Study on management of public lands.

ORIGINAL
Senate
File No
.
SF0056

ENROLLED
ACT NO. 78,

SENATE

SIXTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2015 General Session

AN ACT relating to public lands; providing that the office of state lands and investments shall commission a study and provide a report addressing management of public lands in Wyoming by the state of Wyoming as specified; specifying what the study shall not include; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

(a)

The
office of state lands and investments
shall commission a study to
address the management
of
specified federally administered
public lands in
the state of
Wyoming
by
the state of Wyoming
.

(b)

The study
shall
include
:

(
i
)

An i
dentif
ication of
th
e public lands to be managed
and the interests, rights and uses associated with those lands;

(i
i
)

The d
evelop
ment of
a proposed plan for the administration, management and use of the public lands
under the principle of multiple use and sustained yield
that
includ
e
s
,
but
is
not limited to,

the continuation of all existing
public access to the lands for hunting, fishing and recreation subject to closure for special circumstances including public safety and environmental sensitivity;

(i
ii
)

A
n economic analysis concerning the
management
of the public lands, including
but not
limit
ed to
:

(A)

The identification of the costs directly incident to the
management
of those lands;

(B)

A comparison of the likely costs for the state of Wyoming to manage the identified land and the costs incurred by the federal government to manage those same lands;

(C
)

The identification of sources of revenue to pay for the administration and maintenance of those lands by the state of Wyoming
, including appropriate fees to charge the federal government for management of the specified lands
;

(D
)

A determination of the amount of any revenue that is currently received by the state of Wyoming or political subdivision
thereof
in connection with those lands, including
but not limited to
, any payments made in lieu of taxes and mineral
royalties and
leases;

(E
)

The identification of any potential revenue
which may
be received from those lands by the
s
tate of Wyoming after the
management
of the lands
by the state of Wyoming
and recommendations for the distribution of those revenues
;

(F)

A consideration of o
ther relevant federal actions or policies determined to impact revenues to the state of Wyoming
due to federally managed lands
.

(c)

The study shall not
include
c
onsideration
of management by the state of Wyoming
of current
c
ongressionally designated wilderness areas, national conservation areas or lands currently administered by the department of energy, department of defense or the
department of interior's
B
ureau of
I
ndian
A
ffairs, United States
fish and wildlife service or national park service.

(d)

The office of state lands and investments may engage the services of research
or consulting
firms as necessary to carry out the purposes of this act. The office of state lands and investments shall consult with the
attorney general's office, the
governor's office and county commissioners in developing the study pursuant to this act.

(
e
)

The
office of state lands and investments

shall
regularly
provide updates on the study
to
the
select federal natural resource management committee
. The office of state lands and investments shall submit a final report to the select federal natural resource management committee
no later than November 30, 2016
. The final report shall include the study results and recommendations with respect to the issues specified in subsection (b) of this section. The select federal natural resource management committee shall consider the recommendations and develop legislation it deems appropriate for consideration by the legislature.

Section 2
.

There is appropriated
seventy-five
thousand dollars
($
75
,000.00) from the general fund to the

office of state lands and investments
. This appropriation

shall only be expended for the purpose of
commissioning a study and
hiring consultants to ass
ist in the study
pursuant to
this act. N
otwithstanding

any other provision of law, this appropriation shall not be

transferred or expended for any other purpose and any

unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this

appropriation shall revert on June 30,

201
7
.

Section 3.

This act is effective immediately upon

completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law

as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming

Constitution.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the
Senate
.

Chief Clerk

1