NORTH DAKOTA

Oil recovered from pipeline spill

BISMARCK — Workers have recovered thousands of gallons of crude oil from an underground pipeline spill on North Dakota farmland, the owner of the line said on April 10, but it remained unclear when oil would again start flowing to refineries.

South Bow was still investigating the cause of the April 8 spill along the Keystone Pipeline near Fort Ransom, North Dakota, about 60 miles southwest of Fargo, the company said.

The spill released an estimated 3,500 barrels, or 147,000 gallons of oil, onto farmland. The company said 700 barrels, or 29,400 gallons, had been recovered. More than 200 workers were on-site as part of the cleanup and investigation.

South Bow has not set a timeline for restarting the 2,689-mile pipeline, which stretches from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas. The company said it “will only resume service with regulator approvals.”

A map from the company shows the pipeline is shut down from Alberta, Canada, to points in Illinois and a liquid tank terminal in Oklahoma. The line is open between Oklahoma and points on Texas’ Gulf Coast, according to the map.

Colorado Republican Jeff Hurd wants to reopen federal lands across the West to drilling, mining

South Bow is working with the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Continuous monitoring of air quality hasn’t indicated any adverse health or public concerns, South Bow said.

The site remained busy, said Myron Hammer, a nearby landowner who farms the land affected by the spill. Workers were bringing in mats to the field so equipment could access the site, and lots of equipment was being assembled, he said.

There is a cluster of homes in the area, and residents include retirees and people who work in nearby towns, he said. But the spill site was not in a heavily populated area, Hammer said.

NEW MEXICO

Primaries opened to unaffiliated voters

SANTA FE — The growing ranks of New Mexico voters with no party affiliation will be allowed to vote in primary elections without changing their nonpartisan status, under a bill signed into law April 7 by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The change runs counter to recent outcomes of election reform efforts in many other states. Last year, voters in a mixture of politically red, blue and purple states rejected state ballot initiatives to ditch traditional partisan primaries or adopt ranked choice voting.

New Mexico’s shift to partially open primaries takes effect in time for the 2026 cycle, when parties nominate candidates for three congressional seats, one U.S. Senate seat and a long list of statewide offices, including governor as Lujan Grisham terms out of office. Seats in the Democrat-led state House also will be up for election.

Colorado lawmakers propose two measures to address vacancy process in General Assembly

Statewide, about 23% of registered voters forgo partisan affiliation and previously were locked out the primary nomination process if unwilling to join a major party. The changes still prohibits crossover voting by members of opposing parties.

Lujan Grisham voiced support for the shift toward open primaries at the close of a 60-day legislative session that left her openly frustrated with public safety initiatives and efforts to improve public education.

The bill from Democratic sponsors, including state Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe, was opposed by the state Republican Party as a potential “stepping stone” to fully open primaries or ranked choice voting.

WYOMING

University to allow concealed carry

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees on March 27 unanimously adopted changes to campus policy to allow permitted concealed carry in school buildings.

Several board members took time during the discussion to emphasize that the blame does not fall onto them for passing the policy change.

The Wyoming legislature passed the Repeal Gun Free Zones and Preemption Amendments Act, which gives individuals the right to concealed carry on public college and university campuses, during the 2025 legislative session, and Gov. Mark Gordon allowed the bill to become law without his signature.

Gov Jared Polis signs law requiring gun safety training for firearm sales with CPW oversight

“The point I really want to make is that this is a mandate from the Legislature,” Chairman Kermit Brown said. “It would be inappropriate to start punishing this board of trustees over the concealed carry that’s going to be permitted on campus because this board had nothing to do with it.”

The policy change passed allows individuals to carry pursuant to the new statue, which has exclusions for certain lab spaces, the Early Care and Education Center and sport events where alcohol is sold.

The campus policy change goes into effect on July 1 and requires individuals to keep guns in a biometric lockbox when not secured on their person on campus.

IDAHO

News groups sue to witness executions

BOISE, Idaho — A federal magistrate judge heard arguments on April 8 in a lawsuit brought by three news organizations that say Idaho prison officials are unconstitutionally hiding parts of lethal injection executions from public view.

The Associated Press, East Idaho News and The Idaho Statesman filed the lawsuit against the director of the Idaho Department of Correction in December. They are asking U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham to temporarily stop the state from restricting media witnesses from viewing the actual injection of lethal chemicals in any executions that may occur before the lawsuit is resolved.

Wendy Olson, the attorney representing the news organizations, said media witnesses play a significant role in the public’s understanding of executions.

Colorado lawmakers consider live-streaming legislative committee hearings for first time

Idaho officials allow media witnesses to see the first step of lethal injection executions — placing an inmate on a gurney and inserting the IV lines — as well as the third step of the process, which is watching the impact the lethal drugs have on the inmate and seeing a coroner declare the inmate dead. But the public is barred from seeing the second step, which is drawing the lethal drugs into syringes and then pushing those drugs into the IV lines connected to the condemned person.

Tanner Smith, the attorney representing prison officials, told Grasham that when it comes to analyzing Idaho history, lethal injections shouldn’t be compared to hangings, as there is no “historical right of access” to the work done in the “medication team room,” he said.

State lawmakers passed a new law this year that will make firing squads the state’s primary method of execution, starting next year.

More endangered Mexican gray wolves are roaming the southwestern US, survey shows | OUT WEST ROUNDUP

Arizona Supreme Court taps AI avatars to make the judicial system more accessible | OUT WEST ROUNDUP

Carbon-capture pipeline could be delayed after eminent domain ban in South Dakota | OUT WEST ROUNDUP