Feb 27, 2012

Wyo. House pushes study of how to survive U.S. 'doomsday'

By Michael Winter, USA TODAY Updated 43m ago

Although Wyoming's economy is humming along, mostly because of oil and gas drilling, seen here in western Wyoming's Upper Green River Basin, a lawmaker wants the state to be prepared for a possible economic and political doomsday nationwide.

The Wyoming House has advanced a measure to study what the Cowboy State should do in the event of a total U.S. economic or political collapse, including possibly issuing its own currency, the Caspar Star-Tribune reports.

But lawmakers today dropped earlier proposals in the so-called doomsday bill to study raising a standing army, instituting a draft and acquiring an aircraft carrier.

The sponsor, state Rep. David Miller, a Republican from Riverton, says he isn't anticipating apocalypse now; he just wants his state to be prepared.

"Things happen quickly sometimes — look at Libya, look at Egypt, look at those situations," Miller told the Star-Tribune last week. "We wouldn't have time to meet as a Legislature or even in special session to do anything to respond." He apparently didn't explain why the state needed an aircraft carrier.

The state already has a crisis management plan, but it doesn't address an extreme political or economic collapse, the paper notes. The legislature's Joint Appropriations Committee has authorized spending $16,000 for the study, half what was sought.

Under HB 85, the task force would study "potential impacts on Wyoming of, and preparation of the government and the people of Wyoming for, a potential disruption of the United States federal government including, but not limited to:"

(i) Potential effects of the rapid decline of the United States dollar and the ability to quickly provide an alternative currency;

(ii) Potential effects of a situation in which the federal government has no effective power or authority over the people of the United States;

(iii) Potential effects of a constitutional crisis;

(iv) Coordination between the governor's office, Wyoming national guard and any federal military in Wyoming;

(v) Potential effects of a disruption in food distribution;

(vi) Potential effects of a disruption in energy distribution.

The bill now faces a final House vote before heading over to the Republican-controlled Senate. If passed and signed by Gov. Matt Mead, also a Republican, the task force would deliver its recommendations by Dec. 1.

Wyo. House pushes study of how to survive U.S. 'doomsday'