Wyoming Bill Demands Transfer Of Federal Lands To State

A bill that would demand the transfer of federally owned land in Wyoming to the state has been filed in the Wyoming Legislature.

You can read House Bill 141 here.

It's sponsored by  Representative(s) Wharff, Baker, Eklund, and Laursen. The bill calls for the transfer of federally-owned lands within Wyoming's borders to the state by no later than the end of 2023. A special state commission would be formed to oversee the transfer of the lands.  National parks, national monuments, military bases, and Indian reservations would be exempt from the transfer.

It's not clear whether such a demand from Wyoming for the transfer of federal lands to state control would be successful. Utah passed a similar law in 2012, but so far has not been able to enforce it on the federal government, which retains control of over 60 percent of the land in that state.

In Wyoming, the federal government controls just over 46 percent of the state's total land area, according to the Congressional Research Service.