A former Republican Wyoming state legislator has been chosen to lead EPA’s mountain and plains region, the agency announced in a news release.
As Region 8 administrator, a politically appointed position that doesn’t require Senate confirmation, Cyrus Western oversees EPA policy implementation for Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 28 tribes.
Western, who works in commercial real estate, served three terms in Wyoming’s House of Representatives beginning in 2019 before opting not to run for reelection last year. With a master’s degree in environmental studies from Harvard, Western led the statehouse oil and gas bonding working group as well as its committee on tourism, recreation and wildlife. He also served on the minerals, business and economic development committee.
Western told Cowboy State Daily he credited Wyoming Republican U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis for their recommendations that helped secure his role. Both Barrasso and Lummis applauded Western’s appointment via an EPA statement.
