A Voice for Conservation in Cheyenne
The 2020 Wyoming State Legislative Session kicks off on Monday, February 10 — launching a fast-paced 5-week budget session during which our lawmakers will focus on the state’s two-year income and spending plan. But they’ll also be discussing and debating other issues — including migration corridors, energy development, public lands, outdoor recreation, job transitions, and more.
That’s why, for more than fifty years, the Wyoming Outdoor Council has made it a priority to be your voice for conservation at the Capitol. Since our founding, we’ve covered, advocated, and defended a range of conservation issues at the legislature that matter to Wyomingites, families, and communities and that work to protect the Wyoming we love.
This year, conservation advocates Stephanie Kessler and Kristen Gunther, five legislative interns, and other WOC staff will be in Cheyenne every day to track bills, testify, and represent you on a wide range of issues from public lands to clean water to good government to wildlife management. We’ll also work closely with our partner organizations to facilitate strategic action and foster a coordinated voice for the conservation community.
Below is a list of bills we’re supporting, opposing, and tracking this year.
We’ll also send weekly legislative updates from the team, so be sure to sign up for our email list. You’ll get the most up-to-date information from the halls of the Capitol and details for how you can take action and lend your voice when it is needed most.
KEY LEGISLATION FROM THE
2020 WYOMING STATE LEGISLATURE
To find all 2020 legislation, including those listed below, visit the Wyoming Legislature’s website.
For past year’s bills: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
BILLS WE SUPPORT:
HB 1 (budget), Funding increase for Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust PASSED
HB 13, Sage grouse mitigation credits (Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee) PASSED
HB 37, Voluntary land exchange process (Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee) DIED
HB 69, Wildlife conservation efforts-1 (Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs Committee) PASSED
HB 90, State lands-notice of lease sales (Sponsor: Rep. Roscoe) DIED
HB 177, Wyoming outdoor recreation trust fund (Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee) DIED
SF 4, Wildlife conservation account (Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs Committee) PASSED
SF 18, Wildlife conservation efforts-2 (Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs Committee) PASSED
SF 36, Large scale solar and wind energy facilities (Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee) PASSED
BILLS WE OPPOSE:
HB 4, Wyoming coal marketing program (Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee) PASSED
HB 29, Designation of migration corridors (Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee) DIED
HB 200, Reliable and dispatchable low-carbon energy standards (Sponsor: Rep. Zwonitzer) PASSED
HB 203, Sage grouse game-bird farm certification extension (Sponsor: Rep. MacGuire) DIED
HB 215, Designated migration corridors-limit (Sponsor: Rep. Larsen) DIED
HB 226, Net metering contracts expressly authorized (Sponsor: Rep. Eyre) DIED
SF 110, Evaluating the tax equivalency of federal land in Wyoming (Sponsor: Sen. Steinmetz) DIED
SF 125, Energy production standard (Senate Appropriations Committee) DIED
SF 135, Migration corridors (Sponsor: Sen. Perkins) DIED
BILLS WE’RE TRACKING:
HB 38, Weed and pest amendments (Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee) PASSED
HB 74, Small modular nuclear reactors (Sponsor: Rep. Miller) PASSED
HB 249, Investment of state funds (Sponsor: Rep. Nicholas) DIED (Laid back — mirror bill SF 138 passed)
SF 44, Mining permit applications-objections (Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee) PASSED
SF 45, Underground disposal wells-regulation (Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee) PASSED
SF 75, Instream flow application process (Sponsor: Sen. Hicks) DIED
SF 82, Public records-amendments (Judiciary Committee) PASSED
SF 138, Investment of state funds-2 (Sponsor: Sen. Bebout) PASSED
the 2020 conservation vote report
Every year the Wyoming Outdoor Council sends a team of skilled and knowledgeable staff to Cheyenne during the legislative session to advocate sound conservation policies that protect Wyoming’s environment and quality of life.
We are excited to offer you our 2020 Conservation Vote Report — a publication that identifies how your state representatives voted on key conservation bills during the 2020 budget session.
The Outdoor Council debated a wide range of bills affecting our state’s conservation values at this year’s session, from wildlife to clean air and water, renewable energy to public lands, and just transitions for Wyoming’s energy workforce to public processes related to these topics. Of the more than 60 bills that we tracked, this report highlights the 10 bills and two amendments that we felt were crucial to conservation in Wyoming and identifies the votes cast by your representatives.
We believe in a Wyoming where people’s voices are more powerful than special interests; where our world-class rivers, lakes, and streams are pristine; where wildlife roam free across unbroken wildlands; where our air is clean and healthy to breathe — a Wyoming where we protect the ecosystems and public lands that shape our economy and our outdoor way of life. And understanding how your representatives vote is fundamental to staying engaged in our state’s democratic process, and continuing to protect these important values we share as Wyomingites.
Read the report below to see how your representatives voted on these important issues.