In This Section: Past Legislatures & Interims Contact Your Legislature Legislature: Main

2010 Budget Session
(February 8 to March 5)

While most bills are listed in order by number, Wind Energy related bills are grouped separately at the bottom of the page.

Legislator contact information and additional resources are available at the Legislative Service Office website.
 

HB 17  Carbon sequestration-financial assurances and regulation  3/05/10 Senate President signed as enrolled act HEA 0026
               Sponsored by: Joint Judiciary -- AN ACT relating to environmental quality; establishing an account; funding the account;
             requiring fees by specified permit applicants; regulating the expenditure of funds; requiring rulemaking; providing for the
             state's immunity; requiring bonding or other financial assurances; providing penalties; providing for the release of financial
             assurances; requiring land owner notice of geological sequestration sites; repealing obsolete provisions; providing an
             appropriation; authorizing a position; and providing for effective dates. 
                      This bill would require fees from applicants for permits to conduct geological (carbon dioxide) sequestration. 
                      The fees would be placed into a special reserve account which shall be used by the Department of Environmental
                      Quality (DEQ) to measure, monitor and verify geological sequestration sites to release bonds and other financial
                      assurances required from site operators.  The bill provides for rule making, penalties, authorization of specified
                      types of financial assurances that will be acceptable, notice to landowners, an appropriation, and authorizes
                      a position for the DEQ to fulfill its responsibilities under the act.   WCV believes amendments are needed.

HB 18  Aquatic invasive species - 2  3/05/10  Senate President signed as enrolled act HEA 0062           
             Sponsored by: Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources -- AN ACT relating to game and fish; providing for
              control of aquatic invasive species; providing for inspection of conveyances; providing for decontamination orders; providing
              for impoundment and quarantine; providing for rules; providing for inspection fees; providing civil and criminal penalties;
              providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.
                     This bill would establish a program of boat checks to minimize the threat of introduction of aquatic invasive
                     species into Wyoming waters. The bill also provides for decontamination and seizure of boats when an aquatic invasive
                     species is found.

HB 54 - Wyoming Food Freedom Act   FAILED
       2/26/10 -- Failed in Senate Agriculture Committee
              Sponsored by: WALLIS -- AN ACT relating to agriculture; creating the Wyoming Food Freedom Act; exempting certain sales
              from licensure, certification and inspection; providing definitions; and providing for an effective date. WCV support this bill.

HB 78 - Natural gas - taxation  FAILED
           2/25/10 -- Failed in Committee
               Sponsored by: LUBNAU -- AN ACT relating to taxation and revenue; providing for valuation of natural gas as specified;
               providing definitions; providing legislative findings; providing applicability; and providing for an effective date. 

SF 07 – Rangeland health assessments (10LSO-006).   3/05/10  House Speaker signed as enrolled act SEA 0047
             Sponsored by: Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources -- AN ACT relating to agriculture; creating the
             rangeland health assessment program; providing for rangeland health assessments; requiring matching funding; granting
             rulemaking authority; making conforming amendments; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date. 
                   This bill would create the rangeland health assessment program to assess the condition of the health of Wyoming
                   grazing lands. It would provide for the cooperation (so all of the following entities would be involved) between the
                   department of agriculture, the University of Wyoming, county governments, federal agencies and private landowners
                   and provide for funding from the federal natural resources policy account.

SF 13 – Economic analysis (10LSO-007).  3/05/10  House Speaker signed as SEA 0048
                Sponsored by: Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources -- AN ACT relating to economic analysis; providing
             for collecting, compiling, analyzing and distributing county economic data; providing for establishment of uniform data criteria;
             and providing for an effective date.
                   This bill would provide for the department of economic analysis, in cooperation with other governmental and private
                   agencies, to establish uniform data criteria for the collection, compilation, analysis and distribution of county economic
                   data.  WCV opposes this bill in its current form.

SF 21 - Coal value added facilities - tax exemptions (10LSO-0174)
           Withdrawn before introduction
              Sponsored by: Joint Minerals Committee -- AN ACT relating to taxation and revenue; amending a sales and use tax exemption
              to apply to oxy-combustion and advanced coal facilities; and providing for an effective date. 
                   This bill would have modified the sales and use tax exemptions on coal gasification or coal liquefaction to include
                   oxy-combustion or similar advanced coal facilities.  Coal Plants Tax Exemptions: Exempts oxy-combustion and other
                   “advanced” coal facilities from sales tax.  WCV opposed this bill

 

SF 78 - Illegal Fish Stocking  Senate President signed as enrolled act SEA 0037

WIND ENERGY BILLS

SF 58 - Eminent domain - limitations FAILED
        2/11/10 -- Failed in Senate Revenue Committee
            Sponsored by:  Schiffer -- AN ACT relating to the power of eminent domain; limiting the persons who can exercise the power
            of eminent domain for purposes of electrical power transmission and distribution; and providing for an effective date.
                  WCV supports this bill, especially noting that it is neutral as to the source of electricity--not just wind generated.

SF 66 - Industrial siting amendments Senate President signed as enrolled act SEA 0038       
            Sponsored by: PERKINS -- AN ACT relating to industrial siting; amending jurisdictional criteria; amending and adding definitions;
            expanding and modifying notice provisions; granting rulemaking authority as specified; modifying the information necessary in permit
            and waiver applications; expanding the number of state agencies involved in permitting; specifying additional issues to consider
            in the permitting process; requiring additional fees; defining prohibited activities; modifying exempt facilities; providing exceptions
            to hearing requirements; providing additional requirements and jurisdiction for wind energy facilities; repealing laws regarding
            incomplete applications; and providing for an effective date.
                  WCV supports this bill, but is concerned about possible amendments.

HB 72 - Regulation of wind energy facilities   3/05/10  Senate President signed as enrolled act HEA 0064
              Sponsored by: STUBSON --  AN ACT relating to siting and regulation of wind energy facilities; requiring permitting by boards of
             county commissioners; establishing minimum standards for wind energy facilities; providing for the review of county permitting
             decisions; allowing counties to adopt requirements; providing for referrals to the industrial siting council; amending the industrial
             siting council's jurisdiction; requiring rulemaking; providing penalties; requiring fees; requiring financial assurances; and providing
             for an effective date.
                  WCV supports generally, with concern for amendments.

HB 79 - Eminent domain-wind power collector lines.  3/05/10 Senate President signed as enrolled act HEA 0064 
             Sponsored by: BROWN -- AN ACT relating to condemnation; limiting the exercise of the power of condemnation for the erection,
             placement or expansion of collector systems associated with commercial facilities generating electricity from wind for a period
             of time; establishing a task force; assigning duties to the task force; specifying the operation of the task force; providing
             appropriations; and providing for an effective date.
                      WCV supports the bill, but would like to see an expanded interim study related to other condemnation.

HB 101 - Electricity generated from wind - taxation  3/02/10 Senate President signed as enrolled act HEA 0018.
                 Sponsored by: ANDERSON,R -- AN ACT relating to taxation and revenue; imposing a tax upon the production of electricity from
             wind resources as specified; providing for administration, imposition, enforcement and distribution as specified; providing
             applicability; and providing for an effective date.
                   WCV supports this bill, but would like to see it amended to apply to other sources of electricity as well.

HB 111 - Electric transmission - consideration of regional issues   3/05/10 Senate President signed as enrolled act HEA 0053
               Sponsored by: SIMPSON  -- AN ACT relating to public utilities; providing for regional considerations in the regulation of
             electric transmission; specifying legislative findings; and providing for an effective date.
                    WCV generally supports this bill.