Thank you to our members and supporters for your interest and engagement in the 2016 Wyoming legislative session!

With your help we had a fairly good session this year and below is a summary of the outcome of the many bills we were watching.

You may not see a lot of change since our mid-session update, because as expected with a 20-day budget session, a flurry of activity occurs during the first two weeks and bills are weeded out by mid-session.

Looking ahead, we see many opportunities to continue our positive impact on state legislative work through engagement with committees during the interim.

Legislative committees—such as Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources, or Minerals, Business and Economic Development—meet throughout the interim between sessions. These “joint” committees (they are conducted jointly between the House and Senate) hold their meetings around the state and provide an opportunity for easy attendance.

Each committee has a list of topics they will study during this time and may develop draft legislation resulting from this work. Interim work is a great way to get in on the ground floor of crafting legislation for our state.

The list of approved interim study topics was quite delayed this year, but it’s now available on the LSO website here.

Also, you can review the schedules for these meetings and see if a committee will be meeting close to your home via this link.

Here are some of the interim study topics that we will be watching in the next 9 months:

• Rollout of the report and future legislation on the hypothetical state management of federal public lands—in Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee.
• Increased use of renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.) on homes, businesses and other institutions (net-metering) and costs—in Corporations Committee.
• Sustainability and Commission authority of Game and Fish Department funding—in Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee.
• Department of Environmental Quality & energy related topics, including possibly oil and gas well bonding, coal reclamation & bonding, Clean Power Plan, commercial oilfield sites, and Industrial Siting Council.

Please let me know if you might have a special interest in any of these topics, and we’ll keep you apprised of the meetings. We invite you to be part of this interim study work, and be assured, the Wyoming Outdoor Council will stay engaged on your behalf!

Steff Kessler, stephanie [at] wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org

Recap of the 2016 Session Bills we supported:

SF 8—Bicycle and pedestrian system task force. PASSED.

SF 53—Large project funding. Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust large projects to enhance habitat. PASSED

SF 7, SF 39, and HB 28—A series of bills supporting landfill cleanup around the state and protection of groundwater from leaks and contamination. PASSED.

SF 93—Net metering. WITHDRAWN BUT NOW AN INTERIM STUDY TOPIC.

SF 64—Industrial siting permit amendments. Required updating of socioeconomic data when permits become stale after many years. FAILED BUT POSSIBLY AN INTERIM STUDY TOPIC.

Bills or budget amendments we opposed:

HB 12—Mountain lion trapping. FAILED.

HB 18—Wolves and grizzly bears. FAILED.

HB 126—Public land access. FAILED.

HB 142—Transfer of federal lands. FAILED.

HB 146—Solid and hazardous waste management rule-making. FAILED.

Budget amendments we opposed:

$712,5000 raid on Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust. FAILED.

$8.4 million raid on the Wildlife Trust. WITHDRAWN.

$800,000 reduction in general fund support for the Game and Fish department’s aquatic invasive species program. FAILED.

Approximately $500,000 reduction in Department of Environmental Quality expenditures for air quality and other work associated with the Clean Power Plan. FAILED.

Bills and budget items we were monitoring or working to improve:

SF 28—Carbon capture, storage and sequestration. We suggested an amendment that was adopted, but still have concerns with the final version and will monitor its implementation. PASSED.

SF 75 and SF 76—Trespass data bills. Some positive changes were made including removing the inclusion of activity on “public land” and the targeting of information provided to government agencies. Nevertheless, we believe the law still has constitutional problems. PASSED.

SF 88—State lands in Grand Teton National Park. FAILED.

Clean Power Plan footnote on the Senate version of the budget. The original amendment prohibited the Department of Environmental Quality from using funds to develop a state plan to comply with the Clean Power Plan. We opposed that amendment so as to ensure the state could continue research, study and stakeholder engagement and develop its expertise on this topic. That first amendment passed, but a later amendment revised the language, allowing DEQ latitude to continue its necessary study of the issue.

With a consistent presence at the Capitol, timely research, and strong citizen engagement, the Wyoming Outdoor Council supported good legislation, opposed a number of harmful bills, and helped to improve others in the first two weeks of the Wyoming State legislative session.

Read on for a recap of last week’s action and a look ahead:

Bills we support:

SF 8 – Bicycle and pedestrian system task force. 

SF 53 – Large project funding. This is a legislative approval bill for the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust proposed projects to enhance habitat.

A series of bills that support landfill cleanup around the state and protect groundwater from leaks and contamination: SF 7, SF 39, and HB 28. These bills greatly assist counties and have not required work on our part, but we support these bills.

Bills or budget amendments we opposed that failed:

HB 12 – Mountain lion trapping. Failed on introduction.

HB 18 – Wolves and grizzly bears. Failed in committee.

HB 126 – Public land access. Failed on introduction.

HB 142 – Transfer of federal lands. Failed to receive a vote.

HB 146 – Solid and hazardous waste management rule-making. Failed to receive a vote.

Senate amendments:

$712,5000 raid on Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust operational funds. Failed on vote.

$6 million reduction in operational funds and $8.4 million raid on the Wildlife Trust. Withdrawn after earlier failed vote.

House amendments:

$800,000 reduction in general fund support for the Game and Fish department’s aquatic invasive species program. Failed on vote.

Approximately $500,000 reduction in Department of Environmental Quality expenditures for air quality and other work associated with the Clean Power Plan. Failed on vote.

Bills we supported that failed:

SF 93 – Net metering. We were glad to obtain a sponsor for this bill, but it was withdrawn before a vote and the sponsor now encourages an interim study for next session, which we support.

SF 64 – Industrial siting permit amendments, which required updating of socioeconomic data when permits become stale after many years. Died in committee.

Bills/budget items we are monitoring

SF 28 – Carbon capture, storage and sequestration. We suggested an amendment that was adopted, but it still needs improvement to include public notice for adjacent and subsurface landowners.

SF 75 and SF 76 – Trespass data bills. These bills attempt to correct the unconstitutional provisions in last year’s data trespass legislation. The issues we raised in committee were eventually included in amendments and overall, the changes are moving in the right direction: to remove the inclusion of activity on or crossing “public land.” Short of an outright repeal of the laws, however, we do not think the unconstitutionality can be fully addressed.

SF 88 – State lands in Grand Teton National Park. The National Parks and Conservation Association is leading the work on this bill and we will provide help if needed.

Clean Power Plan footnote on the Senate version of the budget. The original amendment prohibited the Department of Environmental Quality from using funds to develop a state plan to comply with the Clean Power Plan. We opposed that amendment to ensure the state could continue research, study and stakeholder engagement as needed and not fall behind in developing its expertise on this topic. That first amendment passed in a close vote, but a later amendment revised the language, allowing DEQ latitude to continue its necessary study of the issue.

Stay tuned to Facebook, and these blog posts throughout the session to learn about opportunities to participate!

Thank you to our many members and friends who contacted legislators last week and for your civic interest in our Legislature’s work! We started the second week of the 2016 Wyoming State Legislature today with a narrowed field of bills we’re tracking.

Read on for a quick look at this week’s action and please be sure to join us for our legislative reception from 6-8 p.m. at Little America on Thursday evening if you’ll be in Cheyenne!

Continue reading Legislative Watch: Bills We’re Tracking in Week Two →

Great news! The land grab bills we warned you about yesterday will not advance in the Wyoming State House of Representatives.

HB 126 – Public land access was voted down 52-7, and the House stopped hearing new bills before HB 142 – Transfer of public lands could be considered, meaning both are dead for the rest of the session.

Click here to thank your legislator who voted against House Bill 126. Find a breakdown of the vote here.

This victory is a direct result of your involvement. Legislators heard from their constituents loud and clear that public lands are an essential part of Wyoming’s quality of life, and we do not want to see them sold off to the highest bidder. Thank you for reaching out to your legislators, and thanks to our many recreation, sportsmen, and other conservation group partners for their roles in this effort!

We need your help as soon as possible to stop attempted land grab efforts in Wyoming. Now is the time to stop the land grab make your voice heard!

Two bills have been listed at the 2016 Wyoming State Legislature that aim to seize and privatize our national forests and other public lands. These bad bills are part of a multi-year, incremental strategy by some legislators to take over our treasured national forests, parks, and other public lands in Wyoming. Cloaked in proposals to “study” management or other aspects of land use, they set the stage for a pseudo-legal framework to seize these lands, increase development, and sell off our outdoor heritage.

We need to send a clear message that these bills do not reflect the will of the people of Wyoming. Help us by contacting your legislators now and letting them know that you strongly oppose House Bills 126 and 142. Read on for more details about these bills.

Continue reading Legislative Watch: Stop the Land Grab →

The 2016 Wyoming State legislative session began yesterday and is now in full swing! We have already seen a lot of action on conservation-related issues. Read on for a summary of today’s goings-on along with some late-breaking news.

Senate Files:

SF 8 – Bicycle and pedestrian system task force passed the Senate Travel, Recreation, and Wildlife committee unanimously this morning, and will be coming up before the full Senate soon. We support this bill, which would create a task force to study the benefits and opportunities of bicycle pathways and natural surface trails in Wyoming. Bicycle pathways promote community health and connectivity while providing economic benefits throughout the state. Click here to thank the Senators on the Travel, Recreation and Wildlife committee for their affirmative votes.

SF 53 – 2016 Large project funding (projects identified for funding by the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust to protect or enhance wildlife habitat). We support this bill and we’ll be looking for it to arrive in the Senate Agriculture committee this week.

House Bills:

HB 12 – Mountain lion trapping, has failed introduction. Its failure is good news. We opposed this ill-conceived bill. Thanks for all the public comments sent to legislators on this topic.

HB 18 – Wolves and grizzly bears-limited state action. This bill squeaked by introduction and will be considered by the House Travel, Recreation and Wildlife committee this Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. We oppose this bill. It would set a bad precedent by prohibiting Wyoming law enforcement from assisting in investigations of illegal kills of these endangered species. Passage of this bill could also jeopardize Wyoming’s future state management of these species.

Late-breaking news

Two bills have been introduced, SF 75 and SF 76, to amend the state’s trespass data laws that were passed last session. We opposed the bad trespass bills last year and we hope these current bills are an opportunity to drastically improve this troubling law. Stay tuned for further updates.

Please get in touch if you have any questions about participating in this year’s legislative session:

Stephanie Kessler, Director of External Relations
Amy Rathke, Community Engagement Director