After a tense three-hour meeting, the state of Wyoming’s top five elected officials narrowly moved forward with a purchase agreement to sell a prized 640-acre tract known as the Kelly Parcel to the federal government for addition into Grand Teton National Park.

There’s no closing date, but the contract for the $100 million land sale states that the conveyance shall be completed “at the earliest possible date.” 

Efforts to convey the section of school trust land have been ongoing for nearly 15 years. Some $62.4 million — the land’s appraised value — has been secured by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the balance, $37.6 million, has been pledged by the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. 

The decision to move forward midday Thursday fell to the State Board of Land Commissioners: Gov. Mark Gordon, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Treasurer Curt Meier, Auditor Kristi Racines and Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.

Degenfelder opposed the sale, favoring a land exchange that would send 100,000-plus acres of developable federal Powder River Basin land to the state.

Gray also opposed the sale. He’s often aligned with far-right members of the Wyoming Legislature who fought the sale, which was initially authorized by lawmakers as part of the budget bill during the body’s 2024 session. 

Gordon, Meier and Racines agreed to move forward with the high-profile sale. The transaction’s completion is dependent on the governor’s approval of the record of decision for the Bureau of Land Management’s Rock Springs Resource Management Plan. 

This breaking news story will be updated.

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