Wyoming has always had an open-for-business philosophy, especially when it comes to energy development. But some in the wind energy industry may beg to differ.

Wyoming lawmakers recently moved up the sunset date for a sales and use tax for commercial wind facilities. And last week, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said wind energy would be banned from sage grouse core areas.

It's a far cry from the reception coal-bed methane gas received when it rolled into northeast Wyoming in the late 1990s. Those entrepreneurs, who also benefited from a subsidy known as the "unconventional fuels" tax credit, were welcomed with a "Go Blue" letter campaign from the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments.

State officials urged the newcomers to set up shop on state lands while the federal government conducted its mandated environmental analysis. And when the federal government completed its environmental impact statement, it allowed the industry to move forward with an "adaptive management" approach to sage grouse.

Back then, the reasoning behind the lenient adaptive management approach was that no one really understood what the impact of coal-bed methane development might be on sage grouse. Much like no one really understands what the impact of wind energy development might be on sage grouse today.

The difference today, obviously, is the very real possibility that the sage grouse may be listed as a threatened and endangered species.

By allowing the coal-bed methane gas industry to move forward with full-scale development (a federally mandated 3,000 wells per year), the state discovered that the industry indeed had an impact on the bird.

And whether it seems fair or not, wind energy is not going to get the same benefit of the doubt with an endangered species listing in the balance.

Just living under the threat of a listing is a game-changer. Case in point: The state's core areas plan is the first time that a prospective developer wind, oil, gas, gold-panner must prove there'll be no harm done to sage grouse before work begins.

That notion was loudly scoffed at just 10 years ago.

Energy reporter Dustin Bleizeffer can be reached at (307) 577-6069 or dustin.bleizeffer@trib.com. Check out Dustin's blog at tribtown.trib.com/DustinBleizeffer/blog.