Legislators are in a fine position to support Wyoming's energy industry while taking steps to curb its effects on our natural resources. The partnership between Wyoming and the energy industry is one to be proud of.

As they proved this month, however, what legislators are not equipped to do is determine science standards for Wyoming students.

In fact, given the legal confusion surrounding the exact meaning of the budget footnote that blocks the science standards, they aren't even capable of writing a clear directive on what path the state should take. Education advocates still don't know: Has the state ruled out considering the standards entirely? Or does Wyoming have the option to adopt an amended version, whitewashing the truth about climate change?

You don't have to have scientific knowledge to become a legislator. So a 30-member panel of science specialists vetted the standards and unanimously recommended that the state board of education adopt them. Our lawmakers, deciding they knew better, ignored that endorsement.