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26LSO-0157
ORIGINAL Senate
File No
.
SF0052
ENROLLED ACT NO. 16,
SENATE
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2026 Budget Session
AN ACT relating to the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Funding Act; providing for the funding of large projects under that act; specifying large projects approved for funding in 2026; 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
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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
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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 (h) of this section.
(c)
Upper Greybull Fish Passage III:
(i)
Project sponsor: Wyoming game and fish commission;
(ii)
Project purpose: Restoration of native fisheries, riparian and aquatic ecosystems through vegetation management, riparian restoration and removal of barriers to fish movement on approximately forty
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eight (48) miles of streams in northeast Wyoming in order to:
(A)
Maintain migration and movement for native fish species;
(B)
Maintain river function;
(C)
Reduce or eliminate excessive erosion;
(D)
Stabilize irrigation delivery systems.
(iii)
Project description: River restoration;
(iv)
Total project budget: Three million three hundred seventy-three thousand nine hundred eleven dollars ($3,373,911.00);
(v)
Project grant: The total grant for the project, including all grants previously awarded for the project and the additional one hundred fifty thousand dollar ($150,000.00) grant authorized under this subsection, shall be one million three hundred thousand dollars ($1,300,000.00);
(vi)
Appropriation: There is appropriated from the income account to the board one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000.00) or as much thereof as is necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
(d)
Baggs Valley Headwaters V:
(i)
Project sponsor: Little Snake River conservation district;
(ii)
Project purpose: Restoration of native vegetation through mechanical, chemical and prescribed fire across a varied landscape of approximately five thousand five hundred (5,500) 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: Five million two hundred six thousand five hundred dollars ($5,206,500.00);
(v)
Project grant: The total grant for the project, including all grants previously awarded for the project and the additional seven hundred thousand dollar ($700,000.00) grant authorized under this subsection, shall be two million one hundred forty-eight thousand dollars ($2,148,000.00);
(vi)
Appropriation: There is appropriated from the income account to the board seven hundred thousand dollars ($700,000.00) or as much thereof as is necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
(e)
Absaroka Front Cheatgrass:
(i)
Project sponsor: Park county weed and pest district;
(ii)
Project purpose: Removal of invasive grasses on approximately forty-eight thousand (48,000) acres in Park county in order to:
(A)
Maintain key seasonal habitats for mule deer, elk, moose, antelope and bighorn sheep;
(B)
Maintain core population areas for greater sage grouse and other sagebrush obligate species;
(C)
Conserve valuable grassland and intermediate shrubland ecotypes;
(D)
Maintain agricultural production and opportunity on high-quality ranch lands.
(iii)
Project description: Invasive species management;
(iv)
Total project budget: Three million five hundred thirty-four thousand eight hundred ninety dollars ($3,534,890.00);
(v)
Project grant: The total grant for the project, including all grants previously awarded for the project and the additional three hundred ninety-five thousand dollar ($395,000.00) grant authorized under this subsection, shall be six hundred eighty-five thousand dollars ($685,000.00);
(vi)
Appropriation: There is appropriated from the income account to the board three hundred ninety-five thousand dollars ($395,000.00) or as much thereof as is necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
(f)
Cody Canal Fish Screen:
(i)
Project sponsor: Wyoming game and fish commission;
(ii)
Project purpose: Removal of fish species from entrainment in irrigation systems by screening and by returning to the main headgate infrastructure in Park county in order to:
(A)
Maintain fish populations on a river system with extraordinarily high losses of fish;
(B)
Maintain recreational opportunity on a river with high values for fishing;
(C)
Conserve species considered vulnerable to loss.
(iii)
Project description: River restoration;
(iv)
Total project budget: Four million four hundred twenty-nine thousand three hundred sixty-seven dollars ($4,429,367.00);
(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.
(g)
North Platte Cheatgrass:
(i)
Project sponsor: Natrona county weed and pest district;
(ii)
Project purpose: Removal of invasive grasses on approximately nine thousand (9,000) acres in Natrona county in order to:
(A)
Maintain key seasonal habitats for mule deer, elk and antelope;
(B)
Reduce or eliminate the potential for catastrophic fire;
(C)
Allow regeneration of cottonwood gallery forests.
(iii)
Project description: Invasive species management;
(iv)
Total project budget: Two million nine hundred sixteen thousand dollars ($2,916,000.00);
(v)
Project grant: The board is authorized to grant one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) to the sponsor 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.
(h)
Western Wyoming Cheatgrass:
(i)
Project sponsor: Teton county weed and pest district;
(ii)
Project purpose: Removal of invasive grasses on approximately forty-eight thousand five hundred (48,500) acres in western Wyoming in order to:
(A)
Maintain key seasonal habitats for mule deer, elk, moose, antelope and bighorn sheep;
(B)
Maintain core population areas for greater sage grouse and other sagebrush obligate species;
(C)
Conserve valuable grassland and intermediate shrubland ecotypes;
(D)
Maintain agricultural production and opportunity on high-quality ranch lands.
(iii)
Project description: Invasive species management;
(iv)
Total project budget: Six million nine hundred sixty-three thousand eight hundred three dollars ($6,963,803.00);
(v)
Project grant: The total grant for the project, including all grants previously awarded for the project and the additional two million dollar ($2,000,000.00) grant authorized under this subsection, shall be three million four hundred thousand dollars ($3,400,000.00);
(vi)
Appropriation: There is appropriated from the income account to the board two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) or as much thereof as is necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
(j)
Any unexpended and unobligated funds remaining from appropriations under this section shall revert to the income account on June 30, 2030.
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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