The Wyoming Senate narrowly voted Thursday for a resolution demanding that Congress turn over some 30 million federal acres to the state — but only after first defeating the measure and then reconsidering it.
Senate Joint Resolution 2, “Resolution demanding equal footing,” insists that Congress act by October to begin turning over the property. That includes Grand Teton National Park, all or parts of eight national forests, Devils Tower National Monument, the Thunder Basin National Grassland and vast swaths of sagebrush and desert managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
The resolution faces two more votes in the Senate.
The “equal footing” argument behind the resolution proposes that Wyoming is not on a level with midwestern and eastern states. That’s because 46% of Wyoming is federally controlled — owned by all Americans — to the detriment of Wyoming’s sovereignty and economy, lead resolution sponsor Sen. Bob Ide, R-Casper, said.
He spent a considerable portion of the approximately 35-minute debate touting conservative legal theories and the economic benefits of owning the property and underlying minerals. Under state ownership, the land would have generated almost $24 billion in oil and gas revenue since 1921, he said.
“Congress has no authority to not dispose.”
Bob Ide
Sen. Brian Boner, R-Douglas, who chaired the session, called the initial voice vote in favor of Ide’s resolution. But a demand for a head count and roll call revealed the 16-14-1 tally.
The resolution “is deemed indefinitely postponed,” Boner said. GOP Sen. Tim French, a GOP supporter of the resolution from Powell, was excused and absent.
When French reappeared Thursday afternoon, Sen. Ogden Driskill, who originally voted with the majority and against the resolution, called for reconsideration. He and French then made the 16-15 margin in favor. There was no additional debate ahead of the new vote.
Legal theories
The debate offered Ide and others a platform for grievances and explanations of the reasoning behind the resolution. One legal scholar has said those come from a misreading of the Constitution.
After studying legal briefs filed in an unsuccessful attempt by Utah to take the federal land issue straight to the U.S. Supreme Court, Ide said “I’m more convicted that we have a strong case here, and we need to protect our state.”
Congress has the power to dispose of federal property, he said.
“If the power given to Congress is to dispose territorial and public lands, then Congress has no authority to not dispose,” he told the Senate. “This is just common sense.
“A continued failure on the part of Congress to fulfill its duty to dispose of the aforementioned lands and resources has resulted in two constitutional violations,” Ide said.
He also fielded a question from Buffalo rancher and Republican Sen. Barry Crago regarding a clause in the Wyoming Constitution that says the state “forever disclaim[s] all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within [Wyoming’s] boundaries.”
“I think we may have to deal with our own constitution first,” Crago said.
Ide was undeterred.
“I’ve thoroughly talked to all of the foremost experts on this, too,” he said.
“I’m convinced that this part of our constitution isn’t a problem,” Ide said, after asserting, “We didn’t disclaim sovereignty and jurisdiction.”
Bashing the BLM
Ide also bashed a BLM initiative to put conservation on an equal footing with drilling, mining and other uses on 3.6 million acres in Southwest Wyoming. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Monday ordered the Wyoming BLM office to review the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan that Ide referred to and recommend changes by Feb. 18.
“They’re taking 3 million acres out of any human contact,” Ide said of the Rock Springs plan and others like it. Statewide, “our oil and gas leasing has been shut down 87% on federal land since the last administration,” he claimed.
Supporting Ide, industry landman Sen. Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, said the last four years “should have been a pretty big eye opener [of] what can happen when the feds go crazy and want to close us down.
“They can destroy our economy,” he said. “They can destroy our way of life because of the power they have.”
Sen. Mike Gierau, a Democrat from Jackson, said he’s received more calls and emails about the resolution “than any other subject so far this session.”
The Grand Teton National Park budget is $13 million for base operation and $110 million over the last two years in maintenance and upkeep. The park operates more than 800 buildings and 23 wastewater systems — “millions and millions of dollars in expenses,” Gierau said.
Fees collected “are nowhere near” the expenses, he said. Grand Teton draws 3.2 million visitors annually and is “the bedrock source of our economy.”
“I would suffice to say, at this moment in time, it is the bedrock economic driver for this entire state.” Under Ide’s plan, the state could cede certain properties like Grand Teton back to the American people.
Lauren Heerschap, owner of Brunton International, LLC, spoke for conservationists and said federal lands are “too important to risk with short-sighted and disingenuous takeover proposals.” She called for another reconsideration on second and third readings.
In addition to Ide, Boner, Driskill, French and Biteman, the reconsideration and resolution itself were backed by Sens. Dan Dockstader, R-Afton; Larry Hicks, R-Baggs; Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne; Stacy Jones, R, Rock Springs; John Kolb, R-Rock Springs; Dan Laursen, R-Powell; Troy McKeown, R-Gillette; Laura Taliaferro Pearson, R-Kemmerer; Tim Salazar, R-Riverton; Darin Smith, R-Cheyenne and Cheri Steinmetz, R-Torrington.
Wyoming needs to stand strong and show what damage an administration such as the last can do in financial damage to our state, we maintain and carry that financial burden and deserve to be compensated for doing so! The current administration wants to take less pressure off the federal government in expenses and this is a perfect example of ways of doing just that. There should be strong voices in talks with Trumps administration on this. I’d love to be one of those voices.
We vote to take property taxes away from local communities and then vote to take over more property to take care of!?!Perhaps Sen IDE and BITEMAN want to sign up for Trump’s Gaza Project and get out of our hair. Run our state, not ruin our state!
If this demand were to be satisfied, we should invest in companies printing “For Sale,” and “No Trespassing” signs. This legislation does not take into consideration the desires of average Wyoming residents. Federal ownership protects Wyoming lands from the avarice of those who seek to exploit it, and lock out the public.
Would not trust Wyoming government with any federal land.
This is nonsense. These public lands have served us well, and profitability, for decades. Turn them over to the state and before you know it they’ll be sold off, dug up, exploited in a multitude of ways and left to erode and despoil like the wastelands in West Virginia. Legislators need to get over this grandstanding and get back to work.
Frankly, the Legislature and Wyoming’s Congressional delegation should be looking at gaining state control over federally funded dams and reservoirs. Look at the case in California where the Whitehouse ordered releases of hold-over storage to create a made-for-TV moment. The water was to have been used for agricultural irrigation in the coming growing season. It did not go to help with the LA fires – it simply was lost to seepage and evaporation. The President is a city-boy, a dude, who thinks water just comes out of a tap. His actions were a sacrilege to doctrines of water law of all western states and has to be called out.
What a colossal waste of time….and hot air. Keep public lands in public hands. Period. Might I suggest that Mr. Ide, Mr. Biteman and their freedom caucus cronies actually try to govern this great state and get to work on the many real issues facing Wyoming? Otherwise, Bye Felicia….
Hopefully, those who reside in wanna-be cowboy Bob Ide’s senate district will remember how he voted and the bills he sponsored or co-sponsored during the 2025 legislative session. Ide’s voting record shows all-out contempt for what the majority of Wyoming residents cherish – our public lands, our environment, and public wildlife. Clearly the wanna-be Colorado cowboy, who by the way grew up in Boulder, Colorado and didn’t reside in Wyoming until he graduated from college, represents not his constituents but his fellow MAGA republicans ilk. Let’s send Colorado wanna-be cowboy Bob Ide back to Boulder, Colorado come the next election.
There has been Federal Public Lands in Wyoming since Statehood in 1890. Five generations of my family have lived in Wyoming and have used and enjoyed those public lands during that time. Now, Wyoming’s State Legislature has been hijacked by radicals who want to take the federal public lands away from Wyoming Citizens and sell them to the highest bidder. When Wyomingites are locked out of the National Forest Lands where they have hunted, fished, and camped for generations, the pitchforks and torches will come for the evil politicians who sold their public land legacy. The main proponents of transfer and disposal in the Wyoming Legislature, make all kinds of crazy arguments based on their Constitutional interpretations. Yet, none of them are professional Constitutional scholars, attorneys, or judges. They are simply not knowledgeable or qualified to make those arguments. The vast majority of Wyoming citizens want these federal lands to remain public and accessible. And want to continue to utilize and enjoy them as they have since 1890. If these politicians hate public land so much, then they should move to Texas or some other state without Federal Lands. We’d both be happier.
Well said Luke. Our far right legislators make it embarrassing to say I’m a Wyoming native. The immediate assumption is that we all support the draconian laws these “leaders” come up with.
Great write-up Luke about public land and the value it brings to EVERYONE.
To me this sounds like Wyomings leaders are placing our national parks and federal lands up for sale. Putting state interests, big business and profits over our nations prized and protected possessions.
I personally cherish these areas. Without federal lands surrounding our national parks development will inevitably start to encroach destroy, and pollute areas the public currently has access. With commercial progress comes fencing, private property and additional limitations.
Now more than, ever we need more open space, not less.
The Wyoming legislative clown show! You republican legislative clowns may find this hard to believe but there are things in life more important than the all mighty dollar. Our public lands are just that – public lands owned by the citizens of the United States. They aren’t for sale and if they were, you clowns couldn’t afford them!
The Wyoming legislative clown show! You republican legislative clowns may find this hard to believe but there are things in life more important than the all mighty dollar. Our public lands are just that – public lands owned by the citizens of the United States. They aren’t for sale and if they were, you clowns couldn’t afford them!
The last four years should be an eye opener for what a president that cared about its citizens does to manage federal land. Now, you should be opening your eyes for the effort to take YOUR public lands.
Wyoming doesnt have the budget like bigger, more populated states have, and to take on the expenses of National Parks, without any long range budgetary considerations is short sighted. Yes, Grand Teton makes some money for-the NFS, but nowhere near what the expenses are. As an American, I consider it part of my birthright, as I imagine most Americans do. Please consider what you’re doing for your children and grandchildren. What will Wyoming do when one of these parks has a huge fire, on the scale of what happened to California or here last year? We’d be in the hook for billions for firefighting
Regarding Grand Teton National Park: John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated the land in 1949 to the federal government so it could be used as a national park. Grand Teton National Park was the result of this gracious man’s donation. I can’t speak for Mr. Rockefeller or his descendants, but I’m fairly certain he would be outraged, as are his descendants, at this attempt to take ownership of this property by this group of state legislators.
Legally speaking, the State of Wyoming doesn’t have a leg to stand on, regarding who has the rightful ownership. A private citizen gave the property to the federal government “End of story”, he did not give it to the State of Wyoming. The State of Wyoming could seriously use the help of the federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency and weed out these legislators!
Good thing Rockefeller didn’t give it to Wyoming – I can just imagine what it would look like now: overgrazed, oil wells, open pit mining, no trespassing signs.
Assuming he was properly quoted, Senator Ide said, “If the power given to Congress is to dispose territorial and public lands, then Congress has no authority to not dispose.”
He must have gone to a different grade school than I did. Having the power to dispose of something does not require the owner to dispose of it.
Spot on. Using his logic the Legislature no longer has the authority to not pass a bill. Guess the Speaker of the House better open up the drawer and send all those bills to the Senate.
Pure stupidity. Wyoming couldn’t “manage” its way out of a wet paper sack. Why do you people vote for such idiots?
Bingo.
The state can not afford to manage all those lands. An aritcal earlier this week said that there are 8,100 federal employees in the state of Wyoming. The vast majority of them working to manage these federal lands and minerals. The state cannot afford to hire that many new employees (not that I think many would switch from fed to state anyways; is the state going to count years of fed service toward retirement? I doubt it) nor the up keep of park roads and facilities. The senate is only looking at the dollars coming in from this not the dollars that would have to go out for it. Pretty sure all the development the state would want to allow on these lands would tank the tourism dollars as well. A very poorly thought out and short sighted plan.
this proclamation is nothing but a joke perpetuated by jokers. We the voters have sure sent a big pile of rancid crud to the 2025 legislative session. An absolute embarrassment and waste of time
Right on the money!!!!!! Send AWAY the clowns!!!A
Driskill should/must recuse himself from evening weighing in on this topic let alone voting for it. He has a MASSIVE Conflict of Interest regarding Devils Tower National Monument, and in fact he has told me to my face “he thinks he owns” Devils Tower National Monument.
Driskill has already managed to get the State of Wyoming to bail his ranch out (WY § 9-145-702), acquire the WY State Land School Section that was bordering his property at Devils Tower, WY all while in the Wyoming Legislature! And I’m certain he would love to possess Devils Tower National Monument as he feels he falsely believes he does!
Many of us are dead set against federal land transfer. Please see extensive discussion about this resolution on Wyoming Sportsmen for Federal Lands Facebook page, which I administer.
Thanks, WyoFile, for providing us with the names of what are probably the 16 most foolish senators. Get rid of them, voters!
Could you Wyoming voters be any dumber?
If this passes, the State of Wyoming is clearly revoking the pledge it made to the United States of America, a condition of being part of the USA, to abandon State claims on unappropriated lands. Well, any contract can be amended with the consent of the Parties. So, I guess Wyoming wants to step back to being a Territory? Or farther, to being land outside the guardianship of any Nation?
— Be careful what you wish for. Lying empty and undefended, Wyoming might have to fend off an invasion from Canada. Or the army of Panama. Just imagine…
Seems like the Senate is waisting a lot of time and money. Utah just tried that and Supreme Court wouldn’t hear it.
Of course Bob Ide wants the state to own the land. With his history in real estate, he can’t wait to get his greedy hands on it. He and his cronies will buy and sell our public land. Keep it PUBLIC!!!
What a profound waste of time
Jacksonites shouldn’t have a say in Wyoming politics as most of them are transplants that don’t have Wyomings best interests at heart
Do you mean just the people who live in the Town of Jackson, aka Jacksonites, I guess or residents of Teton County many who are also Jacksonites. You might not know that when Wyoming became a state, a required census was performed. The state which represented the largest population of Wyomingites was New York. So, in a way, Wyoming was born from a bunch of New Yorkers, the original settlers. Non-New Yorkers like yourself are from the real transplanters. Please explain your comment. Wyoming seems so different now then when I graduated from UW in 76′.
Just because the Constitution says Congress has the power to dispose, it doesn’t say when, or if ever, to dispose. It just indicates Congress, and only Congress, can do it, IF they desire. Since I currently own it (shared with citizen the readers of this as well), I object to the disposal of “America’s Greatest Idea”.
Since we are all United States citizens, who decided we need to be at war with ourselves? And the idea that the whole Rock Springs BLM district would have been closed to human presence is ridiculous. Nowhere did the proposed plan say that. I’m glad some of our legislators are always truthful. Their training in that comes straight from the top.
Can we just end this session and send the clowns back home?
Wyoming State Constitution, Article 21, Section 26 states, “The people inhabiting this state do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries thereof, and to all lands lying within said limits owned or held by any Indian or Indian tribes, and that until the title thereto shall have been extinguished by the United States, the same shall be and remain subject to the disposition of the United States…”
Thank you Senator Crago for pointing out that these Senators are ignoring their own Constitution. I’m thankful someone still cares about the Wyoming Constitution up there in the capital building.
I can only hope a handful of state Senators come to their senses and vote Senate Resolution 2 down on second reading and the good people of District 29 vote Mr. Ide out of office at the next opportunity.
Thank you, Mr. Grisham. This is irrefutable proof that this proposal is unconstitutional.
If only the FC members could read and understand complex thoughts.
Senator French was initially absent for the vote? Must of been at the bank cashing those subsidy Ag checks issued from that supposedly evil Fed govt. And now the goofs “demand” that the U.S. Government turn over all Federal lands to them? What? I see that the “Can I see your papers or detain you” Cheri Steinmetz voted yes, also. Is this unFreedom Group the biggest bunch of boneheads and morons ever assembled?
Short answer, yes.
Ide’s quote in the article sure makes it sound like he struggles with reading comprehension. Powers and duties are different things