Gov. Matt Mead said the federal Environmental Protection Agency was wrong to mandate a change to the Wind River Reservation boundaries that would place Riverton and other areas within tribal boundaries.

Mead continued his criticism of the EPA's decision during a speech to the Wyoming Press Association during its convention in Laramie Friday. The governor said he has asked the agency to review and reverse its decision.

"It's problematic," he said. "It's problematic that the EPA does this."

The fact that the EPA felt it could expand the reservation also means it could decrease it at some point, Mead said. That would also be wrong.

He said the EPA decision is contrary to history and established case law.

"To me, what the EPA has done is outrageous," Mead said.

He said if the decision is upheld, some people who are behind bars for crimes as serious as murder or rape could ask to have their conviction voided, claiming the court did not have proper jurisdiction. It could also make things difficult for law enforcement officers, who may find their authority challenged.

The governor also touched on other topics during his speech, then took questions from the roomful of journalists.

He said he is very optimistic about the state's economy, citing studies and reports that show very good times indeed in the state. Mead, a Republican, could have been making a campaign speech as he considers a run for a second term. He has yet to announce his plans, but is widely seen as a candidate this year.

"I think Wyoming is in good shape," Mead said. "If you think of Wyoming as a stock, it's a good bet."

He said he hopes the Legislature approves his proposal to send $175 million to local governments, up from $135 million the last time he asked for local government funding.

Mead said local governments know what potholes to fill, streets to maintain and bridges to fix. In addition, most job creation happens on the local level, so that is an area that deserves support from the state, he said.

The proposed budget the Legislature will address in February calls for $3.3 billion in spending, almost exactly the same total as it faced for the previous biennium.

Mead said while there a "question of process" over the manner in which the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees named Dick McGinity president of the university on Thursday, removing the "interim" from the title he was given in November, he has a lot of confidence in McGinity.

"I think he is a stellar guy," Mead said.

The governor said he feels the legalization of marijuana in Colorado will cause problems in that state and in Wyoming. People who buy pot in Colorado will not stop at the border and throw it out before entering Wyoming, he said.

"I think it will increase the amount of marijuana in Wyoming," Mead said.

He said he does not favor legalizing the drug in Wyoming. The state has enough problems with substance abuse, Mead said, and it is still against federal law.

"I'm against it," he said.

Mead said he is often asked when people can start buying lottery tickets in Wyoming. The state has legalized the sale of lottery tickets, and some thought they would go on sale in January.

But he said he has advised the new lottery director to go slow and only start sales when everything is in place. You only get one chance to launch such an enterprise, Mead said, so it may not start until this summer or fall.

"We just don't know," the governor said.

He said he has been in contact with the family of Andrew McAdams, the Wyoming National Guard soldier who died in Afghanistan on Jan. 10.

"It's been a difficult time," Mead said.