Leaders of the Wyoming Legislature range from lukewarm to angry about the proposed sale of federal public lands in Wyoming and 10 other Western states.
Enclosed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act now pending in the U.S. Senate is language that, if it becomes law, would require the sale of between 0.5% and 0.75% of Bureau of Land Management and National Forest System parcels.
The sales could only go toward housing development or “associated community needs,” says the bill text.
The backlash and response has been intense, with hunters, environmentalists, and the spectrum between them railing against the plan.
Wyoming state legislators do not have the power to change or pass the bill since it’s a proposed act of the U.S. Congress.
But they’re hearing concerns about it anyway.
For House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, and Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, the situation is still too fluid to merit a hardline response, though both voiced general concerns in Friday comments to Cowboy State Daily.
“Having served in the Legislature this long, I understand that bills can change multiple times during the entire process,” said Biteman, adding that he hesitates to comment on a bill that’s not yet in its final form.
“There is no question that the people of Wyoming have a deep connection to our public lands,” he said. “Hunting, fishing, grazing, and outdoor recreation are part of our heritage and our future.
“It’s also true that Wyoming is blessed with tremendous energy resources that should be controlled and developed by, and for the benefit of Wyoming.”
Biteman said he supports protecting Wyomingites’ access to “our great wilderness” while also making sure the state benefits from its own resources.
“I’m confident that the president has Wyoming’s best interest at heart,” he said. “I will do what I can to represent the will of the Wyoming people when I have the opportunity.”
Neiman voiced a similar thought, saying he’s heard from one constituent who had a concern about water access, and he wants to listen to those involved to learn more about the bill.
Sit This One Out, Government
House Speaker Pro Tempore Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, minced no words in opposition.
It’s not the government’s job to fix the housing crisis, and if the federal government really wants to help, it should stop overregulating everyone and stop printing so much money, said Haroldson.
“If we can’t make affordable housing viable through the private sector, we’ll never be able to make it happen through the government sector,” said Haroldson, in a nod to the bill’s clause locking the sold lands for housing development and “associated community needs” for a decade after their sale.
“This land swap is just another space where the government is overstepping its bounds to try to incentivize a sector that I don’t feel is their place or their position (to incentivize),” he said.
Even without the government meddling in housing development, Haroldson is apprehensive about a sudden public land selloff, he said, noting that he’s an avid outdoorsman.
Give It A Kill Switch
State House Majority Floor Leader Scott Heiner, R-Green River, said he’d like to see more local control imbedded in the bill.
Those managing the sales are required to “consult with” the state governors, local governments and Native American tribes whose interests apply in each sale.
If Heiner could influence the bill, he’d give local governments, including boards of county commissioners, the option to kill problematic land transfers, he told Cowboy State Daily in a Friday interview.
Heiner, however, said there are times where it would be a good thing for the federal government to sell some of its land.
In his district of Sweetwater County, some small parcels sit “stranded” and idle, and some land sales could “take the pressure off these towns that are landlocked.”
“But I have no appetite for selling off large swaths of public lands,” he said.
Dems Say Absolutely Not
The eight Democratic members of the Wyoming Legislature, which includes three in leadership on the house side and two on the Senate side, said in a Friday press release they oppose the plan strongly.
“These lands are used and cherished by everyone in our state, and they truly belong to all of us,” the statement says. “We take great pride in our public lands, and we believe that the way this bill is written will not benefit the people of Wyoming.
“We urge all of our colleagues, friends, and neighbors, regardless of political affiliation, to join us in reaching out to our US Senators and speaking out against this measure. Together, we can ensure that our public lands remain in public hands.”
The statement's signors are:
• House Minority Floor Leader Mike Yin (Jackson)
• House Minority Whip Karlee Provenza (Laramie)
• House Minority Caucus Chairwoman Trey Sherwood (Laramie)
• Senate Minority Floor Leader Mike Gierau (Jackson)
• Senate Minority Whip Chris Rothfuss (Laramie)
• Rep. Liz Storer (Jackson)
• Rep. Ivan Posey (Fort Washakie)
• Rep. Ken Chestek (Laramie)
‘Well Too (Expletive) Bad’
Ryan Semerad, the winning attorney in the well-known corner-crossing case where hunters ladder-vaulted a corner of private land to access public land, said the bill’s guardrails aren’t convincing, and its concessions to local governments aren’t binding.
“Here’s the f***ing problem folks … the way it’s written, yeah, they keep saying ‘input from the states,’ but that input isn’t binding,” said Semerad, raising the same “kill switch” concern Heiner had voiced. “What if Governor (Mark) Gordon says, ‘We all hate it,’ but (U.S. Interior Secretary) Doug Burgum is going to have to turn around and say, ‘Well too f***ing bad — I have to sell it.’”
Semerad also criticized the lack of specificity around potential buyers.
“Who are these beautiful private companies with $2 billion to spend? And they’re going to turn around and make public housing? Are you out of your f***ing mind?” asked Semerad.
Especially for public lands anywhere near Teton County, which hosts resplendent views and an exorbitant housing market, Semerad doubts the parcels would be used to house ordinary working people.
That is, “unless you’re going to do some Communist shit,” he said, “and I mean that with a capital ‘C.’”
Look, It’s A Balance, Says The Delegation
Wyoming’s two U.S. senators, both Republicans, cast the issue as a balancing act.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis told Cowboy State Daily in an email this week that she’s still reviewing the plan — but the federal government’s massive interest in Wyoming, which is at around 50% — “creates significant challenges for local communities, state governments, and efficient land management.
“The federal government doesn't need to perpetually own every piece of land it currently holds, and we must have honest conversations about smart, strategic land management that serves our communities while protecting our natural treasures," Lummis added.
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso’s office wrote in an email that he supports federal land sales when they serve state, local government and public interests.
“It’s important to note that this provision prohibits the sale of lands with special designations, such as national parks, national monuments, wilderness areas, or national recreation areas. It also prohibits the sale of any land where there is a valid existing right, and will protect mining claims, grazing permits, mineral leases, or rights of ways,” Barrasso’s spokeswoman Laura Mengelkamp added.
Not My Baby, But Not As Dire As Projected
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, a Republican and Wyoming’s lone U.S. House delegate, has repeatedly sought to debunk a published map showing all of the land BLM and the Forest Service own across the 11 states as up for sale if the bill passes.
“That’s silly,” Hageman said at a Friday town hall in Newcastle. “That’s so far beyond what we’re talking about doing.”
In other public comments she’s cited the bill’s many exemptions, and areas where public land sits idle or near urban areas and could be put to better use.
Hageman noted in a Friday email to constituents, she’s never voted in favor of exempting a state from it. That’s because the language wasn’t in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act when the House passed it: it was added on the Senate side.
The federal government owns 645 million acres of the nation’s surface estate. The bill proposes the sale of 2 million to 3 million acres, she wrote.
The federal government is required, under the bill, to prioritize lands for sale that local and state governments nominate, that are adjacent to developed areas, that can access infrastructure, that are suitable for housing, inefficient to manage and the sale of which would reduce checkerboard land patterns.
A Gentle Nudge …
Senate Majority Floor Leader Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, posted a statement to Facebook on Friday saying she knows how dear the issue is to Wyoming residents.
She also nudged concerned residents to reach out to those in control of the proposition in Washington D.C.
“I (have been) able to fully appreciate just how important our public lands are to me and so many Wyoming citizens,” wrote Nethercott. “Be sure to share your thoughts with our congressional delegation on such an important issue to Wyoming.”
Citing a full client schedule, Nethercott (a practicing attorney) declined to give a phone interview Friday afternoon.
Focused On This Right Now
House Majority Whip Ocean Andrew, R-Laramie, told Cowboy State Daily in a Friday text message that he’s been focused on the tempestuous education-related issues pervading Wyoming.
The scholarship program for private school and homeschool children that Andrew championed into law is now being challenged in court. Andrew also sits on a select legislative committee that met this week to start rebuilding Wyoming’s entire school funding system.
Senate Vice President Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, did not respond to a Cowboy State Daily request for comment by publication time.
Montana Though
Wyoming, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah all could see public lands shift into private hands.
Montana is exempt from the proposal. Its exemption followed intense backlash by residents, Cowboy State Daily has reported.
Various lands are protected from sale, like those designated as units of the National Park System, national memorials, national conservation areas, national wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries and others.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
