Central Wyoming News

Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, spoke at a committee business meeting in Washington, D.C., where several pieces of legislation were considered. The committee advanced five bills important to western states.

Among the bills highlighted was S. 2867, known as the Promoting Effective Forest Management Act. This bill aims to enhance transparency and accountability in investments addressing the wildfire crisis while setting clear expectations for federal forest management.

Another significant piece of legislation is S. 1553, titled the Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health Act. It seeks to improve grazing management across western states by allowing temporary use of vacant grazing allotments during extreme events such as wildfires or droughts.

The Operational Flexibility Grazing Management Program Act (S. 4454) was also discussed. This act intends to provide more flexibility in livestock management on federal lands, helping permit holders respond more swiftly to natural disasters like droughts or wildfires.

S. 5125, named the Land Manager Housing and Workforce Improvement Act, addresses housing and workforce challenges faced by land management agencies including the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service by cutting bureaucratic red tape and leveraging external investments.

Lastly, S. 3123—the Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act—aims to standardize digital data related to public recreation on America's federal waterways onto a single platform.

During his remarks, Senator Barrasso also paid tribute to chairman Joe Manchin of West Virginia who will retire on January 3, 2025: "Thanks, Mr. Chairman... I wanted to talk about a couple of Wyoming bills." He acknowledged their joint accomplishments leading the committee.

Barrasso further commented on specific bills affecting Wyoming: "These are bills that are going to ensure ranchers have access to adequate forage when drought or wildfire pushes them off of their federal grazing allotments." He noted that affordable housing is an acute problem in places like Jackson and Cody: "Lack of affordable housing has become an especially acute problem in Wyoming."

He concluded with comments on S. 3123: "The bill directing the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to publicly disclose...federal waterway access points..."