Green River Star -

By now, even casual observers recognize that Wyoming’s near single-minded reliance on mineral revenues leaves the state vulnerable to wild swings of boom-and-bust volatility and makes funding the basic functions of government a dicey proposition in bust times like these.

What readers may not realize, however, is that other states with similar economies and political environments have figured out how to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket.

Take West Virginia for example.

Wyoming and West Virginia each have claimed coal as one of their major resources for decades. West Virginia...