Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Hillary Clinton's Solutions for Wyoming

Hillary Clinton is running for president to address the problems and concerns of people in Wyoming and all across America. Her agenda for Wyoming includes creating millions of green jobs by investing in the development and transmission infrastructure for clean energy. Hillary also understands the importance of preserving the natural resources, bountiful wildlife, and clean water that is so important to Wyoming's way of life. Wyoming's children and grandchildren deserve a state as rich and unspoiled as the one that exists today. She'll provide more funding for conservation and strengthen our national park system. She'll also lower health care costs, provide health care for the 75,000 people in the state who are uninsured, and improve access to quality care for the majority of Wyoming's residents who live in rural areas. And she'll end the unfunded mandate of No Child Left Behind, which is failing our students, and make college more affordable for Wyoming's students to help prepare them for the demands of the post-high school world.

Hillary Clinton's presidential agenda for Wyoming includes:

Appointing a White House Liaison for the Intermountain West - The Intermountain West is a critical and growing part of our country with unique needs. As President, Hillary will appoint a White House Liaison for the Intermountain West who reports directly to her to advise and assist on water policy and other vital issues facing the West. This position will help ensure that Western issues are a priority for federal policy, and get the attention they deserve under her Administration.

Creating Millions of Green Jobs through Investing in Renewable Energy Sources - Hillary believes we need to diversify our energy sources by investing in renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. As President, she would work to implement a renewable electricity standard, and to increase tax incentives for wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy. Her plan will support new energy sources and industries, like wind power, that have the potential to help the Wyoming economy. Hillary will also work with state and local governments to develop the transmission capacity needed to tap wind power in places like Wyoming and bring it to urban areas where demand is greatest. She'll also invest $50 billion in researching, developing, and deploying alternative energy. Hillary's energy plan will catalyze a new green energy industry and create 5 million new "green jobs" all across America, and particularly in rural areas like Wyoming.

Accelerating the Development of Clean Coal - Wyoming is the top coal-producing state in the nation. Coal provides a major source of employment and economic activity in Wyoming, and Hillary recognizes coal will continue to play a major role in Wyoming and America's energy mix. As President, Hillary will accelerate the development of clean coal in order to help meet our nation's energy goals while addressing climate change. She believes we need to take swift action to spur the development and deployment of technology and practices that will enable us to capture, store and safely sequester carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants. To accelerate the development of this important technology, Hillary would immediately fund ten large-scale carbon capture and storage projects that utilize a range of coal types, power plant types, and storage locations. She will also require all new coal plants to be capable of adding capture and storage technology when it becomes commercially available.

Fully Funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund - Hillary believes we have a responsibility to protect and preserve our natural heritage for future generations to enjoy, and to sustain our economy. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was established in 1964 in order to provide funding to help protect our national treasures, including our parks, wilderness areas, and forests. This program has helped restore and improve Wyoming's natural areas and parks, such as Cheyenne Sun Valley Park and the Curt Gowdy State Park Trail System. The Fund is authorized to receive $900 million a year, but the Bush Administration has never come close to that amount, despite the President's 2001 campaign promise that he would fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. In fiscal year 2008, the fund received only $154 million and in this year's proposed budget, the Bush Administration has proposed the shockingly low amount of $41.5 million. Hillary will reaffirm our commitment to conserving our precious natural spaces by fully funding the LWCF when she is President.

Strengthening the National Parks and Providing Long-term Protection for our Most Sensitive Public Lands - Our national parks, wildlife refuges and national monuments are the crown jewels of America's natural and cultural heritage. They embody the American spirit. Wyoming is home to some of our most majestic national parks and refuges, like Yellowstone, our nation's first national park, and the Grand Tetons, with their soaring mountains and plunging canyons. As President, Hillary will work to strengthen our national park and wildlife refuge systems and to encourage all Americans to visit our public lands - including our magnificent national monuments -- to better appreciate our natural and cultural heritage. She will work to tackle the maintenance backlog at parks, refuges, and other public lands; to reduce air pollution on our public lands; and to better manage them - for both visitors and for the wildlife.

Enacting Universal Health Care and lowering health care costs - Hillary's American Health Choices Plan will provide affordable, high quality health care for all Americans. Under the American Health Choices Plan, those who are satisfied with their health care will be able to keep it and nothing will change. Those who aren't covered or aren't satisfied with their coverage will be able to choose from a menu of quality plans including those that are available to members of Congress. In Wyoming, 75,000 people, including 10,000 children, are living without health insurance. Hillary's plan will prohibit insurance companies from discriminating on the basis of pre-existing conditions, age, race, or sex. She'll ensure that every American has access to the prevention and screening services that allow us to catch disease early and maximize the chance of recovery. And she'll make health care portable - ensuring that individuals who lose their jobs or change jobs will be able to keep their health care. Hillary's plan is the most aggressive in this race in lowering health care costs for all Americans and she will also cap premiums at a reasonable portion of income so that no Wyoming resident will struggle to afford the care they need. Hillary has put forth the only plan in this race that provides every American with guaranteed access to affordable, quality care.

Improving Rural Health Care - Hillary recognizes the unique challenges facing rural communities when it comes to obtaining quality health care. Hillary's health care plan includes a special tax incentive to make it easier for small businesses - the economic engine for many rural communities - to afford health care for their employees. Hillary will also promote initiatives to recruit, retain and educate more nurses and health professionals in rural areas through initiatives to expand distance learning opportunities and loan forgiveness for those who practice in rural areas. More than half of Wyoming's counties have a health professional shortage for primary medical care. To help rural providers, small practices, hospitals and clinics, the American Health Choices Plan also provides an infusion of funding to cover a portion of the up-front investment in electronic medical records. Electronic medical records will dramatically improve communication among health care providers and reduce duplication and inefficiency that results in unnecessary long distance trips to the doctor. Hillary's plans to increase medical staff, improve our health information technology and make prescription drugs cheaper, will improve access to quality heath care in all parts of the country, especially rural America.

Promoting Rural Economic Development - Hillary has been a champion for rural development since she came to the Senate. The first package of legislation she introduced after she was elected was developed to stimulate job growth and economic development in upstate New York. Seven years later, Hillary has successfully passed legislation to support regional skills alliances, which provide job training in rural communities; additional investments in entrepreneurs in rural communities made a national commitment to growing broadband nationwide; and introduced comprehensive legislation to promote economic development in rural America. She has also made it a priority to support initiatives to improve the health care, education, and infrastructure of rural America. As president, she will expand empowerment zones to revitalize rural communities; and enact her Rural RISE Act, which will expand access to capital and strategic advice for rural entrepreneurs and small businesses, and bring together businesses, community colleges and four-year universities to ensure workers have the training needed to compete in the global economy. Hillary will also provide tax credits to small businesses that locate in rural counties.

Ending the Unfunded Mandate of No Child Left Behind - Hillary understands a one-size-fits-all approach to education does not make sense, especially in states like Wyoming where 26,000 students live in rural areas. Hillary recognizes that schools in rural communities face unique challenges, such as higher costs and more trouble attracting and retaining staff. She believes we have to stop piling federal mandates onto our local communities without providing the resources that are needed to meet the demands. She wants to end the unfunded mandate of No Child Left Behind, and provide the resources and flexibility to help Wyoming develop a 21st century educational system that meets the needs of every student. She'll also support the E-Rate and launch a new initiative to help rural schools access cutting edge educational resources online.

Making College Affordable - Hillary has proposed making college more affordable and more accessible for all those who want to attend. Under her plan, many of the more than 33,000 students in Wyoming will receive a new $3,500 tax credit to help pay for tuition. Hillary will also enact a Student Borrower's Bill of Rights to protect student borrowers against predatory lenders. In 2006, 44 percent of Wyoming college students graduated with debt - an average of more than $16,000 each. Hillary will make sure every student borrower has a fair and reasonable repayment plan, and that loans are forgiven in exchange for public service. Hillary will also increase the maximum Pell Grant to ensure that it keeps pace with the rising cost of college. This policy will benefit the more than 7,500 Wyoming residents who receive Pell Grants annually.

Honoring tribal sovereignty and Improving Vital Services for Native Americans - As President, Hillary will restore the government-to-government relationship and honor tribal sovereignty. She will work to appoint Native Americans to key positions in a number of federal departments and agencies in addition to elevating the director of the Indian Health Services to the Assistant Secretary level. The need for health care is particularly important for Native Americans. In the Senate, Hillary has taken steps to improve the access and quality of health care for Native Americans by co-sponsoring the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendment of 2007, a comprehensive piece of legislation to improve health care for American Indians throughout the country. This legislation will increase funding for Native American health centers and services for the nearly 3,600 Native Americans without insurance in Wyoming. In addition, Hillary will work increase the number of Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal uniformed police officers on reservations through increased funding. And, by honoring the government-to-government relationship, she will support the livelihood of reservations by increasing support for tribal colleges, working to improve Native American housing, and increasing funding for Indian Head Start programs.

Hillary's Record for Wyoming Residents

Hillary's work has already benefitted Wyoming's residents. Because of her efforts:

• Nearly 5,300 children receive health care through Wyoming's Kid Care CHIP program - the Wisconsin version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which Hillary helped create when she was First Lady.
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• The nearly 3,000 members of Wyoming's National Guard have access to TRICARE, whether they are actively deployed or not. Hillary worked across the aisle with Lindsey Graham to enact legislation making TRICARE available to every member of the National Guard, regardless of status.
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• The roughly 360 Wyoming residents who join the armed forces each year, along with members of the National Guard and Airmen from the state, receive regular health screenings to detect Traumatic Brain Injury, thanks to legislation Hillary passed into law.
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• Wyoming more than tripled the number of children adopted out of foster care between 1997 and 2002, in part as a result of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which Hillary championed as First Lady.
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• 379 children are enrolled in Wyoming's Early Head Start programs. Hillary helped create Early Head Start - comprehensive program to help children living in poverty - when she was First Lady.
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• Some 90,000 unpaid caregivers in Wyoming - men and women caring for their parents, and spouses, and loved ones - could be eligible for respite care services under the Respite Caregiver Act that Hillary passed.
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