Contact your Legislators

Wyoming's Congressional Delegation:

Senator Mike Enzi
http://www.senate.gov/~enzi/
100 East B Street, Room 3201 P.O. Box 33201 Casper, Wyoming 82602
Phone: (307) 261-6572

Senator John Barrasso
http://barrasso.senate.gov
100 East B Street, Suite 2201 P.O. Box 22201 Casper, Wyoming 82602
Phone: (307) 261-6413

US Representative Barbara Cubin
1114 Longworth, HOB Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2311
http://www.house.gov/cubin/

Contact the White House:
White House Comment Line - (202) 456-1111
White House Fax Line - (202) 456-2461
President Bush's email - president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Cheney's email - vicepresident@whitehouse.gov
White House address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500

What happened during Wyoming's 2006 Legislative Session?

The Wyoming state legislature wrapped up an exciting 20-day budget session on March 11, 2006. There were many positive developments and setbacks of interest to sportsmen, conservationists, and outdoor lovers. All laws and appropriations will take effect July 1, 2006 for the next biennium. For more information about your state legislators visit the Wyoming State legislature website.

Conservation Budget Items:

HB 1/SF 1: Victory for the Wildlife Trust Fund, Support for DEQ and WY G&F
Sponsor: Joint Appropriations Committee Status: Signed into law by Gov. Freudenthal (Mar 10)
Recognizing the lasting value of Wyoming’s wildlife, state lawmakers created the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust Account last year with a start up balance of $15 million. This year the state legislature secured $25 million in additional funds for the account attached with a $3 million matching grant if outside money is raised.

Interest accrued from the trust fund flows through a state board and is spent on a wide range of wildlife related projects, from habitat restoration to natural resource management and stewardship. Anyone can apply for project grants, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, and citizens.

Legislators also created a number of new permitting and enforcement positions for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and granted extra funds to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for capital construction, scientific studies, and veterinary purposes. On another note, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was denied $2 million for their Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy Program, which works to collect scientific data on wildlife so that proper conservation planning can be implemented.

Passed Bills:

HB 24: Predator Control Burden Shifts to Taxpayers
Sponsor: Joint Interim Agriculture, Public Lands and Water Resources Committee Status: Signed into law by Gov. Freudenthal (March 23)
Counties in Wyoming have local predator control boards that address conflicts between wildlife and livestock. The primary focus is to remove or exterminate wildlife that is deemed a nuisance for depredating on livestock or damaging private property. Historically, these local boards generated funds from a per-head brand inspection fee on livestock. Drought conditions have impacted cattle and sheep populations in recent years, posing financial challenges for the program.

The main function of the Predator Management Program HB 24 bill is to shift the cost of predatory control efforts from the agriculture industry to the general tax paying public. It also dramatically increases the amount of funds for the program. This past biennium approximately $500,000 was generated from brand fees. HB 24 grants $6 million from the state’s general fund over the next two years for predator control purposes and secures $3 million in the state’s budget thereafter.

The Sierra Club has serious reservations about this bill. Current predator control tactics are expensive, cost ineffective, and often cruel to wildlife. Over half of the program’s funds are spent killing coyotes, using tactics such as trapping and aerial gunning, which can cost of to $200 per animal. These efforts are futile since studies show that pup reproduction and survival rates increase drastically when populations are stressed, allowing their numbers to rebound quickly. If populations were successfully suppressed there would be adverse impacts to rangeland and vegetation due to an increase in rodent populations, coyotes’ major prey base.

Another concern is that this bill broadens the ADMB’s jurisdiction to include the management of predators that depredate on game species. This is an attempt to include sportsmen’s interest in this program, by claiming that predator declines will be good for big game species. The Wyoming Game and Fish should manage wildlife, not the predator control community. This law over-extends the ADMB’s control on wildlife and does so at the tax payers’ expense.

HB 32 Electronic licensing for Wyoming Game and Fish saves money
Sponsor: Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee Status: Signed into law by Gov. Freudenthal (March 8)
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department can now issue sportsmen licenses electronically, making the process cheaper, faster, and more convenient. Electronic licensing requires less staff time and resources and potentially will save the agency up to $30,000 per year. License selling agents across the state have the option to install new electronic permitting machines, but it is not mandatory.

SF 37: UW granted funds for new energy school
Sponsor: Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee Status: Signed into law by Gov. Freudenthal (Mar23)
In response to Wyoming’s energy boom, the University of Wyoming sought after and received $12 million for the biennium to create a school of energy resources. The school will center their teaching on energy-related topics, such as technology, development, and economics. A diverse board composed of 11 representatives from the university, legislature, and Governors’ office, will give direction in the beginning stages of the school’s development.

They school is required to maximize inter-departmental cooperation and encouraged to diversify curricula to include renewable, as well as nonrenewable energy resources. The Sierra Club encourages the integration of innovative energy teachings, including renewable energy, new technology, and mitigation measures.

SF 38 First steps taken to clean up leaking landfills
Sponsor: Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee Status: Signed into law by Gov. Freudenthal (March 24)
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality predicts that of that state’s 145 landfills, at least 65 will eventually leak, threatening to contaminate ground water and drinking water wells and posing risks to human health and the environment. Currently, 21 landfills are already known to be leaking. Only 20% of the landfills are being adequately monitored, however, making it difficult to identify other current and future risks.

This bill allocates a $7.97 million matching grant to aid communities in monitoring and analyzing the risk posed by their local landfill. Another $1.3 million is available in matching grants for cities and counties to develop long-term management plans in accordance with the findings. The DEQ is required to compile data and report back to the legislature in four years about groundwater impacts and clean up costs.

Failed bills:

HB 30 State will not ban feeding of wildlife
Sponsor: Joint Interim Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee Status: Died for lack of House introduction vote
Private feeding of wildlife and improper food storage cause many human/wildlife conflicts. Intentional feeding also disrupts animals’ natural feeding patterns, habituates them to humans and foreign food sources, and unnaturally concentrates them, increasing the likelihood of disease transmission.

Currently, Wyoming law enforcement cannot prohibit feeding wildlife or the use of other attractants. This bill attempted to ban artificial feeding and attracting wildlife and included provisions that would have required individuals to properly store waste, attractant materials, and food sources. A person failing to do so would have faced a fifth-degree misdemeanor charge. Exceptions were provided for “any normal or accepted agricultural practice,” which includes all government agency feeding programs and Wyoming Game and Fish Commission rules and regulations for baiting practices.

The Wyoming Sierra Club supports legislators’ attempts to ban artificial feeding of wildlife and regrets that this bill did not receive enough support.

HB 100: Restrictions on Wildlife Trust Fund projects defeated
Sponsor: Rep. Kermit Brown (R-Laramie) and Sen. Stan Cooper, and six others Status: Failed House introduction, Feb. 14, 30-29 (two-thirds required)
In 2005, a Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust Account was created with $15 million in starting funds. Interest accrued from the account flows through a state board to on-the-ground wildlife related projects, such as habitat restoration, natural resource stewardship, and mitigation efforts. Anyone in Wyoming is eligible to receive grant money from the fund, including private citizens, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Projects, which receive other sources of funding, are encouraged to seek partial grants from the trust fund to complete funding. Currently, all grants requests exceeding $200,000 must be approved by the state legislature. HB 100 sought to require all projects that cost $200,000 or more must receive legislative approval, regardless of how much money there are seeking from the trust fund itself. For example, a project costing a total of $200,000 that is only asking for $10,000 from the trust fund and receiving funds from other grants would be required to obtain approval from the legislature if this bill had passed. This would have discouraged many applicants and significantly weakened the board’s ability to aid projects.

SF 30 Landowners can still charge sportsmen and receive game damage payment
Sponsor: Sen. John Hanes (R-Cheyenne) and Rep. Pete Illoway (R-Cheyenne) Status: Died for lack of Senate introduction vote (Feb. 17)
Wyoming landowners may seek compensation from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for damage caused by game animals on their property, provided they permit public hunting on their property. This is to ensure that hunting can balance address game populations before monetary assistance is needed.

Currently, landowners are entitled to charge hunters an access fee. Often times, this means commercial outfitters, who are more willing and able to pay these fees, have greater access to these private hunting areas than individuals. This current statue also allows a landowner to be compensated for wildlife damage twice; once from the access fee and twice from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

This bill sought to eliminate the allocation of game damage payments to those landowners who charge hunters for access to their land. Sportsmen who are increasingly concerned about the diminishing access to private lands, advocated strongly for passage of this bill. It unfortunately died for lack of Senate introduction.

SF 53 Little regulation of CBM waste water
Sponsor: Sen. John Schiffer (R-Kaycee) and Rep. Rosie Berger (R-Big Horn) Status: Failed Senate introduction vote, Feb. 16, 13-17 (two-thirds required)
Along with jobs and royalties, Wyoming's energy boom has brought many challenges. Energy development has had many impacts on our land, water, air, and way of life. In coal bed methane production, groundwater must be siphoned to release the trapped gases. Often, the water has high salinity or contains other chemicals, making it useless for agricultural uses and harmful when discharged into waterways and onto rangelands.

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality issues permits that allow companies to discharge CBM waste water. Currently, they do not have to require “best management practices” and can not limit the quantity of water discharged. This bill would have given the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality this authority.

Unfortunately, it did not receive enough support to be introduced in the Senate.

SF 65 Temporary instream flow right restricted
Sponsor: Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander) and Rep. Pete Illoway (R-Chey, six others) Status: Failed Senate introduction, Feb. 15, 17-13 (two-thirds required)
Wyoming’s instream flow laws dictate that certain minimum amounts of water must be left in their natural channels. Private landowners can voluntarily surrender their water rights in order to aid instream flow, but if they do, they give up a permanent loss of control over their water. The rigidity of these provisions discourages many landowners from partaking in this process on a temporary basis or otherwise.

This bill would have relaxed this restrictive law, allowing private citizens the right to temporary surrender rights their water rights in order to improve instream flow. This would have increased the likelihood that a private landowner would cooperate. After a short debate on Feb. 15, senators voted 17-13 in favor of introduction, three votes short of the two-thirds majority required for consideration in the Budget Session.