It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, May 7th. I'm Mac Watson.

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Bridger Pipeline says it already has commitments for around 400,000 barrels per day of crude oil. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports the company says it's almost enough to green-light construction of the 650-mile pipeline.

"President Trump just signed the cross border permit to this pipeline last week. They already have 89% of the commitments they need to move forward with this pipeline. They said they would build this pipeline if they got the 450,000 so that's 89% of what they said they needed. It's going to use some of the infrastructure that abandoned Keystone XL used. Environmental groups are already signaling that if they say any evidence that this is not being considered as extensively as they think it should be, that they will see us in court."

The pipeline must still clear a federal environmental impact statement, as well as gather a multitude of state and local permits, even as an emerging coalition of opponents have already signaled they're ready to fight the pipeline in court.

Read the full story HERE.

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The US Department of Justice says that it's investigating America's meatpacking industry, something many Wyoming ranchers say is overdue. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that ranchers are welcoming the investigation.

"The US Department of Justice confirmed this week that it is investigating antitrust concerns within the meat packing industry, there are four major meat packing companies that control 85% of the beef market, and that, according to Representative Harriet Hageman, is squeezing cattle producers from all sides. Mark Isley, who is the former president of the National cattleman's Beef Association, said that the cattlemen have been requesting an investigation for a long time. He said, 'If there's monkey business, let's find out what it is and who's behind it.' People are welcoming this investigation, and they're excited for an announcement from the DOJ, which they say they hope comes soon."

The investigation comes as cattle producers continue grappling with rising operating costs, shrinking processing options and concerns that a handful of giant corporations wield too much control over the nation's beef supply.

Read the full story HERE.

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A lithium-ion battery caught fire at a Daniel couple's home as they were waking up on Tuesday. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that James Morey says the battery shot flames a foot high.

"These cheaper lithium batteries are more likely to have a chain reaction start, and once one of those little cells gives way, it excites all the other ones, and then the reaction just takes off and goes, these batteries can reach temperatures of 1800 degrees. Water is not a good idea for trying to put these fires out. It won't stop the reaction. It won't even really slow it down."

Morey, a volunteer firefighter, smothered the battery with a towel and tossed it outside onto a concrete pad well away from the house, while his girlfriend called 911.

Read the full story HERE.

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The Wyoming Republican Party can't use its autonomy rights as a shield when sued if it "sat on" them for 40 years, an attorney suing the party argues. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that GOP Chair Bryan Miller says the party's rights have been violated for decades.

"So while being sued, they're saying, well, well, well, we have these rights. And the attorney suing them filed an argument here recently where she said, if you had these rights for 40 years, why are you just now using them as a defense when we've, I guess, dwelt in the uncertainty, and ponied up our money to to challenge you. And Chair Bryan Miller told me, 'Well, we only just recently found out about the case, though, and so we haven't been sitting on our rights.'"

A group of Hot Springs County Republican Party leaders sued the Wyoming Republican Party, its Dispute Resolution Committee and a few of its officials last year, alleging that the party violated state law by giving voting power to outgoing officials who weren't precinct delegates chosen by a vote of the people.

Read the full story HERE.

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I'll be back with more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily news continues now…

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Just a day after two hikers were mauled by a grizzly in Yellowstone, tourists yelled back at rangers warning them to get away from grizzlies and wolves on Tuesday. Outdoors Reports Mark Heinz reports that a Park Service biologist says tourists just weren't heeding the rangers warnings to back up.

"The Yellowstone bear biologist was speaking to the interagency grizzly committee today in Bozeman, and he remarked that at that scene, at that scene by the river, where the wolves and Grizzlies were gathered around the carcass, people kept crowding them, and they'd they'd set up 100 yard perimeter, because that's the rule. And he said, When Park personnel, when we started, you know, trying to push them back, they started yelling at us to leave. When you can't think people's behavior can get any worse. It does."

The wolves and bears had been acting aggressively toward each other, getting into clashes over who got first dibs on the bison carcass that was in the river.

Read the full story HERE.

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BWXT has lined up its first customer for the $500 million TRISO nuclear fuel plant it's building in Gillette. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that a company official says once you have a licensed nuclear facility, it's a very powerful asset.

"It's really good news for Gillette on the economic front, because, you know, it's just going to bolster that project. That project still in the contract negotiation space with BWXT. Wyoming did contribute $100 million grant to the project. The company is going to put in another $400 million we're talking about a half a billion dollar manufacturing plant getting set up in Wyoming and Gillette. It'll be one of the few industries where we're vertically integrating that production that we do in Wyoming."

The timeline for the new project in Gillette calls for breaking ground sometime in 2028, and for the plant to be operational sometime in 2030 or 2031.

Read the full story HERE.

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A Lander 18-year-old charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of a Loaf N' Jug clerk two weeks ago wants to apologize "face to face." Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the defendant wrote a letter to the judge stating he's not a violent person.

"Following his preliminary hearing on April 30, 18 year old Lorenzo Hopper wrote a letter to the judge asking if he could apologize to the victim face to face. He also, in the letter, apologized for his relatives actions during the preliminary hearing that was only hours before he wrote the letter. Also in the letter to the judge, Hopper says that he's not a violent person or a thief, though his actions show otherwise. If convicted for attempted murder in the first degree, Hopper faces life in prison after the preliminary hearing, his case was bound over to District Court."

The apology comes two weeks after police say Hopper stabbed the clerk three times in the back with a stolen knife.

Read the full story HERE.

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The first week of May in southeast Wyoming has been snowier than at any time during this past winter, which has been over for weeks. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that meteorologist Don Day says the wet weather was "a nice, big event."

"Totals are still being calculated, but based on numbers coming in from southern Wyoming and northern Colorado, the last two days have been the most snow and precipitation that these regions have received in a 24 hour period all winter. Cheyenne reported over an inch of water. Cowboy city daily meteorologist Don Day said it was 'a million dollar storm' in terms of the benefits that it would bring. And it does have a lot of benefits, but conversely, it just shows how pathetic the winter was. And those are his words, not mine, because this is the typical storm that you would expect for the beginning of May."

The much-needed moisture wasn't enough to break