact its sister project in Niobrara County — and any future effort to split Wyoming water into fuel.

David MadisonFebruary 17, 2026

Wyoming Wants To Do What No Other State Has Done: Take Over Federal Mineral Leasing

The Wyoming Senate is advancing a first-of-its-kind resolution asking Congress to let the state run the federal mineral leasing program within its borders. Even supporters acknowledge it's a heavy lift.

David MadisonFebruary 17, 2026

Wyoming Business Council CEO Josh Dorrell testifies Monday for the Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee.

Senate Committee Advances Bill To 'Freeze,' Rebuild Wyoming Business Council

The state Senate advanced a bill Monday that would rescue the Wyoming Business Council by rebuilding the controversial agency. It also would freeze its work while lawmakers and others reevaluate the council.

Clair McFarland & David MadisonFebruary 17, 2026

Heidi Kennedy testifies at the Senate Labor Committee Meeting on Bill SF0057 - Transparency in hospital service pricing.

Wyoming Senators Advance Hospital Price Transparency Bill To Curb Sticker Shock

After a 46-year-old Gillette man suffered a stroke while driving a truck in the oil fields, he faced a $300,000 medical debt. And then came the other bills for therapy. But no pricing was available at the hospital. A bill was advanced Monday requiring it.

David MadisonFebruary 16, 2026

Lummis Announces Kraken Will Fund Trump Accounts For Every Wyoming Newborn In 2026

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis told the Wyoming Senate on Monday that Kraken, the cryptocurrency exchange that moved its global headquarters to Cheyenne last year, will sponsor Trump $1,000 Accounts for every child born in Wyoming in 2026.

David MadisonFebruary 16, 2026

Rock Springs removed a free downtown EV charger after WYDOT said the city owed fuel tax on the electricity it was giving away. A new bill from Rep. Mike Yin would exempt Level 2 chargers and streamline EV taxes.

Rock Springs Removes Free Downtown EV Charger Because Of Wyoming Tax Rules

Rock Springs removed a free electric vehicle charger installed as a perk for visitors because WYDOT said they had to pay taxes on electricity it was giving away. Because the town had no way of tracking the distribution of electricity, they took it down.

David MadisonFebruary 15, 2026

Wyoming Lawmakers Shoot Down Bill To Create Nation's First Hydrogen Tax

The House Minerals Committee shot down a bid Friday for Wyoming to become the first state in the nation with a hydrogen severance tax. Industry officials testified a tax would discourage investment in Cowboy State hydrogen projects.

David MadisonFebruary 13, 2026

In the House, Joint Appropriations Committee Co-Chairman John Bear, R-Gillette, walked members through the budget before landing on the hot-button issue: a $40 million general fund reduction

In Full Debate On University of Wyoming Budget Cuts, Lawmakers Ask If It's Retaliation

The Wyoming House and Senate debated a $40 million cut to the University of Wyoming on Thursday, with the budget committee co-chair John Bear confirming the number was meant to "get their attention." He said legislative directives on DEI were ignored.

Clair McFarland & David MadisonFebruary 13, 2026

Biteman's Wyoming Energy Dominance Bill Gets Unanimous Support On Introduction

Senate Pres. Bo Biteman told colleagues Thursday that Wyoming needs to stop waiting and start leading as demand for electricity is expected to spike. He spelled out a vision that would put Wyoming in front of Trump’s push for American energy supremacy.

David MadisonFebruary 12, 2026

Wyoming Projected To Lose 335 Physicians By 2030, Lawmakers Look To Foreign Docs

In an effort to fix Wyoming's physician shortage, a bill to create a new pathway for foreign-trained doctors has advanced in the House. Rep. Jacob Wasserburger said Wyoming is projected to lose 335 physicians by 2030 and 18 of 23 counties currently have a health professional shortage.

David MadisonFebruary 12, 2026

Secretary of State Chuck Gray testifying at the House Corporations Committee Meeting.

Wyoming Lawmakers Advance Hand-Count Recount Bill Despite County Clerks’ Objections

Wyoming lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday to allow hand-counted recounts despite county clerks warning it wouldn’t work under tight deadlines. Sec. of State Chuck Gray testified in favor calling it "one of the most vetted election bills in this session."

David MadisonFebruary 12, 2026

Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee testifying at the House Minerals Committee Meeting on Bill H22, Recall on municipal officers.

Wyoming Bill Advances That Would Allow Voters To Recall Local Officials

Wyoming lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill to let voters recall mayors and other local officials as there is no mechanism in place now. Supporters cite accountability, while critics worry about and politicized recalls.

David MadisonFebruary 11, 2026

Other Authors

House Advances Bill Requiring Informed Consent, Civil Liability For Abortions

Barely a month after the Wyoming Supreme Court struck down the state's abortion bans, legislators fired back Tuesday with a bill that takes a different angle. House Bill 117 requires informed consent for abortions and will allow people to sue over them.

David MadisonFebruary 11, 2026

Rep. Bill Allemand made an impassioned pitch Tuesday for House Joint Resolution 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have required an affirmative vote of the people before any high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel could be stored in Wyoming. The measure failed.

Wyoming Lawmakers Vote Down Nuclear Waste Referendum And Nuclear Cop Bill

A proposed constitutional amendment requiring public vote on nuclear waste storage decisions in Wyoming failed on Tuesday, one day after a bill was killed to give armed security guards at nuclear facilities legal authority to defend against threats.

David MadisonFebruary 10, 2026

Joe Rubino, Secretary of State’s Policy Director. Bills HB85 and HB86 - Post Election Audit procedures and Removal of county officers-election code violations

Committee Advances Two Election Reform Bills Born From Weston County Controversy

Two election reform bills inspired by the troubled 2024 general election in Weston County cleared the Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee on Tuesday, sending both to the full Legislature for consideration during the budget session.

David MadisonFebruary 10, 2026

Six of seven Wyoming election integrity bills failed to clear the state House on the first day of the 2026 legislative session on Monday. It’s a blow to a signature issue for the Freedom Caucus, which controls the chamber but faced bipartisan opposition. House Speaker Chip Neiman also is a Freedom Caucus member.

Six Of Seven Election Reform Bills Killed On Monday, Freedom Caucus Not Happy

Six of seven Wyoming election integrity bills considered Monday failed to clear the House on the first day of the 2026 legislative session. It’s a blow to a top issue for the Freedom Caucus, which controls the chamber but faced bipartisan opposition.

David MadisonFebruary 10, 2026

Representative Rachel Rodriguez-Williams at the Freedom Caucus Press Conference at the Capitol on February 9

Wyoming Freedom Caucus Unveils 2026 Agenda Outside Wyoming Capitol

From banning abortion to raising concerns about “East Coast professors” at UW, the Freedom Caucus spelled out its priorities for the 2026 legislative session Monday. “The Freedom Caucus exists for the people of Wyoming," chair Rodriguez-Williams said.

David MadisonFebruary 09, 2026

Wes Barron hitting Old Man Flats at Snow King Mountain during the annual Town Downhill, which is now known as the JH Downhill and runs at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Wyoming Speed Skiing Legacy Fueled By Legacy Of Jackson Legend Who Died In 2009

The Wes Barron Speed Series honors a Jackson skier who lost his thumb in a 2005 crash but lived for super-G speed until his 2009 death. Young racers carry on his legacy on Snow King Mountain's slopes during the speed series named for him.

David MadisonFebruary 01, 2026

Just south of Cheyenne, UW's Hydrogen Energy Research Center is developing a pilot plant with technology that could turn Wamsutter into a major hydrogen fuel supplier to the Pacific Northwest

Wamsutter Could Become A National Hydrogen Hub By Transforming Oil Field Waste

Wamsutter may not appear that exciting now but a pilot hydrogen production facility provides a window into its potential energy future. One where oil and gas waste streams could be transformed into hydrogen fuel destined for markets in the Pacific Northwest.

David MadisonFebruary 01, 2026

Two of the leading experts on “governmental debanking” are Wyoming’s own Sen. Cynthia Lummis, left, and Julie Hill, dean and Wyoming Excellence Chair at the University of Wyoming College of Law.

Lummis Says Fed Reserve Pressured Banks To Close Customer Accounts Over Political Views

Sen. Cynthia Lummis says her office has uncovered written evidence that the Federal Reserve instructed bank examiners to pressure banks into closing accounts for customers based on their political views — even as Fed leadership publicly denied doing so.

David MadisonJanuary 31, 2026

On Thursday, Wyoming Head Basketball Coach Sundance Wicks held a pre-Border War press conference, when he invited his daughter Grace to sing her favorite UW fight song. Saturday’s game is the 245th clash of the Cowboys and Sheep.

Wyoming - CSU Basketball Showdown Reveals Two Programs At A Crossroads

As Colorado State prepares to leave the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12, and Wyoming fights to remain nationally competitive, this year’s hardwood Border War spotlights a pair of athletic programs bouncing in different directions.

David MadisonJanuary 30, 2026

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