"[The standards] handle global warming as settled science," said Rep. Matt Teeters, a Republican from Lingle who was one of the footnote's authors. "There's all kind of social implications involved in that that I don't think would be good for Wyoming."

Teeters said teaching global warming as fact would wreck Wyoming's economy, as the state is the nation's largest energy exporter, and cause other unwanted political ramifications.

Micheli, the state board of education chairman, agreed.

"I don't accept, personally, that [climate change] is a fact," Micheli said. "[The standards are] very prejudiced in my opinion against fossil-fuel development."

For Pete Gosar, that's not a reason to avoid teaching good science.

"Over the last few years in Wyoming, we’ve injected politics into education time and again and it has been less than successful," said Gosar, a member of the state board of education and chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party. "And so here we go again."

What is taught in math or science should not be swayed by public opinion, Gosar said. Removing the Next Generation Science Standards from the state board's options does not help the state board do its job, he said.