2004 Legislative Voter Guide

Senate District 6 – Laramie County

Dist.

Candidate

SD6

Jana Howard Ginter*

SD6

Wayne Johnson

(+) Supports the Conservation Voters position
(-)Opposes the Conservation Voters position
(~) Depends (?) Don’t Know (N) Not answered (*) Denotes Incumbent

1. In recent legislative sessions, various bills have been considered to increase public access and recreational use of public lands. In general, would you support each of the following types of legislation:
(a) Allowing overnight camping on state land, where not in conflict with the lessee’s operations?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. I support public access and recreation to public lands and have always done so when not in conflict with the lessee’s operations.

(b) Requiring those who lease state land for grazing (not for crop production) to provide walk-in access for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities, where not in conflict with the lessee’s operations?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): There are many ways to interpret this question. Do you mean the lessee must provide roads, gates, etc. or do you mean they must grant permission? I say yes to the latter, no to the former.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. As in #1a, I support public access and recreation on public lands when not in conflict with the lessee’s operation.

(c) Allowing boaters to disembark and recreate streamside up to the high-water mark on all navigable water of the state?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes, but not in all areas … Some areas are riparian and, therefore, extremely fragile environments which would be better left untouched. Just think of all the damage that could be done.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. I support recreational boating, fishing and recreation on the navigable waters of our state.

2. Do you support the U.S. Forest Service’s initiative to protect remaining unroaded areas in national forests from new road construction and commercial logging?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes. As a former Forest Service worker, I have seen first hand the scarification caused by too many roads.

Wayne Johnson (R): Uncertain as of this date. As I have spent my time in elective office at the state level, I do not know all the aspects of this federal issue, which according to newspaper articles seems to be in the process of revision at this time. If the roadless issue becomes an issue for the state Legislature, I would be eager to hear both sides of the issue and would be open to both points of view before making a decision.

3. In the 2002 and 2004 Legislative sessions, bills were considered to establish a permanent wildlife trust fund, which would set aside a fixed sum to generate interest which would pay to conserve and improve wildlife habitat; address human-wildlife conflicts; support non-consumptive use of wildlife; and generate income for endangered species management, which is currently paid for with hunter and angler license fees. In general, would you support a similar bill?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes. I may have concerns over who would manage these funds.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. With the budgetary surplus, this is the time to appropriate enough to fund a one-time appropriation for the permanent wildlife trust fund for our future generations.

4. Wyoming lawmakers have so far decided not to set aside a permanent trust fund for wildlife-related costs, such as the one described in the previous question. This has led Gov. Dave Freudenthal to instead propose devoting a fraction of existing state general fund revenue (not a new tax) to pay for some of the costs of preserving habitat affected by natural resource development. In general, would you support this approach?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes. I would only approve using the interest off the general fund – not dipping into the general fund.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. If this is the only way to appropriate the funds, I will support it. However, I prefer a legislative appropriation.

5. With the current boom in coalbed methane and other types of natural gas development, conflicts are emerging between surface landowners, and the owners and developers of subsurface minerals. Current state law does not require developers to negotiate a surface-use agreement in such cases. In general, would you support requiring extractive mineral producers to negotiate such an agreement, or else provide appropriate financial guarantees to clean up potential damage?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes. It’s a terrible problem for the landowners in some instances.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. I support the rights of the surface landowners. After the mineral extractors are finished, the owners will still be the stewards of their land. It must be left at least as productive as it was prior to drilling or mining.

6. Would you support legislation that would reduceWyoming’s environmental standards for air, land or water quality?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): This question is worded strangely. I am in favor of cleaner air and cleaner water.

Wayne Johnson (R): No. We must conserve our land for future generations.

7. Unregulated use of outdoor lighting causes increased light pollution and light trespass, and is considered by some to be a nuisance that diminishes their quality of life. Poorly designed lighting can also cause glare that distracts drivers and wastes energy by illuminating the night sky rather than the ground-level landscape. Municipalities’ right to adopt ordinances regulating the use of outdoor lighting is unclear under state law, while counties have no such authority at all. In general, would you support legislation to clearly authorize municipalities and counties to adopt ordinances that regulate the use of outdoor lighting?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes. I have always been opposed to light pollution. Our night sky is an irretrievable asset unless we do something to reduce excessive light.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. This is a local government issue and should be voted on by citizens and officials. This bill would give authority, not a mandate, to local government.

8. In 1986, the Wyoming Legislature passed the In-Stream Flow Law, which allowed the state to hold a water right to use for natural water flow in a stream channel for the benefit of fisheries, while simultaneously maintaining other users’ pre-existing water rights. Unfortunately, the law created an unnecessarily lengthy, contentious and time-consuming process for protecting such water flows, to the point that the law is little-used and provides very minimal legal protections that apply in only a few real-world situations. In general, would you support legislation to streamline this process, so that actual in-stream flows could be preserved or enhanced for uses such as recreation, water-quality enhancement or municipal purposes?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): I would have to read all the fine print on this issue. Water is an extremely complex issue … the specific wording can make or break the issue in my book. In general, however, yes.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. Streamlining this law would be very beneficial for the landowner. However, I would like to see the specifics of any proposal before I can make a commitment.

9. Wyoming’s wolf management plan and the underlying legislation classifies wolves as predators to be shot on sight in most of the state without regulations. In January 2004, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the plan inadequate to ensure sustainable wolf populations, and specifically unlikely to withstand the legal challenges expected both from staunch anti-wolf activists and from out-of-state environmental groups. Meanwhile, without federal approval for a Wyoming plan, the wolf will remain under strict federal protections. These federal regulations hamper the ability of ranchers or game wardens to manage this controversial species, either to protect property and people, or to prevent more territory being inhabited by wolves. Legislators this year considered a measure to modestly increase wolf protection while still limiting where new packs can establish themselves. However, the bill failed and the state instead sued the federal government to try to salvage its “predator status” plan. In general, do you feel the state is justified in pursuing this lawsuit rather than correcting deficiencies in the wolf management plan?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): No. It’s a waste of money. I think the state should assume more responsibility than the federal government.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. The 2003 Legislature passed overwhelmingly and the governor signed HB 300 that prescribed a strategy for resolving the wolf management issue. The state of Wyoming will need to resolve its litigation against the federal government before Wyoming’s citizens and elected officials can pursue alternatives.

10. Gov. Freudenthal has overturned a policy of his predecessor called the “One Voice Policy.” Under this past policy, the governor’s office commented on behalf of the entire state government on various planning processes, which often involved large new development plans for energy extraction which include significant impacts on our wildlife and natural resources. When final comments would go out, state wildlife managers and environmental authorities often saw their concerns marginalized by pro-development voices from elsewhere in state government. In general, do you agree with Gov. Freudenthal’s decision to let different state agencies comment freely on their own areas of expertise without political involvement from the governor’s office?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes. It’s an issue of “big government” vs. “small government.” The less big government, the better.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. I support state agencies commenting freely in areas of their expertise because legislators and the public need to hear all options.

11. Current state bonding for oil and gas wells requires $25,000 per well and $150,000 for a collection of wells. This leaves many multiple-well fields without adequate reclamation funds if the operator is unable to pay for cleanup work. In such cases, the state must use oil and gas tax revenue to pay for this work. In general, would you support increasing the bond totals for oil, gas and coalbed methane reclamation?

Jana Howard Ginter (D): Yes, absolutely! This is so ridiculous. My husband has worked for 25 years in the oil industry. He has seen time and time again, the state getting stuck with the bill for reclamation. We have always hated this.

Wayne Johnson (R): Yes. Without having been involved in the Minerals Committee debate, I would like to hear all sides of the reclamation issue. However, as in #5, I support leaving our land as producers found it without exception.

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Wyoming Conservation Voters is an independent nonpartisan, nonprofit organization under chapter 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Founded in 2001 by prominent hunters, anglers and conservationists, WCV serves to educate concerned voters about candidates’ positions on issues affecting our wildlife and other natural resources.

For more information, visit our Web site at www.wyovoters.org, call (307) 265–0870, fax us at (307) 265–0893, or stop by at 1915 Oxford Lane, Suite 201, in Casper.