State land oil and gas leases-operator requirement.

HB 141 requires Wyoming's land board to verify if oil and gas lease applicants meet defined qualifications before issuing new leases on state lands. If the highest bidder is unqualified, the board must consider the next highest bid instead. Unqualified applicants face a civil penalty equal to their bid amount, recoverable by the attorney general. The law applies only to new leases and does not affect existing agreements.