Op-Ed: Wyoming Solutions for Wyoming Water

Senator Eli Bebout – Majority Floor Leader
Representative Tim Stubson – Speaker Pro Tempore

Water is the property of the state. The water of all natural streams, springs, lakes or other collections of still water, within the boundaries of the state, are hereby declared to be the property of the state.
-Constitution of the State of Wyoming Article 8 Section 1

Wyoming is a headwater state and our water is important to the entire nation. We have waters that feed to the West and to the South, touching both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Water is also incredibly important to our way of life. We place a high value on water not just for personal sustenance, but for our agriculture, ranching, and industrial industries.

State sovereignty is the backbone of the United States of America. The current administration’s attitude of “Washington knows best” has pervaded their policies again and again and permeated their treatment of states. They have reduced mineral royalty payments to states, mandated changes to wildlife management strategies, and now they are seeking to broaden the scope of the Clean Water Act by redefining “waters of the United States.”

Water has always been a resource within state control. The Wyoming State Constitution highlights the need for states to control their own water to ensure the interests of all involved are equally guarded. With the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 water within the state’s borders, not considered “navigable”, was left to state management. The purpose of the act was to protect the quality of interstate waters. It is now morphing into another tool for the federal government to impose new regulatory burdens across the landscape.  

The “waters of the United States” is a proposed rule to expand the federal regulatory and permitting power of the EPA by redefining which waterways they can control under the Clean Water Act. The states were not consulted or asked for input when building this rule. The EPA used public comments from a previous proposal to help outline this initiative but did not complete any further due diligence.

This rule has the potential to affect tributaries, riparians, flood plains, small streams and even dry stream beds. It would create over-burdensome regulation and permitting on stormwater management systems and industrial ponds. This rule would place the burden of compliance on land owners, whose ditches and creeks currently fall outside federal jurisdiction, making them prove that they are in accordance with federal standards.

States should have been consulted early and often for such an expansive rule change to the Clean Water Act. This is a prime example of federal overreach, it is an overreach through rules and regulations. The EPA could not get this proposed rule passed through Congress so instead of relying on the democratic process, they are looking to change the definition of waterways and, therefore, giving themselves unlimited control over Wyoming water.

We applaud Governor Mead for taking the initiative and developing a water strategy. Outlining initiatives for water management, development, conservation, and restoration shows our commitment to Wyoming water and the blueprint of how we intend to continue managing it. As the Legislature, we have appropriated $9 million for constructing and upgrading water development projects. Water is an area where we have, and will continue, to jealously guard Wyoming’s interest.

Wyoming is fighting regulatory overreach by managing our waters effectively, working with the Governor to ensure that his proposed water strategy continues to move Wyoming water forward, and pushing back against the federal government to ensure we can manage Wyoming water with Wyoming solutions. Multiple agencies within the state and the region, including the Governor’s office, have sent comment letters to the EPA calling for the withdrawal of this rule.   

Wyoming constantly clashes with the federal government for the ability to solve Wyoming problems with Wyoming solutions. States have the right to regulate the water within their boundaries and we will continue to fight for Wyoming water, Wyoming’s life blood. 

Senator Bebout and Representative Stubson are co-chairs of the Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee.

Op-Ed: Session Vital to Building a Better, Brighter Future for Wyoming

By:
Republican Leadership
Senate President Phil Nicholas – Laramie
Speaker of the House Kermit Brown – Laramie
Senate Majority Floor Leader Eli Bebout – Riverton
House Majority Floor Leader Rosie Berger – Big Horn
Senate Vice President Drew Perkins – Casper
Speaker Pro Tem Tim Stubson – Casper
Majority Whip Hans Hunt - Newcastle

“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
-Abraham Lincoln

As the Republican leadership of the 63^rd Wyoming State Legislature, we know that these next 40 days are vital to building a better and brighter future for Wyoming. The decisions we make have the chance to influence the next 10 years and beyond.

We enter this session with a handful of priorities, and a clear vision of what we want to accomplish; thoughtful of how we can best represent the citizens of Wyoming and what kind of legacy we want to leave for future generations.

As we travel to Cheyenne, and engage in the legislative process, we are reminded that we are part of a remarkable nation, a nation that stands as a great example of strength and of freedom. Much of the strength of our country is owed to our founding fathers who recognized the importance of state sovereignty, giving them the ability to solve problems in a way that uniquely meets their local needs. Too often we have a federal government that forgets the importance of that system and seeks to impose solutions that make sense from afar, but are simply unworkable when put into practice. This session, we will have the opportunity and the obligation to fight for the right to solve Wyoming problems with Wyoming solutions.

Growing our state and local economies while creating meaningful employment opportunities for Wyoming citizens is a top priority this legislative session. And it comes as no surprise to many that education and economic development go hand in hand, and right now we have the opportunity to advance both.

Providing for our local communities is one of the best investments the state of Wyoming can make. We have worked hard to provide high-quality highways and transportation channels, to build out our communications infrastructure, and to diversify our economic climate. Historically Wyoming spends $9 billion a biennium in advancing these initiatives and we must continue to invest in a way that grows the state of Wyoming’s economy.

We have recognized for years the importance of having a world class education system and have strived to make our schools, from preschool through college, the best in the country. As a result of this commitment, Wyoming was recently rated in the top 10 for early-childhood education by Education Weeks Quality Counts report.

When it comes to making significant investments in our education system and promoting economic development, we have been putting our money where our mouth is. This session will be no different. We are committed to having the tough conversations and debates and to keep moving Wyoming forward.

We will continue to create opportunities for meaningful careers and good paying, stable jobs right here in Wyoming. Jobs that will keep Wyoming students in Wyoming. We will maintain our business friendly environment, encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit of our citizens and welcoming new businesses into our state. Wyoming is, and will continue to be, open for business.

With the release of the CREG (Consensus Revenue Estimating Group) report last week, we learned the revenue projections are estimated to decrease by $217 million. Being a state with a robust energy sector, we have seen this cycle of decreased energy prices before. We know this means that we will need to find ways to do more with less.

We will thoughtfully balance savings and investments in a way that insures stability and economic vitality for the years to come, while making focused investments in Wyoming’s infrastructure that create jobs and maintain a high quality of life throughout our communities.

Wyoming is consistently ranked the #1 Best Run State in the country because of our ability to control government growth, understanding the importance of saving, and our ability to operate within our current and projected revenue.  

This session is crucial to planning a better, brighter future for Wyoming. We will continue to strengthen our economy, improve our infrastructure, carefully develop our natural resources, keep state decisions in state hands, maintain a controlled budget and invest our human and financial resources wisely.

We will be measured in how we accomplish a positive change and we need the courage to plan, make changes, and ensure that the years to come are years of growth and prosperity – one day at a time.

Leadership Committed to Responsible Spending

Cheyenne, WY – The Majority and Minority Leaders of the 63^rd Wyoming Legislature held a joint news conference following the Governor’s State of the State address today and focused heavily on budget, and the sure to be ongoing debate of when to save and when to spend.

“We have a lot of common goals with the Governor concerning what we want to accomplish this session,” said Senate President Phil Nicholas, “I am glad that he is not backing down on financial commitments that have previously been made based on the anticipated downturn in energy prices. Wyoming has experienced this before and we need to continue to keep a long term view.”

“Adjustments will need to be considered this session, based on our extremely volatile revenue streams, but we are in a position where we aren’t talking about cutting programs,” Speaker Kermit Brown emphasized, “But some of these spending debates come from opinion and not hard fact.”

Both President Nicholas and Speaker Brown are working on a bill, titled Vision 2020, that proposes to develop a modeling tool to help future legislatures make more data-driven decisions based on the state’s processes supported by revenue streams. The modeling tool is intended to identify possible risks associated with different funding sources. The Vision 2020 process is intended to be an inclusive planning process adding, among other things, a plan for long term savings and expenditures.

During the news conference, Senate Majority Floor Leader Eli Bebout highlighted the strength of Wyoming, saying, “We are in a much better position than we have been in the past to ride out this downturn in oil and gas prices. We have a smaller and more efficient government and have made good investment and saving decisions. Wyoming is open for business.”

It is expected that there will be a robust discussion this session on what spending priorities should be, but one thing is for sure within the Republican leadership; the sky in not falling.

“In 2010 we were face with needing to make significant cuts to the budget” remembered House Majority Floor Leader Rosie Berger, “We are not at that place, and I look forward to a healthy discussion on where our spending priorities should be with the funds that are available.”

Leadership Calls for Decorum, Efficiency in 2015

Cheyenne, Wyoming – The 63^rd Wyoming Legislature began today with the swearing in of elected officials and the oath taking for the Legislative Majority.

The Wyoming legislature includes 30 Senate and 60 House members. It will be the first year in office for 3 Senate members and 14 House members.

Throughout the opening ceremonies, Republican leaders in both the House and Senate stressed the need for decorum and efficiency during the 2015 session.

Speaker Kermit Brown called upon members to act in a way that makes the people of Wyoming proud. “Robust debate is allowed and encouraged, we find ways to disagree without being disagreeable, and we will allow every member an equal opportunity to be heard”

Senate Vice President-Elect Drew Perkins had a cohesive message for the legislature. “To do its job, the legislature has to maintain itself as a healthy institution. [This] is the obligation and responsibility of each member.”  

In this General Session the legislature will tackle many substantial policy issues; including debates on balancing spending vs. saving, how to create a healthy and diverse economy, and how to continue to build a world class education system.

“To reach our best results, I believe that it is imperative for all of us to show the highest respect for the institution and for each other,” House Majority Floor Leader Rosie Berger emphasized, “We must find a delicate balance between thorough bill analysis with full debate, and efficiency needed to move through 300-600 bills this session.”

“This session we will have the opportunity and the obligation to fight for the right to solve Wyoming problems with Wyoming solutions,” Speaker Pro Tempore Tim Stubson stressed. “We want to create a legacy, that as legislators, we can be proud of.”

The State of State will be held on Wednesday, January 15^th at 10am.  After the meeting the leadership will host a bi-partisan press conference in Room 302.

To track bills throughout the 2015 session, visit http://legisweb.state.wy.us/LSOWEB/Session/SessionHome.aspx