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SF0060 • 2024

2024 large project funding.

AN ACT relating to the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Funding Act; providing for funding of large projects under the act; specifying large projects approved for funding in 2024; specifying conditions for large project funding; authorizing distributions from the Wyoming wildlife and natural resource trust income account for approved large projects; providing for the reversion of funds; and providing for an effective date.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Nat Res Fund
Last action
2024-03-07
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
3/7/2024

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on the exact amounts for each project's funding beyond what is listed under 'project grant'.

2024 Large Project Funding Act

This law provides funding for large conservation projects in Wyoming, including river restoration and invasive species control.

What This Bill Does

  • Provides money from a special account to fund big wildlife and natural resource projects that cost more than $400,000.
  • Lists three new projects: Upper Greybull Fish Passage, Baggs Valley Headwaters II, and Seminoe Shirley Habitat.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission
  • Little Snake River Conservation District

Terms To Know

Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Account Board
A group that manages money for wildlife and natural resource projects in Wyoming.
Income account
An account where money is kept to fund conservation projects.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only lists specific projects for 2024 and does not cover future years.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0060H3001

3rd reading • Representative Winter

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment adds a new rule that money given for certain big wildlife and natural resource projects cannot be used to make or improve land agreements that protect nature.

  • Adds a restriction stating that funds allocated for large projects under the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Funding Act cannot be utilized to establish or strengthen conservation easements.
  • The amendment text does not specify which subsections (c) through (e) are being referred to, so it's unclear exactly which projects this rule applies to.

Bill History

  1. 2024-03-07 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 51

  2. 2024-03-07 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0010

  3. 2024-03-04 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0010

  4. 2024-03-04 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0010

  5. 2024-03-01 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0010

  6. 2024-03-01 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 49-9-4-0-0

  7. 2024-02-29 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2024-02-28 House

    H COW:Passed

  9. 2024-02-23 House

    H Placed on General File

  10. 2024-02-23 House

    H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0

  11. 2024-02-22 House

    :Rerefer to H02 - Appropriations

  12. 2024-02-22 House

    H06 - Travel:Recommend Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0

  13. 2024-02-21 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H06 - Travel

  14. 2024-02-19 House

    H Received for Introduction

  15. 2024-02-19 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 26-4-1-0-0

  16. 2024-02-16 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  17. 2024-02-15 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  18. 2024-02-14 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  19. 2024-02-14 Senate

    S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 4-0-1-0-0

  20. 2024-02-13 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S02 - Appropriations 27-4-0-0-0

  21. 2024-01-24 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  22. 2024-01-22 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 24LSO-0216

Bill No.:

SF0060

Effective:

Immediately

LSO No.:

24LSO-0216

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0010

Chapter No.:

51

Prime Sponsor:

Select Natural Resource Funding Committee

Catch Title:

2024 large project funding.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Large conservation projects approved for funding from the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust.

Summary/Major Elements:

The Wyoming Legislature has established an account for natural resource conservation and wildlife projects and all projects with a cumulative total grant that exceeds four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000.00) are considered a large project that must be approved by the Legislature.

This year's large project bill includes three (3) new projects for the purposes of supporting rangeland restoration, invasive species control, river restoration and stream modification.

This year's large projects are:

Upper Greybull Fish Passage
Baggs Valley Headwaters II
Seminoe Shirley Habitat

Comments:

This act is commonly known as the "Large Projects Funding Bill".

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
24LSO-0216

ORIGINAL Senate

File No
.
SF0060

ENROLLED ACT NO. 10,

SENATE

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2024 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Funding Act; providing for funding of large projects under the act; specifying large projects approved for funding in 2024; specifying conditions for large project funding; authorizing distributions from the Wyoming wildlife and natural resource trust income account for approved large projects; providing for the reversion of funds; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1
.

(a)

As used in this section:

(i)

"Board" means the Wyoming wildlife and natural resource trust account board created by W.S. 9
‑
15
‑
104;

(ii)

"Income account" means the Wyoming wildlife and natural resource trust income account created by W.S. 9-15-103(b).

(b)

Pursuant to the authority granted under W.S. 9
‑
15
‑
104(k) and subject to each recipient's certification under W.S. 9-15-103(r), authorization is granted for funding of the large projects provided for in subsections (c) through (e) of this section.

(c)

Upper Greybull Fish Passage:

(i)

Project sponsor: Wyoming Game And Fish Commission;

(ii)

Project purpose: removal of barriers to fish passage and migration, irrigation enhancement and stream modification on the Greybull River drainage in Park County in order to:

(A)

Allow for seasonal movement of native fish into spawning and juvenile rearing habitats;

(B)

Reduce and eliminate the potential for predation on native species in areas of high native fish propagation;

(C)

Improve irrigation efficiency.

(iii)

Project description: river restoration;

(iv)

Total project budget: two million nine hundred two thousand dollars ($2,902,000.00);

(v)

Project grant: the board is authorized to grant to the sponsor one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) for the purposes specified in this subsection;

(vi)

Appropriation: there is appropriated from the income account to the board one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) or as much thereof as is necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.

(d)

Baggs Valley Headwaters II:

(i)

Project sponsor: Little Snake River Conservation District;

(ii)

Project purpose: restoration of native vegetation through mechanical, chemical and prescribed controlled burns across a varied landscape of approximately one hundred thirty-eight thousand (138,000) acres in Carbon County in order to:

(A)

Maintain key seasonal habitats for mule deer, elk, moose, antelope and other species;

(B)

Maintain primary migration corridors for native ungulates;

(C)

Maintain core population areas for greater sage-grouse and other sagebrush obligate species;

(D)

Conserve valuable grassland and intermediate shrubland ecotypes.

(iii)

Project description: rangeland restoration;

(iv)

Total project budget: three million five hundred fifty thousand dollars ($3,550,000.00);

(v)

Project grant: the total grant for the project, including all grants previously awarded for this project and the additional grant authorized under this subsection, shall be six hundred ninety-eight thousand dollars ($698,000.00) to the sponsor for the purposes specified in this subsection;

(vi)

Appropriation: there is appropriated from the income account to the board three hundred fifty thousand dollars ($350,000.00) or as much thereof as is necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.

(e)

Seminoe Shirley Habitat:

(i)

Project sponsor: Wyoming Game and Fish Commission;

(ii)

Project purpose: restoration of native ecosystems through vegetation management, riparian restoration, fence modification and invasive species control in central Wyoming in order to:

(A)

Maintain key seasonal habitats for mule deer, elk, antelope and other species;

(B)

Maintain primary migration corridors for native ungulates;

(C)

Maintain core population areas for greater sage-grouse and other sagebrush obligate species;

(D)

Conserve valuable grassland and intermediate shrubland ecotypes.

(iii)

Project description: rangeland restoration;

(iv)

Total project budget: four million ninety-nine thousand dollars ($4,099,000.00);

(v)

Project grant: the board is authorized to grant to the sponsor eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000.00) for the purposes specified in this subsection;

(vi)

Appropriation: there is appropriated from the income account to the board eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000.00) or as much thereof as is necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.

(f)

Unexpended and unobligated funds appropriated under this section shall revert to the income account on June 30, 2028.

Section 2
.

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

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