Barrasso measure likely won't get hearing right away
NOELLE STRAUB Star-Tribune Washington bureau | Posted: Friday, October 26, 2007 12:00 am
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John Barrasso on Thursday introduced long-anticipated legislation that would put 1.2 million acres of the Wyoming Range off-limits to any new energy development and allow existing leases there to be retired.
"Today is Wyoming's day, literally," the Republican said in a speech on the Senate floor. "It's a long-awaited day - a day that is special, a day that is as special as the mountain range that this day centers on."
The late Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., had been set to introduce similar legislation the week he died.
Under the Wyoming Range Legacy Act of 2007, no additional mining patents or mineral or geothermal leasing would be allowed in the 100-mile-long area of the range in western Wyoming. Mineral leases include oil and gas.
The bill does not include any currently producing areas within the boundaries.
For leases already issued in the area, the bill would establish a process to allow groups or individuals focused on conservation to buy back voluntarily offered leases and retire them permanently.
A leaseholder would have to submit a written request to the Interior secretary for the repurchase and retirement of the lease. The secretary could use non-federal funds to purchase the leases. States, private groups and others would also be allowed to compensate the lessee. Leases may also be donated.
The purchase price for a lease would be "based on fair market value, as determined from an appraisal that is agreed to by the secretary and the lessee," the bill states.
The bill does not address about 44,000 acres of contested leases in the area. "For the recently issued leases that amount to some 44,000 acres, I have great confidence that we'll be able to work out creative solutions with respect on all sides," Barrasso said.
The bill does not require the creation of a perimeter or buffer area outside the boundaries of the affected land or any prohibition on activities that can be seen or heard from within the boundaries.
The bill will go to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Spokesman Bill Wicker said since the bill had just been introduced, it's too soon to tell what position Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., will take on it.
Wicker said Bingaman will grant a hearing on the legislation. But he said the committee has a backlog of land bills whose sponsors have asked for hearings and that the panel currently has a full plate trying to reconcile House and Senate versions of comprehensive energy legislation. With "all hands on deck" for that job, he noted the panel has not held a hearing for three weeks and doesn't have any scheduled for next week.
"We would be happy to have a hearing on it," Wicker said. "I don't think it's going to be any time soon."
Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill.
"John listened to the people who live, work and govern in the area," Enzi said. "I think this bill is a reasonable reflection of what he heard and saw."
Gov. Dave Freudenthal also praised the legislation.
"This is a big step forward, and I'm delighted," the Democrat said in a prepared statement. "I commend the senator for the steps he's taking for Wyoming."
Marc Smith, executive director of the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, said the legislation reassured industry concerns on one point.
"We are relieved to hear that this bill will not prevent the development of long-standing valid leases," Smith said. "And as development goes forward on existing leases, corresponding efforts will be made to protect and manage the unique natural resources in the area."
Barrasso emphasized that new leasing for oil and gas will be welcomed elsewhere in the state but that the Wyoming Range will remain a "recreational-based economy."
He said energy development is a proud part of Wyoming but that tourism and recreation are equal to that heritage. "Reflecting both aspects of our economy, our people want a special balance between two of our top industries," he said.
Despite the symbolic reasons for the legislation, there is "hard math" at its core, he said.
"This is not a bill that locks up land," he said. "To the contrary, it is a bill for economic prosperity, for recreation and for tourism."
It also does the "right thing" by ensuring future generations of hunters, outfitters and outdoors enthusiasts enjoy the land, he said.
"This is a place where the heart and the soul of Wyoming run free and run wild."
* Last we knew: Sen. John Barrasso was working on a bill to protect the Wyoming Range from further energy development.
* The latest: He introduced the measure Thursday.
* What's next: It'll be considered by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.]]->