Wyoming is first state to reject science standards

Wyoming is the first state to reject adopting new K-12 science standards proposed by national education groups.

The Wyoming Board of Education decided recently that the Next Generation Science Standards need more review after questions were raised about how the standards address man-made global warming.

Wyoming is the nation's leading coal producing state.

Opponents argue the standards incorrectly assert that man-made emissions are the main cause of global warming.

Supporters of the standards say the climate-change components are based on sound science developed by leading scientific organizations around the world.

A California science instructor who reviewed the standards for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative think tank that focuses on education issues, says the standards are so difficult to navigate that they can cause confusion about its climate-change components.