Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 1

15 CASPERr noime Dean's Sporting Goods closing doorsA3 Satellite TV merger nixedA8 WYOMING'S STATEWIDE NEWSPAPER FOUNDED IN 1891 Ccrsss vctss Cush ussr pcgsis The breakdown ol the House vole on the Iraq resolution: Vas 215 Republicans No 6 Republicans H(Me passes war resolution 126 Democrats 81 Democrats 1M Total Casper reactsA3 1 1ndependent 133 Total Democrat ca Independent MM Republican en AP Senate poised to do same By TOM RAUM Associated Press writer with staff reports WASHINGTON The House voted 296-133 Thursday to give President Bush the broad authority he sought to use military force said immediately after the vote. Senate sponsors later succeeded in defeating all efforts to weaken the proposal, opening the way for a final vote late Thursday or early Friday. "It is clear that we have lost this battle in the Senate," said Sen. Robert Byrd, the most outspoken Senate foe of the resolution. Byrd accused Congress of "handing the president unchecked authority." While Bush hailed the strong showing, a majority of House Democrats voted against the resolution even though their leader, Dick Gephardt of Missouri, was one of its authors.

"The issue is how to best protect America. And I believe this resolution does that," Gephardt said. The Senate was working on the same resolution, voting 73-25 to choke off delaying tactics and move toward a final vote Please see IRAQ, A12 against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein with or without U.N. support. The Senate was poised to do the same and to deliver Bush a major national security policy victory.

'The House of Representatives has spoken clearly to the world and to the United Nations Security Council: The gathering threat of Iraq must be confronted fully and finally," Bush Did not vote 3 Vacancies 3 No votes Total safety I ii (tit A. 12 SOURCE: Associated Pn Gas traders fired over false pricing information Officials don 't know if Rockies gas affected By DUSTIN BLEIZEFFER Star-Tribune energy reporter GILLETTE American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has fired five of its employees who allegedly provided false price information to energy publications that compile natural gas market indices a daily, weekly and monthly estimated value of natural gas traded at certain points in the nation. Buyers and sellers of natural gas use the indices as a base for negotiating contracts. Many in the energy industry worry that misreporting the price information could cause the indices to reflect an inaccurate value of gas. Many producers, middleman marketers and end users voluntarily supply prices of their Individual contracts to several energy publications that compile price indices.

Dynegy (NYSE: DYN) and Williams (NYSE: WMB) are also conducting their own internal investigations of similar falsified price reporting practices in their gas trading divisions, according to a Dynegy spokesman and En-erfax Daily. Williams didn't respond to inquiries Thursday. AEP spokesman Pat Hemlepp said his company's false reporting involved only trading points in the Gulf Coast. "To be quite honest, we don't believe that any data that they (the five fired employees) supplied inaccurately would have had any impact on the index itself," Hemlepp said in a phone interview Thursday. Hemlepp said energy publications have made assurances that a limited number of false price reports are not enough to skew index prices.

In an interview earlier this week, Gas Daily markets editor Tom Haywood told the Star-Tribune that his index survey staff has many checks and balances to Please see GAS, A 12 4...., ED ANDRIESKIAP Gene Powers, left, coowner of Hawkins Powers Aviation of Greybull, testifies at a hearing in Golden, Thursday about problems in aerial firefighting. Powers criticized bidding practices employed by the US. Forest Service. Company says it's sacrificial lamb Wildfire information tween 25 and 30 employees, down from about 80 employees a year ago, he said. If elected governor, Bebout can apply this business experience to economic development, he said.

"The working men and women of Wyoming can count on me to do everything I can to bring more high-quality, good-paying jobs to our great state." Bebout's business interests include Nucor, a water, environmental, subsidence and oil and gas drilling company; Nucor Oil Gas, an exploration and production company; investments in real estate and Please see BEBOUT, A4 4 A Iraq takes reporters on tour BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP)-Iraqi generals threw open a sprawling complex Thursday that the United States suspects may be developing nuclear arms. Iraq insists it turns out nothing more deadly than toothbrushes. As Western and Iraqi reporters clambered on machine parts or skidded on machine oil, the latest tour showed what past outings have: How hard it would be for any eyes untrained, in the skies, or expert -to see what Saddam Hussein might wish concealed. "This shows that this site has nothing to hide. You can see for yourself," said Gen.

Hussan Mohammed Amin, surrounded by machine parts heavily shrouded in plastic. The stacks of covered gear were machines that workers dismantled and scattered for fear of a U.S. attack, said Amin, director-general of the Iraqi commission that has worked with U.N. arms inspectors. "I told the people here they should have buried them" for protection, the general added under his breath.

Journalists were told the plant made dies, molds, and steel structures. Iraq's top military industrialization minister repeated Thursday that his country has no pro grams for weapons of mass destruction but said it could retaliate for any attack nonetheless. "If the Americans commit another such crime against us, we will teach them something they will never forget," Gen. Abdel Tawab Mullah Huweish said at a news conference in Baghdad. Sprawling over two square miles north of Baghdad, the Nassr industrial site twice has been the target of U.S.-led attacks during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and in 1998 after U.N.

inspectors withdrew to protest what they called Iraq's nonco-operation with efforts to monitor its weapons programs. After each strike it was rebuilt. U.N. resolutions after the Gulf War ordered Iraq to destroy all nuclear, biological and chemical weapon programs and the missiles to deliver such arms. Please see TOUR, A12 cusations by Bush that they had delayed a measure urgently needed in the U.S.

effort against terrorism. Most of Congress' budget work has been stalled because Bush wants to spend less than Democrats and even some Republicans want. The bill's popularity was also a tribute to the billions it would spend from coast to coast for weapons and other equipment. Included was $3.3 billion for 15 Air Force C-17 transport aircraft, $586 million more than Bush requested, which the Boeing Co. has been building in Long Beach, and $270 million Please see DEFENSE, A 12 Powers accuses Forest Service of fighting fires on the cheap By JENNIFER HAMILTON Associated fVess writer LAKEWOOD, Colo.

Calling his company a "sacrificial lamb" for problems in aerial firefighting, the owner of two planes that crashed while fighting wildfires this summer said the government tries to fight fires on the cheap, refusing to spend the money needed for a top-notch maintenance program, "Our company and our industry has had our own little 9-11 right here," Gene Powers, owner of Hawkins Air Tanker 123, a PB4Y2 operated by Hawkins Powers Aviation drops Please see POWERS, A12 its load of fire retardant on the Big Elk Fire on July 18 near Lyons, Colo. Bebout releases financial House OKs $355B defense bill FILEAP shone on the congressional debate over authorizing Bush to use force against Iraq, the massive defense spending package one-sixth of the entire federal budget underlined the bipartisan consensus behind beefing up the military. Quick Senate approval was also expected. "Now more than ever, we must secure our nation's security," said Rep. Sue Myrick, The bill's 409-14 passage, less than four weeks before congressional elections, also reflected a desire by Democrats to head off campaign-season ac- The grouch ft appears to be the only thing the feds do on the cheap ous business interests in Wyoming," Bebout said.

The former House speaker from Riverton credited part of his success to the efforts of his brother Nick, he said. "My brother and I started with nothing and built our businesses to this level over the years." They took a lot of risks, especially during the 1990s, Bebout said. "Working hard with my family and brother, we have created hundreds of jobs the independent way, through risk-taking, opportunity seeking and business planning." His companies now have be Pentagon buildup to combat terrorism By ALAN FRAM Associated Press writer WASHINGTON The House overwhelmingly approved a compromise $355.4 billion defense bill on Thursday brimming with money for new destroyers, helicopters and missiles and granting President Bush most of the Pentagon buildup he requested following last year's terrorist attacks. While the day's spotlight Today 1 Governor hopeful is a millionaire By TOM MORTON Star-Tribune staff writer Republican gubernatorial candidate Eli Bebout and his wife Lorraine have nearly $6 million in net worth, and paid just over $123,000 in federal taxes on Income in 2001 that exceeded $500,000, according to personal and business financial information released Thursday. "I am proud of the fact that I'm a self-made businessman who has found success in vari Inside: Advisers, B4 Casper Area, A3 Classified, C2 Comics, B5.C5 Crossword, C5 Letters, All Markets, A6 Movies, Obituaries, Open Opinion, Sports, Weather, World, Wyoming, Open Spaces Many hunters are waiting for wintry weather to encourage ducks and geese to migrate through the state and into their favorite wetlandCl B4 B3 Spaces, CI A10 Dl B6 A5 Bl 6226 Wyoming's statewide newspaper.

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