CHEYENNE - Researchers and academics in Wyoming need latitude to present their ideas and opinions without fear of political retaliation, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said Friday.

Even lawmakers need to refrain from targeting UW programs and faculty members who espouse unpopular or controversial beliefs, he said.

"That's hard," Freudenthal said during a meeting with the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees. "The tradition has been that if you don't like their book, we call for the faculty member to be fired."

The comments came one day after the Legislature's Joint Appropriations Committee failed to endorse a portion of Freudenthal's budget earmarked for UW's Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources. The governor had recommended a $500,000 funding increase for the institute.

Freudenthal said some lawmakers are still upset about a report by the Ruckelshaus Institute, an advisory board on environmental and natural resource issues, that was critical of Wyoming's coal-bed methane industry.

Freudenthal encouraged the UW trustees to foster a university culture where the free flow of ideas, even controversial ones, are encouraged.

And he said people in Wyoming shouldn't be surprised when UW faculty members express opinions that aren't popular with every group or industry.

"The university should be a place for all of these ideas to come out," Freudenthal said. "It doesn't mean I'm going to agree with them, but I think they're entitled to articulate them."

Sen. Philip Nicholas, R-Laramie, co-chairman of the Joint Appropriations Committee, said that in this case some lawmakers were simply uncomfortable with the policies being advocated by the Ruckelshaus Institute.

Personally, Nicholas said, he questioned the funding because it did not directly support the educational mission of the university.

"The lines got blurred because we weren't sure if we were being asked to fund the educational mission of the university or a public policy mission statement," Nicholas said.

Rep. Pete Jorgensen, D-Jackson, said he thinks the governor's comments were on the mark.

"It was a good observation by the governor," said Jorgensen, who also serves as a member of the Ruckelshaus Institute board of directors.

Rep. Frank Philp, R-Shoshoni, Joint Appropriations Committee co-chairman, said lawmakers have every right to call into question academic opinions or reports that they believe are inaccurate.

"If it appears to be false or misleading, we have to hold them accountable," Philp said.

That said, state funding for the Ruckelshaus Institute isn't necessarily off the table, Philp said.

It's early in the state budget process, and the money could easily be restored when the Legislature meets next month, he added.

Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at {M3jared.miller@trib.com.