CHEYENNE — Gov. Dave Freudenthal has urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay action on pending federal legislation he says would reduce states’ authority to oversee energy development.

Freudenthal wrote to Pelosi on Tuesday warning that the measure would rob states of their traditional role of overseeing energy production in their states.

Freudenthal’s letter comes as dozens of environmental groups have been urging Pelosi and other congressional leaders not to overlook increased regulation of onshore drilling amid debate on how to prevent another oil spill like the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

Freudenthal said Wyoming has had its own effective regulation of its oil and gas industries for decades and doesn’t need more federal interference.