 - Three local lawmakers signed on to a legislative proposal that was applauded by public lands advocates in the state of Wyoming this week.){kind=link}
(Cheyenne, WY) – Three local lawmakers signed on to a legislative proposal that was applauded by public lands advocates in the state of Wyoming this week.
In a press release Feb. 13, the Keep it Public, Wyoming Coalition said it “stands firmly in support” of Senate Joint Resolution 9 – Keeping Public Lands Protected and Decisions Local, a bill draft that was co-sponsored by Wyoming Sen. Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep; Wyoming Rep. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander; and Wyoming Rep. Ivan Posey, D-Fort Washakie.
The legislation calls on Congress to “recognize the protection of Wyoming’s freedom of access to public lands, to allow responsible development of resources, recreation, agriculture, hunting, fishing, trapping, and conservation under multiple-use frameworks, to protect local participation in land management decisions, and to keep public lands available to the people of Wyoming.”
Wyoming Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, introduced the bill on the Senate Floor last week, recalling that “(in) the past year, we’ve heard a lot of interest in how the public lands in the western United States are handled,” and “we’ve had lots of different proposals come forth.”
“As I’ve been traveling the state, I’m hearing all kinds of stories – stories about the value of those public lands to Wyomingites (and) what public lands means to them and what it should mean in the future,” Barlow said. “So this joint resolution is just requesting Congress to pay attention to us – to allow responsible development of our resources (and ensure) that we have local participation when there are changes, or options of change.”
The resolution says that the legislature “opposes any state or federal legislation or policy that promotes the broad or indiscriminate sale or exchange of public lands” and that the state of Wyoming “demands Congress and federal agencies respect existing land management frameworks, county land-use plans and the voices of local communities most directly affected by federal land decisions, especially when evaluating any proposed changes to federal land management or the disposition of lands.”
In addition, the bill draft says the legislature “supports responsible, locally supported land exchanges, adjustments or disposals under existing laws and procedures when they demonstrably enhance public access, natural resource use or community benefit.”
“We want respect for the voices of local communities, (so) if those responsible things come along, then we will be partners in understanding how they benefit public access, resource use, and our communities,” Barlow told his Senate colleagues. “Wyoming has certain values, and I think a lot of that is encapsulated in public lands, freedom, stewardship, and community. I’d ask you to favorably consider this joint resolution on behalf of the citizens of Wyoming who care about our future and the future of public lands.”
In their press release, the Keep it Public, Wyoming Coalition specifically thanked Barlow and “the numerous co-sponsors” of SJ 9, as well as the majority of Senators who voted 25-6 to introduce the resolution last week.
“We are beyond grateful that SJ 9 was advanced in the Senate,” said Chris Steffen, Director of Operations for Muley Fanatic Foundation, a member of Keep it Public, Wyoming. “After much discussion involving how public lands hold no value and should be sold, it’s outstanding to see our great state taking the lead on the importance of our cherished public lands.”
SJ 9 was referred to the Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee for further consideration.
For more information about Keep it Public, Wyoming, click here.