Novotny: WPLI would bring local control of public lands stuck in limbo for decades

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, was joined by U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis reintroduced legislation on April 27, that would resolve the management status of thousands of acres of federal public lands located in seven counties in Wyoming.

According to a brief from the office of Sen. Lummis, the bill is the direct result of a collaborative process started under the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI). The WPLI was created by the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) in 2015 to seek locally driven solutions on the future of federal public lands that have been in management limbo for more than 30 years.  

While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse program, Johnson County Commission Chair and WCCA President Bill Novotny explained the bill intends to return management of these public lands to local control and called on U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman to lend support in the House. 

To learn more and view maps of the locations in question, click here.