Wyoming
Senate panel wants all federal lands in Wyoming except Yellowstone – WyoFile
A Wyoming Senate panel is demanding that Congress give the state all federal lands and mineral rights in the Equality State, except Yellowstone National Park.
The Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources committee voted 4-1 for a resolution that demands Congress confirm by Oct. 1 its intent to turn over the property. Senate Joint Resolution 2, “Resolution demanding equal footing,” covers some 30 million acres “that derive from former federal territory.”
That amounts to about 47% of the state’s land area, the resolution’s lead sponsor Sen. Bob Ide, R-Casper, told the committee. The property in question includes Grand Teton National Park, Devils Tower National Monument, the Bridger-Teton, Shoshone, Targhee, Black Hills, Bighorn and Medicine Bow-Routt national forests, plus the Thunder Basin National Grassland and Bureau of Land Management acreage.
In addition to seeking property belonging to all Americans, the resolution demands federal mineral rights in Wyoming, which amount to 69% of the rights in the state.
Citing the Constitution, Ide said “Congress shall have the power to dispose,” of the land. He interpreted what that means.
“It’s a mandate to dispose,” he said. “They don’t have the authority not to dispose.
“You can’t do the opposite of something that’s specifically directed in the U.S. Constitution,” Ide said.
“By virtue of your oath [to uphold the Constitution] you are required to vote in favor of this resolution.”
Scott Brown
He agreed with Scott Brown, who told the committee during public testimony that, “by virtue of your oath [to uphold the Constitution] you are required to vote in favor of this resolution.”
Sens. Tim French, R-Powell; Troy McKeown, R-Gillette and Laura Pearson, R-Kemmerer, backed the resolution. Sen. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo, voted against it.
Misreading
The resolution claims two violations of the U.S. Constitution, including that federal ownership puts Wyoming on an unequal footing compared to other states and that federal control of land in Wyoming violates the Bill of Rights.
Those arguments have been part of the foundation of a revived Sagebrush Rebellion that most recently culminated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of a petition by the state of Utah. The Beehive State sought 18.5 million acres of Bureau of Land Management property.
But Utah’s arguments are based on “wrong-headed assumptions,” made by an advocate who misreads and misinterprets the Constitution and cherry picks definitions, according to a widely cited article by John D. Leshy, a professor at UC Law in San Francisco.
Alec Underwood, program director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, agreed. The Supreme Court’s rejection “is based on over 100 years of case laws showing that this is impossible legally,” he said.
Ide saw the Supreme Court rejection differently. “They sent it back to district court and told them to kind of work their way up the ladder,” he said of the court’s 12-word order that reads only: “The motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied.”
If Congress acquiesces to the resolution’s demands, Wyoming would be willing to negotiate turning some property back to the federal government, Ide said. The resolution states that Wyoming would create a new designation — state public lands — that’s different from school trust lands where camping, fires and other activities are restricted.
Aside from constitutional questions, the Senate committee heard worries about the fate of mineral rights, the cost of managing the lands, the prospect of Wyoming selling the acreage, the cost of grazing, potential loss of access, response to wildfires, the loss of $30 million in annual federal payments in lieu of taxes and more.
100 years of lawsuits
Ide couldn’t say whether mineral rights would belong to Wyoming or overlying landowners should the panel get its wishes. “How do we figure out where that goes without creating 100 years’ worth of litigation,” Crago asked him.
Ide, who said he was formerly “a mineral title land man,” agreed the proposal “could get very messy on the mineral estate.
“I’ve had a 40-acre parcel,” he said, “that had 200 different mineral owners on it, and you try to track them all down and you can spend a month of work … and still not find half of the mineral owners.”
Crago also warned that grazing costs could increase if the state comes to own federal lands. Outdoor council representative Underwood said grazing leases on state land cost $5.52 an animal-unit month versus $1.35 on federal property.
Crago said Wyoming is restricted by its own constitution on how little it can charge for grazing, and “we’re probably at the bottom of that number right now.”
Noting that outdoor recreation accounts for $2.2 billion and 15,000 jobs annually in Wyoming, Underwood posed an overarching question.
“How would the state of Wyoming take on management of millions of additional acres of lands,” he asked, and “have a robust enough budget to do so, absorb the major financial shortfalls from loss [of] federal funding streams and ensure that grazing permittees somehow have continuity … while also ensuring that the public has access to public lands and that the habitat for wildlife be maintained?”
Other conservation representatives said the resolution is essentially half baked.
“I feel like you should probably do a little bit more research on this before voting to support it,” said Josh Metten of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Greater Yellowstone Coalition representative Richard Garrett agreed and said a fulfilled resolution would lead to “an urge by the state to sell off these lands.”
Carp of the day
The meeting provided panelists an opportunity to carp about federal actions, tout their proposal and offer their perspectives.
Sen. French said Wyoming stands to gain “billions upon billions of dollars … if those lands come back to the state.” Wyoming has never owned the property in question.
He repeated common Wyoming gripes about federal managers closing two-track roads to protect resources. “It happens all over the place,” he said.
Sen. Pearson sided with him. “Thinking that [on] federal lands you have access, you really don’t,” she said.
McKeown targeted federal firefighting. “Do you have any comments on why BLM let a lot of [land] just burn?” he asked one conservationist. “There are many cases where the state was ready to put out fires and not only did … the federal government come late to the aid, they wouldn’t let [Wyoming firefighters] on there to do it.”
French also discounted the prospect of Wyoming selling land it might acquire. “I do not believe the people of this state, the Legislature, the whoever, are going to sell off the Shoshone National Forest to the highest bidder,” he said.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Women planning pill abortions in Wyoming will need to get an ultrasound after lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto of the law.
Wednesday’s 22-9 vote by the state Senate followed a 45-16 vote by the House on Tuesday to override. In vetoing the bill Monday, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon questioned whether it was reasonable and necessary, especially for victims of rape and incest.
Lawmakers cited concerns about women’s well-being Wednesday in voting to override, and they cleared the two-thirds majority requirement.
“He’s very concerned about the psychological effects of this procedure,” Republican Sen. Darin Smith of Cheyenne said of the governor, “but what about the psychological effects of having an abortion, for the rest of your life?”
The new requirement, which takes effect right away, was criticized by abortion rights advocates.
“We are saddened so many legislators lack empathy and respect for women’s decision-making authority, but we stand ready to fight this unconstitutional, unnecessary and unreasonable bill in court,” Christine Lichtenfels, executive director of the Wyoming abortion access advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund, said in a statement.
Wyoming is the first state to explicitly outlaw pill abortions, though that and other abortion bans over the past three years are on hold pending a case before the Wyoming Supreme Court.
Ten other states require abortion providers to perform ultrasounds on women seeking abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.
Under Wyoming’s new law, pregnant women planning pill abortions will have to drive potentially long distances to get an ultrasound and have it documented. They would have the opportunity but not be required to view the image of the fetus at least 48 hours before a pill abortion.
Existing state law already requires abortion providers to offer an ultrasound to women getting abortions.
Pregnant woman who do not get an ultrasound will not be penalized under the new law, however. Instead it is medical providers who face up to $9,000 in fines and six months in jail for not arranging it.
But there are few if any active abortion providers left. Last week the state’s only full-service abortion clinic stopped providing any abortion care, surgical or medicinal, after Gordon signed a bill requiring such facilities to be licensed as surgical centers.
Wellspring Health Access in Casper is wary of running afoul of the law while it challenges it and others in court, President Julie Burkhart said.
It was not clear whether Wyoming’s only other clinic providing medication abortions, a family medicine practice in Jackson, continues to do so. There was no response to phone messages left with the clinic seeking comment Tuesday and Wednesday.
Pill abortions remain possible in the state through remote services: Women have access through the Just the Pill telehealth service and online providers such as Abuzz, The Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project, and Aid Access, according to Chelsea’s Fund.
The Guttmacher Institute found that more than 3 in 5 abortions carried out in the U.S. through the formal health care system in 2023 were medicinal. Wyoming had the biggest portion of abortions via pill that year: 19 in 20.
UNLV Rebels (24-5, 16-1 MWC) at Wyoming Cowgirls (19-10, 13-4 MWC)
Laramie, Wyoming; Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: UNLV visits Wyoming after Meadow Roland scored 24 points in UNLV’s 89-56 win against the San Jose State Spartans.
The Cowgirls have gone 10-2 at home. Wyoming ranks sixth in the MWC in rebounding with 31.8 rebounds. Allyson Fertig paces the Cowgirls with 10.7 boards.
The Rebels are 16-1 against MWC opponents. UNLV has a 19-5 record against teams over .500.
Wyoming’s average of 5.9 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.1 fewer made shots on average than the 6.0 per game UNLV allows. UNLV averages 7.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.3 more made shots on average than the 5.0 per game Wyoming allows.
The Cowgirls and Rebels square off Wednesday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tess Barnes is shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc with 1.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Cowgirls, while averaging 9.7 points. Fertig is averaging 18.4 points and 11.5 rebounds over the past 10 games.
Aaliyah Alexander is shooting 40.0% from beyond the arc with 1.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Rebels, while averaging 11.1 points. Roland is averaging 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cowgirls: 8-2, averaging 64.4 points, 33.6 rebounds, 17.4 assists, 5.6 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 54.6 points per game.
Rebels: 9-1, averaging 75.8 points, 35.0 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 6.6 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 57.1 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of introducing my daughter, April, to Dietrich film festivals, having shared the experience with my two sons.
April is from the second biggest city in Illinois — Aurora, a city of 200,000 or so, a river city like Tunkhannock. Aurora is rich in theatre and restaurant opportunities, but it has nothing like a film festival. I told her that during her long weekend stay we could see any movies she would like to see. I thought she might want to see two or three, but she picked out five films.
So in four days we saw five Winter Fest films, joined by family and friends. Of course we went to Opening Night to see “Conclave,” a very timely film, rich in beautiful scenes of the Vatican. Afterwards everyone wanted to talk about the ending. But we were not surprised that it won so many awards. The very next day we saw “All We Imagine as Light,” a beautiful film that gives us an up close and personal glimpse into another way of life in India in all its challenges and beauty.
“Every Little Thing” was her next choice, a documentary about a hummingbird rescuer in California, a habitat for many varieties of hummingbirds. We learn how Terry Masear brings injured hummingbirds back to good health in her lovely home, equipped with a state-of-the-art rescue center. To me the fascinating story that we learned is how her role as rescuer relates to her own life, a really special film.
The other two films were “Vermiglio,” this time taking us to an Italian mountain village and “Oh, Canada,” starring Richard Gere as an aging and ailing filmmaker wanting to tell his life story in a documentary, including a confession to his wife, before he dies.
All of these films inspired discussion at the end of the showings. Many times we had to stay in our seats to share interpretations. Many times friends and acquaintances came over to share their comments. We should be so proud to have these films shown right here in our town of 1700 or so.
Speaking of the need for discussion of foreign and independent films, the day after Winter Fest, our own film booker Ronnie Harvey will lead the Post Film Fest Discussion on Friday, March 14 at 1 p.m. All are welcome. Come and ask your questions, find out which films you missed that others recommend. Come for discussion and camaraderie and lots of fun.
Then at the Dietrich is a return of Leprechaun Lore with Storyteller Hal Pratt on Saturday, March 15 at 11 a.m. This is the best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Hal is the only one who can tell you all you need to know about leprechauns and then turn into one. I have been to every performance over the years and I will be there for sure this year. This performance is good for all ages. It is free. And you are invited.
Coming up on Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. is another kind of film experience. Buster Keaton’s “Sherlock Jr.” with R.E.M: A Silents Synced Film. This is so cool! A silent film paired with rock music performed 70 years later. Come see Buster Keaton’s silent slapstick comedy, accompanied by 1990s music.
Tickets are $8.50 each. To get yours, stop at the ticket booth or call the Dietrich at 570-836-1022, x3.
The free showing of “Glory” at the Dietrich on Feb. 23 was sponsored by the Ezra Griffin GAR Museum in Scranton. It was a powerful event. Former Examiner editor Bob Baker spoke about some of the 52nd Regt. Co. B soldiers (192 in all recruited in Wyoming County), including Philo Burr of Meshoppen, who was second in command 160 years ago when the Union flag was placed atop Fort Sumter for the first time since the start of the Civil War there four years earlier.
So much awaits you right here in historic downtown Tunkhannock. We hope we see you
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