A proposal for Wyoming to demand that Congress turn over federal lands to the state was brought back to life on Thursday afternoon after being previous killed.
The Senate voted to approve Senate Joint Resolution 2 on a 16-15 vote after previously voting it down 16-14 earlier in the day.
Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, changed his vote from "nay" to "aye" on the second go-around. Sen. Tim French, R-Powell, was excused from the first vote, also voted in support.
It was Driskill, who owns property at the base of Devils Tower National Monument, who called for the new vote. He did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily about why he changed his vote on the second go-around.
SJ2 calls on Congress to turn over federal title to all public lands and subsurface resources in Wyoming except for Yellowstone National Park.
Although the resolution may seem outlandish on its surface, Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, urged the Senate to consider how the federal government controls about 50% of the land in Wyoming, including 69% of the mineral rights.
“This is totally doable when we educate people,” Biteman said.
If all Wyoming residents owned the minerals below their lands, Biteman said, many more people would be millionaires in the state.
He also said the last four years under former President Joe Biden should be an eye-opener as to what can happen when “the feds go crazy and want to close us down.”
“They can destroy our economy, they can destroy our way of life because of the power they have,” he said. “It’s time Wyoming gets all of our land back within our boundaries.”
Biteman also mentioned the checkerboard of public and private land dotting the state, which makes it difficult for both parties to use the parcels because of conflicting public and private access issues.
Sen. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo, spoke against the resolution, pointing out that the Wyoming Constitution gives up all rights and titles to unappropriated public lands located within Wyoming.
But the bill sponsor, Sen. Bob Ide, R-Casper, said giving up rights and titles does not pertain to state sovereignty and jurisdiction, which is what his bill covers.
“From all the legal experts and people that I’ve had them look at this, right and title is separate from sovereignty and jurisdiction,” Ide said. “That’s why the feds are holding it in title in trust for the states until they extinguish title to it in the Constitution.”
How Would Manage?
Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, said he understands the frustration about the federal government’s management of land and said he was pleased about the decision announced on Thursday to halt the enactment of the Bureau of Land Management’s Rock Springs and Buffalo Resource Management plans (RMP) in Wyoming.
But he also stressed the importance of Grand Teton National Park to his community and the high cost it would take for Wyoming to continue running it as a park.
“It is the bedrock economic driver for this entire state,” Gierau said.
Tourism is the second largest economic industry in Wyoming behind mineral production.
Grand Teton has an annual budget of $13 million, which was boosted by $110 million in maintenance funds over the past two years combined.
Public Lands Access
Conservation groups rallied against the bill, calling it a public lands grab. If these federal lands were handed over to Wyoming, there would be massive challenges in properly managing them, which could lead to the state selling them to private buyers.
“Federal land transfers are a line in the sand for Wyoming sportspeople,” said Josh Metten, Wyoming field manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “We support keeping access public and keeping Wyoming land in public hands.”
In 2016, the Legislature paid $75,000 to study the feasibility of taking over most public lands in the state. The study found that Wyoming would not be able to effectively manage these lands with its current means.
But Metten also admitted the federal government’s management of lands has not been perfect. His group isn’t opposing newly-appointed Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum’s move on the RMPs.
“Instead of federal land transfers, we need to do the hard work on improving federal land management so the needs of Wyomingites are being met,” Metten said.
There are still a few bills remaining that have a significant impact on public lands access. HB 118 would forbid any net gains in federal land in Wyoming without a corresponding decrease, which could shut down all federal land transfers. Senate File 105 would require legislative approval for all land sold to the government in Wyoming.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
