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Legislature

Say “Thanks” to your legislators who worked for conservation

Posted on by Steff Kessler

Wyoming’s legislative session wrapped two weeks ago after tremendous work from your legislators, who had to address hundreds of bills while also crafting the state’s budget for the next two years. As they made the important decisions required to move the state forward, they made time for personal conversations and testimony from us and numerous stakeholders, and engaged with citizens over phone and email. It’s a big job — and, since Wyoming has a citizen legislature, they do it all as volunteers.

Your legislators put in an incredible amount of work, especially during the fast-paced budget session. Please join us in expressing your thanks! The button below will take you to a form where you can draft an email that will go to your senator and representative. Please  personalize the message!

THANK YOUR REPS!


The session provides us with a direct opportunity to see legislators hard at work, and we at the Outdoor Council try often to give our personal thanks. But it’s also important to take the time to thank the legislators who made a significant difference this year. 

HEROES OF THE SENATE

We would like to thank Chairman Bill Landen (Casper) and the Senate Corporations committee for their work stewarding Senate File 36, Large scale solar and wind energy facilities, through multiple long nights and complex negotiations with stakeholders. This bill creates an important first step toward a more comprehensive approach to siting industrial solar and wind facilities — a topic we hope to carry forward into future sessions! Thanks to this entire committee for their depth of work and engagement on this issue. We’d like to thank each Senator by name due to the extraordinary work that this bill entailed!

  • Sen. Wendy Schuler (Evanston)
  • Sen. Cale Case (Lander)
  • Sen. Charlie Scott (Casper)
  • Sen. Tara Nethercott (Cheyenne) 

HEROES OF THE HOUSE

This year, we’d like to thank Chairman Mike Greear (Worland) and the House Minerals committee for their commitment to transparency, wise stewardship of resources, and extensive work over the interim. While we don’t see eye to eye with the committee on all issues, we have found that House Minerals prioritizes public process, due diligence, and having detailed, thoughtful discussions about each issue before them. We found this committee’s work and discussions on House Bill 13, Sage grouse mitigation credits (a vital bill that codifies a key part of the state’s sage grouse strategy) and Senate File 110 (a bill that would have analyzed the private property value of all public lands in Wyoming) to be particularly thoughtful. Thank you!

NEW CONSERVATION LOBBYISTS OF THE YEAR

We have two conservation lobbyists to thank this year as relative newcomers to the legislative session. Jenny DeSarro (Cody) from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is a seasoned advocate who’s no stranger to the legislature, but this year came down for her first lengthy stint lobbying for GYC. Her work ethic and the quality of her engagement were tremendous. We would also like to recognize Liz Rose (Cheyenne) from Trout Unlimited, who came on board shortly before the session and made a powerful impression on legislators and lobbyists alike. Her work to represent TU’s many members on all issues related to fisheries was exemplary. 

THANKS TO THESE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS

  • The leadership of the House of Representatives, especially House Majority Floor Leader Eric Barlow (Gillette) and Speaker Pro Tempore Albert Sommers (Pinedale), for offering sage advice and assistance. 
  • We would also like to thank Rep. Sommers for his service on the Appropriations committee, and his work to ensure that the Department of Environmental Quality had adequate funding to monitor and safeguard air quality in the Upper Green River Basin. Thanks as well to Rep. Andy Schwartz (Jackson) for his work on this same committee, his helpful advice, and his efforts to improve a bill focused on Teton County state lands parcels. 
  • Rep. Cyrus Western (Sheridan), Sen. Fred Baldwin (Kemmerer), and Sen. Cale Case (Lander) for their work bringing budget amendments to the House and Senate, respectively, to increase funding in the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust to support wildlife crossings work. Thanks to their advocacy, $3 million of additional funding for crossings is included in this year’s budget. 
  • Chairman Eric Barlow (Gillette) and Chairman Drew Perkins (Casper) for their powerful work leading the Select Committee on Coal/Mineral Bankruptcies, which brought several critical bills that address the impact of energy economy transitions in Wyoming communities — especially the impact on workers. We also want to recognize Rep. Scott Clem and Sen. Michael Von Flatern (both of Gillette) for their strong work vocalizing the importance of bills from this committee that will be vital to their constituents. 
  • Rep. Mike Yin (Jackson) for his work to advocate for the future of outdoor recreation in the state, and for being a thoughtful voice on the House floor. 
  • Chairman Tyler Lindholm (Sundance) for his strong leadership in successfully shepherding Senate File 36 on industrial siting of wind and solar facilities through the House. 
  • Joint Agriculture Chairmen Sen. Brian Boner (Douglas) and Rep. Hans Hunt (Newcastle) for stewarding an important topic related to public access to state and federal lands via private-state land exchanges. We are grateful that this topic will be addressed by agency rulemaking. We would also like to thank these chairmen for continuing to lead on the topics of stranded state parcels.
  • Rep. Stan Blake (Green River) for being a consistent voice advocating for Wyoming wildlife, and for his work promoting worker and community safety in the public interest.
  • Rep. Sandy Newsome (Cody) for being a leader looking toward Wyoming’s future, for speaking up for the value of outdoor recreation in communities, and for her commitment to transparency and communication. 
  • Sen. Cale Case (Lander) and Sen. Chris Rothfuss (Laramie) for leading spirited, important floor debate on issues related to wildlife and Wyoming’s energy future. 
  • Rep. Shelly Duncan (Lingle) and Sen. Wendy Schuler (Evanston) for their work on the House Minerals committee and on the floor of the Senate, respectively, raising important questions about Senate File 110 and speaking to the value of wildlife and Wyoming’s outdoor heritage.  
  • Sen. Larry Hicks (Baggs) for standing up for big game, and for always being willing to explain his point of view, even when we agree to disagree. 
  • Rep. Jim Roscoe (Wilson/Alpine) for his work to encourage transparency in the management of state lands and for his thoughtful engagement on the floor. 
  • Sen. Liisa Anselmi-Dalton (Rock Springs) for being a strong advocate for Sweetwater County, and for her consistent support of wildlife and public lands.

AND FINALLY, SPECIAL THANKS TO …

  • Governor Mark Gordon and his policy staff, with whom we met regularly throughout the session. While we didn’t always agree, we appreciated the frank, open-door conversations, and our mutual work to find understanding and common ground. Extra special thanks to Bob Budd, director of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust, for his work as a stalwart advocate for our state’s wildlife and people. Thank you all for your leadership and commitment to the people of this state. 
  • The dedicated agency staff who put in long hours engaging and providing information to the legislature as they work on critical statewide issues. Your service is vital and much appreciated. 
  • Our five incredible citizen interns: Jorge Moreno (Lander), Lynne Huskinson (Gillette), Colleen Whalen and Joe Slack (Lander), and Elizabeth Traver (Laramie). Thanks for your incredible dedication, enthusiasm, and high-quality work. It was a pleasure to work with you and each of you made a difference. 
  • Partners, collaborators, allies, fellow advocates, and other interest groups. At the legislature, the importance of working together and listening to each others’ points of view can’t be overstated. In addition to conservation and sportsmen’s groups, some of our best work gets done when we sit down with groups from a wide range of interests. We don’t always find ourselves on the same side, but we always show respect to each other and seek mutual understanding. This session, we want to thank the following groups for your hard work, willingness to share your perspectives and ideas (and sometimes a cup of coffee) with us, and commitment to representing your members: 
    • Wyoming County Commissioners Association
    • Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association
    • Wyoming Stock Growers Association 
    • Wyoming Mining Association
    • Wyoming School Board Association 
    • Wyoming AFL-CIO
    • Wyoming League of Women Voters 
    • Civics307
    • Wyoming Education Association
    • Equality State Policy Center (and all our ESPC partners)

And to the conservation and sportsmen’s groups that worked to represent Wyoming conservation values throughout the session: 

  • Wyoming Wildlife Federation
  • Trout Unlimited
  • Greater Yellowstone Coalition 
  • Powder River Basin Resource Council 
  • The Nature Conservancy of Wyoming

Finally, and most importantly, thanks to YOU, our members and supporters. We could not achieve success at the legislature or advocate your conservation values without the enduring support that you provide. Thank you for your engagement. 

Wrapping up the 2020 budget session and preparing for what’s ahead

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

In the days since the Wyoming Legislature adjourned at the close of the 2020 budget session, the political and social reality of our state has shifted drastically, as we all face the public health and economic threats posed by COVID-19.

At times like these, we remind ourselves why we do our work: because we are proud of Wyoming as a community and the values we share — and because those values include helping our neighbors and pitching in to do the hard work when it’s most critical. As the Code of the West says, we must all “live each day with courage.” We are honored to represent you, and will continue working hard to advocate for our shared convictions about what makes Wyoming special and strong. 

In that spirit, this is our final legislative update of 2020, an accounting of the end of the session. Thank you again for working alongside us to protect the future of our state. We have mostly good news to share, and many legislators to thank (stay tuned for an email next week!) but there’s no doubt that the work will continue — especially the work to define the future of our state as we wrestle with challenging economic realities.

BILLS THAT LIVED AND DIED IN THE LAST WEEK

Our first good news of the week arrived March 9, as the House Minerals committee voted 5-4 against SF 110, a bill that would have evaluated the property tax equivalency of federal public lands and which was supported by many anti-public lands interests. In addition to our concerns with treating public lands as if they were private, we were not convinced spending $500,000 on such a study would provide any meaningful or economical benefits. A strong and diverse group of interests opposed this bill — and many of you voiced your concerns with your legislators. Thank you for your input, and thanks to the House Minerals committee for their thoughtful deliberation and decision not to move this bill forward. 

Meanwhile, another problematic bill — SF 75, Instream flow application process — died in the House without being heard for a first reading vote. This bill would have hampered the Game and Fish Department’s authority to make decisions about fisheries habitat, and inappropriately handed important decisions based strictly on biology to the Wyoming Water Development Commission. With the death of this bill, the balance between agencies making instream flow decisions remains intact. 

An important conservation bill passed muster in the Senate at the deadline: HB 13, Sage grouse mitigation credits. This bill codifies an important aspect of our state sage-grouse strategy that is not currently backed by federal policy. We were very glad to see this collaboratively built, extensively worked bill pass into law! 

Unfortunately, HB 200, Reliable and dispatchable low carbon energy standards, passed its third reading vote in the Senate despite several senators voicing their unease during floor debate. The bill requires utilities to invest in expensive carbon capture technologies that have yet to be made efficient at scale — an investment the companies will be legally entitled to pay for through hiking rates on Wyoming citizens. We anticipate extensive discussion on the implementation as there will be a lengthy rulemaking period, and will keep you informed. 

Some other major votes in the final week: 

  • After substantial floor debate and significant amendments, HB 159, Monthly payment of ad valorem tax on mineral production passed in the Senate. This bill will help ensure counties receive tax payments that fund vital services, including schools and special districts, in a timely fashion. 
  • The last day of the session involved extensive negotiation over mirror bills HB 249 and SF 138, which sought to authorize the purchase of one million acres from Occidental Petroleum in the checkerboard lands of southern Wyoming. SF 138 was the final version of the bill, and includes improvements to public process and transparency as well as a limit on how much money the state can take from the rainy day fund if the purchase is approved.

These bills are only a fraction of those that we tracked at the session related to Wyoming’s natural resources and communities. Thank you for staying with us and springing into action when your voice was most needed!

THE BUDGET AND VETOES

In the final week, legislators and advocates alike awaited the return of the final budget bill from the governor’s desk. When the budget was returned to legislators, it contained 19 line item vetoes, including two that were good decisions for conservation:

  • Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed an amendment that was inserted in the Senate, sponsored by Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, as a backstop to SF 110. In a letter explaining his veto, Gov. Gordon noted that it was inappropriate to include an amendment that mirrored a bill that did not pass, and that he shared the concerns of many legislators that the $500k investment would not provide a return. 
  • Gov. Gordon also vetoed a confusing budget amendment, run by Sen. Eli Bebout, which sought to codify that any “bottlenecks” created by wildlife crossing projects cannot be managed as migration corridors. Though this amendment was unlikely to have any impact on crossings projects or migration corridor management, it represented another concerning attempt from the legislature to micromanage wildlife habitat.

We are grateful to the governor for his leadership on these two vetoes.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Revenue and budget questions still loom large in the state. The downturn in global markets in early March cast a long shadow on the final days of negotiations, and we anticipate that the questions our legislators wrestled with are not going away anytime soon. 

What does this mean for the Wyoming Outdoor Council? It means that your engagement, and our shared efforts to create forward-looking opportunities for the future of this state, are more important than ever. 

Increasingly, revenue is a conservation issue. Without new ideas about how to fund our government, we will continue to see bills that attempt to insulate our extractive industries from changing markets and a shrinking demand for coal. This approach not only undervalues the natural resources that power our tourism and outdoor recreation sectors and fuel the heart of our communities — it jeopardizes them. For more on how the Outdoor Council and our members are thinking about the future of our state and its economy, check out our most recent Frontline. 

We’re trying to do our part by encouraging the legislature to take up several forward-looking topics in the upcoming interim. In the final committee meetings, we advocated that the legislature consider new revenue streams that can stably support wildlife, outdoor recreation, and schools; proactively work to create a statewide siting plan for renewable energy development; and consider how collaborative improvements to outdoor recreation access could enhance and strengthen communities around the state.

Most of the issues we face do not have short-term fixes, but we made some important first steps this session and look forward to continuing this work throughout 2020. Our legislators have large tasks ahead of them as they work to define our shared future, and with your support, the Outdoor Council will be there to lend a hand and continue advocating for a future that protects our state’s conservation heritage. 

Stay tuned. Next week, we’ll be sending around one of our most important legislative emails: our thank you email. Conservation successes in Cheyenne are only possible because of the hard work and dedication to public service embodied by so many of our legislators. We want to be sure to express our gratitude — and hope you’ll join us. 

And thank you. We know that in this time of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel disconnected and uneasy about our shared future. But we remain hopeful about the future of Wyoming thanks to you. We value your support and engagement more than we can say, and feel lucky and proud to count you as a member of our community.

As always, feel free to email me with any questions.

Be the voice of conservation at the Wyoming Legislature

Posted on by Steff Kessler

Each year the Wyoming State Legislature has the opportunity to pass bills that reflect our state’s shared conservation, outdoor recreation, and good governance values — or threaten them.

That’s why, when the 2020 budget session opens on February 10, the Wyoming Outdoor Council will have two full-time staff (and a team of interns) at the Capitol. We’ll spend the month-long session holding our state lawmakers accountable and defending state laws and policies that protect our public lands, wildlife, and clean air and water. On top of that, we’ll work to help legislators understand the relationships between climate change, revenue, and quality of life for Wyomingites, by focusing on opportunities to diversify the state’s economy that don’t jeopardize the values that make living here so special.

There are many things to be optimistic about at this year’s session: Pieces of legislation under consideration this year would create an Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, establish accounts to support projects that make highways safer for wildlife crossings, and create a mitigation credit system to help conserve sage-grouse habitat. And though it’s hard to say what bills will make it to the floor of the Legislature, there are also opportunities to improve public access to state lands, ensure the Department of Environmental Quality is able to field critical air quality inspectors in the natural gas fields of the Upper Green River Basin, and increase the transparency of government with better access to public records. 

Other bills on the docket are more problematic, including a misguided attempt to derail the designation and protection of big game migration corridors (as we saw in the interim). There’s hope, though. In the past few months, we’ve seen Wyomingites help defeat two interim bills: one that would have effectively crippled rooftop solar power in the state, and another that sought to make Wyoming the new storage site for the nation’s nuclear waste. 

We can do it again. 

None of us are in this alone, and here’s what you can do to make your voice heard in Cheyenne:


SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL ALERTS

Through timely emails, we’ll let you know how and when you can take action and make a difference as a citizen. Our WOC lobby team in Cheyenne is strengthened by your participation! SIGN UP HERE.


ATTEND AN UPCOMING BEERS & BILLS EVENT

Join one of these lively discussions about conservation legislation in the 2020 session and we’ll provide tips on how to effectively communicate with your legislators. Plus we’ll buy you a beer! Our scheduled events this year include:

January 31 in Cody from 5–7 p.m.
February 7 in Green River from 5:30–7:30 p.m.
February 13 in Cheyenne from 5–7 p.m.


LEARN HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS

Unsure who is representing you in the Legislature? Look them up on our website using just your home address. We’ll let you know in our email alerts when we need you to contact your lawmakers about a particular issue and give you talking points to assist in crafting your comments. FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES HERE.

Big wins in the legislative interim — but we’ve still got work to do

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

DECEMBER 2019 UPDATE: Bills for the Wyoming State Legislature’s 2020 budget session are being prepared for introduction. In the coming weeks, we’ll begin our pre-session planning — stay tuned for more details about the bills we’ll expect to see. We’re excited to support the formation of a Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund account, and we’ll continue tracking efforts around Greater sage-grouse mitigation and new channels to fund wildlife crossings from the Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee. Along with those details, we’ll be keeping you posted about the best ways to engage with ongoing budget negotiations, and how to speak up against legislative attempts to interfere with big game migration corridors.

Last month, we shared an update with you about the chaos and lack of transparency that has riddled this legislative interim. We highlighted four problematic bills that would have explicitly undermined our shared Wyoming conservation values: two that would have essentially killed rooftop solar in the state; one that would have opened the door to making Wyoming the nation’s dump for nuclear waste; and another that would jeopardize big game migration corridors, undermine science-based wildlife management, and strip authority from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

You responded in force. Because of your dedicated engagement — writing to and calling legislators, showing up at committee meetings, and spreading the word about the importance of fighting these bad bills — we have some great news to report. 

Anti-solar and pro-nuclear waste bills defeated

When the legislature’s Joint Corporations Committee considered gutting the state’s net-metering law — the statute that enables homeowners and small businesses to connect rooftop solar panels to the grid — the response from the public was swift. We’ve been in touch with hundreds of you who are passionate about protecting renewable energy options for Wyoming consumers, and supporting the small but growing in-state solar industry. After hundreds of messages were sent to the committee (more messages than the committee has received on any other topic this interim); after citizens gathered around the state to discuss these bills; and after four hours of public testimony in a packed meeting room, the committee voted not to advance either anti-solar bill forward. The Wyoming people spoke up, and the committee took the time to listen — that’s right, Wyoming people won. 

Strong, spirited public opposition was also a factor in defeating a proposal to store the nation’s high-level radioactive waste in Wyoming. This “zombie” bill reflected an idea has been considered repeatedly by decision-makers in the last several decades, and defeated each time — it’s been rejected by two different governors. Analysis also quickly revealed it would bring in only a few million dollars, while posing risks to Wyoming lands and people. Once again, Wyomingites of all stripes reached out to decision-makers and to their friends and neighbors, making it clear that the Wyoming public won’t allow our state to be turned into a nuclear waste dump. And at the Joint Minerals Committee meeting earlier in November, it was clear that the public response against this bill had been heard loud and clear: the bill’s original proponent withdrew the bill wholesale. 

We are grateful to the legislators on these committees for taking the time to listen — and then respond positively to — strong, unified public input against both proposals. The successful outcomes on these bills reflect the power of Wyoming citizen voices and input: when we say that your voice matters and makes a difference, this is why. 

Still on the horizon: legislative takeover of wildlife migration management 

Unfortunately, not everything we have to share is good news. Despite strong public opposition against a Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee bill that would derail conservation of wildlife migration corridors, the committee elected to move this bad bill forward. Stakeholders ranging from agriculture and county governments to sportsmen and conservation groups weighed in to raise concerns — both in advance and in the meeting room. A Game and Fish Commissioner objected to the idea that anyone but the Game and Fish has the authority to designate habitat, while the governor’s policy advisor said the timing for the legislation was problematic given the pending migration corridor executive order that Gov. Gordon will issue. But the committee refused to take a step back. 

That said, the public continued to make a big impression: the committee readily acknowledged that Wyoming people are incredibly invested in protecting wildlife and the landscapes that support them, and referenced the immense amount of contact they’ve received on this issue. Though the committee made some attempts to make the bill look more palatable, it remains a dangerous, anti-wildlife, and anti-science proposition. We’ll need your help to make sure this bill doesn’t move forward in Cheyenne in 2020, and that the Governor’s executive order is strong and will be successfully implemented. 

As always, thank you for all that you do to fight for good conservation policy for Wyoming. Your voice is critical — and it matters. Please stay tuned as we move toward this year’s session … we’ll need your help again! 

This chaotic and rogue legislative interim requires citizen voices!

Posted on by Kristen Gunther
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Over the last several months, we’ve been hearing from many of you who are frustrated that the Legislature has been unusually difficult to keep up with. We hear you. Here at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, we, too, have been struggling to deal with legislative committees’ lack of transparency, last-minute additions to meeting agendas, information gaps, and problematic interventions into other branches of government. We will be advocating for increased transparency and accountability in the coming months.

The chaos of this interim demands, more than usual, a high level of public attention and participation. That means that you’ll be hearing from us frequently in the coming weeks as we work to combat a few very bad ideas with major ramifications for Wyoming.

Here’s an overview of some of the upcoming bad draft bills we need to defeat:

Political interference in wildlife migration corridor management

Over the summer, the Outdoor Council tracked and provided feedback to the governor’s Wildlife Migration Advisory Group. All stakeholders were at the table, including the oil and gas industry. The group’s hard work, collaboration, and good-faith negotiation resulted in full stakeholder consensus on a proposed state-level solution that will protect Wyoming’s most critical wildlife habitat, create balance among uses, and support the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. On the recommendation of this group, the governor will be drafting an executive order concerning migration corridors, an important step for protecting the future of our big game herds.

This should have been the beginning of a new chapter for wildlife migrations, with big game corridor management now guided by a citizen-backed state process designed to meet all needs. 

Instead, seemingly out of the blue, the Select Federal Natural Resource Management committee suddenly decided to take on the topic of big game migration. They’ve now drafted a bill that undermines science, the authority of the Game and Fish, and the entire North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Most importantly, it poses a direct threat to the vital habitat that keeps our big game populations alive. 

Why did this happen? How was a process started by the governor suddenly undercut by the Legislature? The oil and gas industry presented its point of view to the governor’s advisory group multiple times — and received everything it asked for — but apparently, the industry wants more. Specifically, it’s clear that they don’t want to be required to mitigate their impacts to migration corridors. So rather than work in good faith with the rest of the stakeholders, industry voices have ignored recommendations that their representatives agreed to and asked the Legislature to intervene. 

Unfortunately, lawmakers are listening. The resulting bill would let oil and gas call the shots and would undo years of important collaborative work on migration corridor identification and protections. Rather than let science and thoughtful public input guide wildlife management, this disastrous bill would cede wildlife authority to inappropriate agencies (e.g. the Department of Revenue) and undermine the governor’s commitment to sensible, compromise solutions. It’s an egregious overreach, and it’s just plain wrong. 

Simply put, it’s the job of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department — not politicians — to interpret the science and manage our wildlife. We need to let this committee know that. 
If you have an interest in supporting migration corridors, please watch your inbox. The committee will meet on Wednesday, October 23 in Casper, and members of the public are encouraged to attend and comment.

Zombie nuclear waste proposals return to Wyoming

Nuclear waste was another topic not publicly vetted for the interim. But sometimes, bad ideas take on a life of their own (or rise from the dead). If you were surprised to see this issue resurface after being vetoed by Wyomingites repeatedly over the decades…well, we were, too.

As many of you have read, a special subcommittee of the Joint Minerals committee met last month to discuss whether Wyoming should consider storing spent fuel rods (high-level radioactive waste) in our state. This is an idea that has been proposed and shot down more than once; two different Wyoming governors have vetoed it. Storing nuclear waste poses many practical and logistical threats to Wyoming, and wouldn’t even generate the amount of money legislators hoped. We find it unacceptable that the Legislature chose to consider such a controversial topic without proper public vetting. 

For more details, check out our fact sheet on nuclear waste storage — and learn why it’s (still) a terrible idea for Wyoming. The Minerals committee will consider this topic at their upcoming meeting on November 5 in Casper, and we’ll send an alert to our members to remind you of this opportunity for public comment.

Killing off rooftop solar in Wyoming?

Last year, Wyoming’s House of Representatives passed a bill that the Outdoor Council (alongside partner organization Powder River Basin Resource Council) worked to advance, which would have supported expanded opportunities for rooftop solar arrays. Unfortunately, the bill hit a brick wall in the Senate, where it was considered a threat to coal-fired power plants. However, the Legislature decided to take on rooftop solar as an interim topic.

The Corporations committee’s work on this issue took a destructive turn when opponents of small solar used the discussion as an opportunity to make our current laws more hostile toward solar. The committee is now considering two draft bills that would effectively gut solar opportunities in Wyoming — damaging a growing industry, killing jobs, and reducing the ability of consumers to choose how they want to power their homes. 

We’ll be reaching out to you prior to the final Corporations meeting, which is scheduled for November 18–19 in Cheyenne, to let you know how you can speak up for renewable energy choices for Wyoming consumers. 

Final thoughts

These are only three of the many issues that citizens have struggled with during the legislative interim. Overall, many of us have been dismayed at the flood of last-minute decisions and lack of transparency we’ve seen, including left-field attacks on local conservation and community planning efforts, changes in meeting locations and topics, and sometimes late circulation of meeting materials. 

But we’ll continue working hard to bring you the information that you need to stay informed and engaged. The Outdoor Council is committed to advocating that our state legislature work in the public eye and for the public interest of Wyomingites. We believe that together we can achieve important policy victories that secure a strong, conservation-focused future for Wyoming — and defeat bad ideas that threaten our shared heritage and love of the outdoors. 

Thank you for being an important partner in this work, and stay tuned to learn more about opportunities to ensure we can move forward together, instead of doubling down on the bad ideas of the past. 

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Nuclear waste storage: STILL wrong for Wyoming

Posted on by Steff Kessler

The idea of storing high-level radioactive waste in Wyoming has been fully vetted and roundly rejected several times over the years. Yet the Wyoming Legislature resurrected this bad idea last month when it formed a subcommittee — behind closed doors — to study the issue. The Wyoming Outdoor Council, our members, and our partners have stood together with neighbors from all over the state and across the political spectrum to oppose such proposals. And we will do so again.

Simply put, the risks of allowing Wyoming to become a destination for high-level radioactive waste from the nation’s nuclear reactors far outweigh any short-term economic gain the state might realize. Storing nuclear waste here would risk our safety and tarnish Wyoming’s reputation as a pristine outdoor and tourism destination —  hurting business, agriculture, and economic development efforts that are so vital to the state’s future.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Wyoming and other states have learned that gambling with the federal government’s promises over nuclear waste storage is risky business. As Gov. Mike Sullivan put it in his statement vetoing the siting of a nuclear waste facility  back in 1992:

“I am absolutely unpersuaded that Wyoming can rely on the assurances we receive from the federal government. Even granting the personal integrity and sincerity of the individuals currently speaking for the federal government, there can be no guarantees or even assurances that the federal government’s attitudes or policies will be the same one, five, ten or 50 years from now. We have seen the roller coaster ride of federal involvement and attitudes. … Nor do I trust the federal government or the nuclear industry to assure our interests as a state are protected.”

There are numerous reasons why the “temporary” storage of the nation’s high-level radioactive waste in Wyoming has been repeatedly rejected by our residents — and why it remains a bad idea today.

  • There is no guarantee that storage will be temporary. Once a “temporary” facility is constructed, it is likely to become a de facto permanent repository. There are no legal, political, or financial mechanisms to ensure the waste would ever be removed. In fact, many suspect the approval of a “temporary” storage site would halt the politically difficult effort of finding a permanent disposal site.

  • There is no need to store this waste away from reactor sites. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made a regulatory determination that spent nuclear fuels can be safely stored at the reactor sites for the next 100+ years.
     
  • Transporting high-level radioactive waste across the country is complicated, risky, full of unknowns, and will occur at a magnitude of shipments and miles never before conducted in the U.S. New transport casks have not been developed or tested, infrastructure is not ready, emergency response capacity is lacking, and the routes and risks of transporting this high-level radioactive waste have not been adequately evaluated.

  • Storing high-level radioactive waste in Wyoming will hurt the state’s image as a premier outdoor destination and a producer of high-quality agricultural products. This, in turn, would likely impact current and future economic development and diversification efforts and would lower property values.
     
  • Such temporary facilities are illegal. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act allows for a “temporary” storage facility only once the permanent waste repository is operating. Work at Yucca Mountain, the nation’s only proposed permanent waste repository, has halted. Congress would have to act to make such a facility legal — yet there are no states willing to host a permanent storage facility.

For more background and details about nuclear waste storage, read this fact sheet.

We wholeheartedly support Wyoming lawmakers’ desire to explore new ways to meet the challenge of declining revenues. But turning Wyoming into the nation’s nuclear waste dump was a bad idea before, and it remains a bad idea today. Nothing has changed. Even more troubling? The closed-door manner in which the new legislative subcommittee was formed to study the issue this year: a vote taken by email, without public notice, lacking transparency and flouting the legislature’s own rules regarding interim studies.

There are no easy fixes for declining state revenue, and storing high-level radioactive waste would simply not provide not the kind of economic “diversification” that Wyoming needs. It’s an idea that looks backward, not forward. 

Instead, we must create a vision for our future that embraces the special resources and assets that truly make Wyoming a place people want to live and do business — including our strong public schools, workforce, wildlife, open space, agricultural heritage, and outdoor way of life.

We’ll need your help — again — to speak up and stop this misguided idea for Wyoming.

The “Spent Fuel Rods subcommittee” will meet on Thursday, September 5th, in Casper at 8:30 a.m. (location to be determined). We’ll be there, but it’s unclear whether the subcommittee will allow public comment. The subcommittee will report to the full Joint Minerals Committee on November 4 or 5 for a decision about moving forward with potential legislation. We’ll alert you about this public comment opportunity, but it will be helpful to start talking with your elected officials now about how nuclear waste is wrong for Wyoming. 

Read this detailed fact sheet for a list of committee members and emails and for more information about the risky business of high-level radioactive waste.

Leading smart conservation policy at the state legislature

Posted on by Dustin Bleizeffer
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Many legislative committees have already launched into their “interim” work (the rest of the year between winter sessions), and we’ve been traveling the state to attend the public hearings and advocate for smart conservation policy.

Last month we mentioned a major legislative success: you helped us convince the Minerals Committee to back off from a proposal for the state to take over the federal authority for evaluating oil and gas development (and other projects) on public lands in Wyoming. Read this WyoFile article for more details about abandoning the idea for Wyoming taking over NEPA primacy. This is the level of influence we can have when we collectively mobilize and engage with lawmakers throughout the year. Thank you!

A good governance opportunity

We traveled to Gillette to cover the “joint” (House and Senate) Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, which takes on big topics with big implications, such as fossil fuel and renewable energy policies.

One proposal we’re following closely would revise public comment rules regarding permitted mines (think gravel pits and everything that’s not a big coal mine). The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s public comment rules generally allow for adequate public notice, public comment, and comment response. However, when it comes to non-coal mines, any public comment on a proposed permit automatically triggers a hearing before the DEQ’s governing body — the Environmental Quality Council.

This can be intimidating for citizens and small groups that merely wish to provide information and comments that may be useful for the DEQ to consider. Environmental Quality Council cases are legally technical — proceedings are similar to a court hearing. Often there are discovery submissions and attorneys involved. All of this can discourage citizens from weighing in and offering helpful information regarding a proposed small mine permit.

We’re supporting a measure that would allow for an informal conference before triggering a full hearing before the EQC. This good governance revision will encourage more free exchange and problem solving among stakeholders and the DEQ.

Time to refocus on oil and gas emissions, and ozone

At the Minerals Committee, we also heard a report by the DEQ about the series of dangerous ozone spikes in the Upper Green River Basin this past winter. The DEQ recently conducted a survey of compliance among oil and gas operators there. DEQ Administrator Todd Parfitt told committee members the results were disappointing: the agency found that operators were less than 70 percent in compliance with emissions requirements.

We’re grateful to the Pinedale-based Citizens United for Responsible Energy Development for its leadership on this issue. They identified compliance and inspection issues as essential for lowering industrial emissions in the area. We’re joining the grassroots organization in seeking solutions that will help ensure clean air in the Upper Green River Basin — including better accountability from the state to protect clean air and public health.

Stay tuned — we’ll write about ozone efforts in a separate blog post.

In coming months, the Minerals Committee will also explore measures regarding Wyoming’s oil and gas regulations, as well as potential actions to better manage a historic glut of applications for permit to drill in eastern Wyoming. We expect more discussion and action on these topics at the committee’s next hearing in August.

Wildlife, renewable energy, invasive species

Also in Gillette, the Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee laid out several options to provide stable funding for safer wildlife crossings. There’s broad support for this effort, but still a lot of discussion ahead about how to fund it. The Wyoming Department of Transportation’s top 10 priority wildlife crossing projects are estimated to cost between $197.5 million to $256 million. (Check out WyDOT’s excellent wildlife crossings presentation here.)

At the Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee hearing in Casper, we encouraged lawmakers to consider more flexibility in Wyoming’s laws regarding onsite renewable energy use, including rooftop solar installations and net-metering. We see many opportunities for the state to modernize its laws around small-scale, onsite renewable energy to support property owners’ desire for electrical self-sufficiency and to help add more jobs in response to growing demand for renewables.

Next, we’ll travel to Sheridan for the Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee hearing where the growing threat of invasive plant species will be a major topic. In Gillette, the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee will discuss chronic wasting disease, state lands, and efforts to encourage Wyoming’s growing tourism and outdoor recreation industries.

Good conservation legislation depends on you!

In all of our conservation advocacy we look for ways to be proactive, and that includes forwarding a conservation agenda for the legislature. We’re currently crafting several measures we believe all Wyomingites can get behind (more on these later) — and we want to hear from you about your conservation ideas. Our work is not possible without you! If you have an idea the legislature should consider, or if you’re looking for more details about a legislative topic we’re following, contact our program director Steff Kessler at stephanie@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org.

Don’t forget to check the legislature’s calendar for upcoming meetings and agendas. You can also livestream many of the meetings as they happen. To watch past legislative meetings, go to the Wyoming Legislature’s website, click on the committee you’re interested in, and click on the “audio/video” tab.

 

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We’re shaping legislative policy year-round

Posted on by Steff Kessler
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Thanks to your quick action, the Joint Minerals Committee backed off from a proposal for the State of Wyoming to take over the federal process of evaluating and making recommendations for oil and gas developments and other industrial projects on public lands in Wyoming. Thank you!

Nearly 100 of you answered our call to write to members of the committee asking them to oppose the idea of the state taking primacy over implementation of the federal National Environmental Policy Act. This is the kind of positive influence we can have when citizens take part in the legislature’s formative “interim” period (the legislative work that happens between winter sessions).

To learn more about why NEPA primacy should remain with the federal government, read this fact sheet.

So far this month we’ve covered the Joint Revenue Committee in Lander, Joint Corporations in Casper, and Joint Minerals in Gillette. We’ll travel to Sheridan to cover the Joint Agriculture Committee next.

Stay tuned!

The legislature holds dozens of “joint” (House and Senate) committees throughout the year, around Wyoming. These meetings are open to the public, and they offer an opportunity for citizens to address the committee and to speak with legislators individually during breaks.

Check the legislature’s calendar for upcoming meetings and meeting agendas. You can also livestream meetings as they happen. To watch videos of past legislative meetings, go to the Wyoming Legislature’s website, click on the committee you’re interested in, and click on the “audio/video” tab.

We’ll have more detailed updates on the issues we’re tracking in our June newsletter.

 

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WOC’s legislative interns take the capitol!

Posted on by Kristen Gunther

Conservation had some great wins at the 2019 legislative session! In addition to the creation of our first-ever Wyoming Public Lands Day, we saw the passage of several important bills that better fund and protect our natural resources. Plus, every bad bill that we opposed was defeated.

Wyoming Outdoor Council staff spent many weeks and many long hours in Cheyenne — and in addition to the support of citizens and partner groups, a big part of our success was the incredible team of legislative interns who joined lobbyists Steff Kessler and Kristen Gunther. Three interns each worked for a week, researching, testifying, and keeping track of the legislative action to sharpen their skills as citizen conservation lobbyists.

We asked them to share their experiences, in their own words:

Mary Grace Bedwell

I am a second year graduate student pursuing my Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. I’m originally from Alabama, so working closely with the people who cultivate policy in my new home of Wyoming was a new and exciting experience. After working with WOC at the legislature, I feel energized and empowered to make a difference in Wyoming and beyond.

WOC intern Mary Grace Bedwell takes a selfie with Chairman Hans Hunt and Greg Cook (Department of Revenue)

My favorite moment came when, during a House Agriculture Committee meeting I was attending, I realized that one of my favorite family friends and my cousin’s college roommate were in the same room with me! Not only was it awesome to see these folks I hadn’t seen in years, but it was amazing to realize just how interactive and easy to access the legislature is in Wyoming.

The lessons I learned through my brief internship will have lasting impacts on my life and my career. I found joy and invigoration in advocacy that I plan to take with me in my future. I cannot speak more highly of the experiences I had working with WOC. I have always wanted to work to save the world, and if more folks were as motivated and driven in what they do as the amazing individuals I had the pleasure of working with, then doing just that will be much easier.

Jason Hill

Prior to participating in the legislative lobbying internship, I’d also taken part in WOC’s Conservation Leadership Institute. It was in this class that I hoped to gain a better perspective, as a new resident, of Wyoming’s conservation landscape and to develop a better sense of what drives policy decisions. This is important to me because I see the impact of Wyoming conservation policies in my work at NOLS.

WOC intern Jason Hill

As a legislative intern, I learned how civic engagement can occur beyond the scope of voting, volunteering, or other direct service efforts that many of our nonprofits engage in.

During my internship week, Kristen and I pulled senators off the floor and asked them to vote against SF 148, Federal facilities seizure, a bill we opposed because it would supposedly allow the state to seize control of important public lands and resources like Yellowstone National Park. After speaking with a couple of senators together with Kristen, she turned me loose to lobby a few lawmakers on my own. That experience, as well as later testifying in a committee meeting, made me feel the most like a real lobbyist.

This experience allowed me to explore policy in the context of the legislative session, which is grounded in recognizing that policy work also happens outside of session. Working with stakeholders, building relationships, and creating an environment where policy can be given meaningful consideration occurs year-round, every year. It’s long-term work. It’s the work that calls for us, too, as citizens, to help shape our communities.

Rhiannon Jakopak

When I followed the legislature in previous years, I found it overwhelming and confusing. I frequently found myself wondering what opaque acronyms meant (“CoW,” anyone? That’s “committee of the whole” — i.e. the entire body of the House or Senate) or wondering whether I had the most up-to-date version of a bill. Before my WOC internship, I certainly did not feel confident in my ability to participate in the legislative process.

WOC intern Rhiannon Jakopak hard at work in the field.

As a scientist, I want to be able to independently draw my own conclusions, and as a citizen, I want to be informed and involved in legislative processes. After completing the legislative internship with the Wyoming Outdoor Council, I feel empowered to engage in policy work because I have a dramatically improved understanding of how the legislature works. During the brief time that I followed Kristen and Steff around the Capitol, I observed how bills were shaped by careful discussions regarding fine minutiae of language and legal considerations.

I also had the opportunity to testify in a committee meeting on SF 87, a bill that could have improved instream flows for fisheries. It was there that I learned how receptive legislators can be when people show up to voice their concerns. When I stood up to provide testimony, I was nervous that the room would be hostile and uninviting. However, both legislators and members of the audience were attentive and listened as I — someone who was clearly not a “policy person” — spoke, even though it was the final committee meeting of the day and was well after 5 p.m. When the committee adjourned, a few folks came up to me and offered encouragement and congratulated me on speaking.

I am encouraged by the experience, and better prepared to take part in policy work, both as a scientist and as a citizen. I’m using the lessons I learned, and I happily share my newfound knowledge regarding the legislative process with others.

Interested in joining WOC for a week at the 2020 legislative session? Learn more on our  “careers” page!

Dalton Sees Outdoor Council Internship as Springboard to Conservation Advocacy

Posted on by Dustin Bleizeffer

The Outdoor Council is proud to introduce Eric Dalton as one of three citizen lobbyists taking part in our legislative mini-internship program. He joined Outdoor Council lobbyists Stephanie Kessler and Mary Flanderka during the first week of the 2018 Wyoming Legislature’s winter session.

“It’s nice to see tons of high school kids trickling through the legislature, and I feel like one of them — only a little more senior.”

Eric, 50, lives in Cheyenne where he is the data supervisor at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. It’s his second stint as a Wyoming resident after first arriving in the 1990s. Since returning in 2014, Eric has been active in several local U.S. Forest Service planning decisions, and consistently engages in Cheyenne City Council matters, such as water development on Belvoir Ranch.

He grew up on the East Coast, the son of a career U.S. service member, and had access to large swaths of military properties where he could “piddle” around outdoors, and developed a love for nature. He served in the Air Force for 24 years, has lived on five continents, and says he has seen the effects of climate change firsthand. In his international travels he was struck that many places in the world don’t have a public lands concept as we do in the United States.

“I first moved to the Rockies sight unseen, and I was enamored,” Eric said. “Out east all the land is private, and [in the Rockies] I thought, ‘What a concept. You can go out and camp any ol’  place you want to on a national forest.’ You have to know somebody who owns land to go hunting out east.”

Eric considers conservation his second or third profession. He belongs to several conservation groups in the Rockies. “The great outdoors of Wyoming are unparalleled,” he said.

His experience as an Outdoor Council legislative intern has reinforced his sense that Wyoming is one small town with very long streets. “Wyoming is hyper-democratic because you can still talk to your representative or senator, and you can actually give input . . . There’s so much opportunity to weigh in.”

Eric said the Outdoor Council internship will energize him to be even more involved in civic matters. He said he wants to demonstrate that Americans don’t have to be put off by politics. “They can have impact,” he said.

This is the Outdoor Council’s first year hosting the citizen lobbyist mini-internship program. The goal is to offer a full spectrum of lobbyist training, and to empower participants to return to their communities as engaged and effective conservation advocates. Also joining our 2018 internship program are Era Aranow and Robert Joyce.