Federal land

Many in Wyoming are celebrating that a Republican-backed proposal to sell federal public land for housing development in 11 states is dead, – for now.

Wyoming’s Governor and Congressional representative voiced support for the proposal, which now excludes national forests but still offers up BLM parcels for housing. Meanwhile, residents are planning a statewide protest.

A Republican representative from the Mountain West led an effort Wednesday to remove a controversial provision to sell 450,000 acres of federal land in Nevada and Utah from the House reconciliation bill.

Last week, President elect Donald Trump nominated North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to head up the Department of the Interior – which includes the Bureau of Land Management. Wyoming’s Governor Mark Gordon said this is great for the Cowboy State’s economic interests.

The federal government’s plan for managing a large chunk of land in southwest Wyoming is going through its final edits. And whether or not they reflect Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon’s latest feedback will likely shape any future litigation.

Wyoming lawmakers discussed next steps for both the federal Rock Springs Resource Management Plan and official state designation of the Sublette Pronghorn migration route. The main sentiment was disdain for federal government involvement.

It’s not news to anyone that coal has been declining for a while now – production in Wyoming has almost halved since it peaked in 2008. But that decline could steepen thanks to recent federal rules and proposals.

A federal agency wants to revoke management of lands on the Wind River Reservation. A portion of Muddy Ridge could go to the Bureau of Land Management, or to local entities like Wyoming’s two federally recognized tribes.

Conversations continue about the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) plan for its land in southwest Wyoming. About 60 people came out for a public workshop held in Farson – a town south of Pinedale with a population of about 200 people.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) draft plan for millions of acres in southwest Wyoming is drumming up attention almost everyday – in everything from Wyoming interim legislature committee meetings to conversations at the grocery store to a recent New York Times article. It was also the subject at a recent Wyoming Outdoor Council meeting held in Pinedale.