Environment

Wyoming's HB 12, the Clean Air and Geoengineering Prohibition Act, bans releasing substances into the state's airspace for climate, weather, or solar radiation modification (like stratospheric aerosol injection or solar radiation management). It directly affects entities conducting such atmospheric experiments, including research groups, corporations, or government agencies, while exempting commercial aviation, cloud seeding, agricultural operations, and fire suppression. The law requires the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to monitor airspace and enforce the ban by issuing cease-and-desist orders for violations. It explicitly permits existing activities like cloud seeding and standard aviation emissions, focusing only on intentional modifications not already authorized by law.

Wyoming's SJ 1 is a joint resolution requesting Congress to amend the federal Mineral Leasing Act. It seeks to authorize the state to manage mineral leasing (including oil, gas, and coal) on federal lands within Wyoming, currently overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. The resolution cites declining federal lease sales in Wyoming (e.g., from 122 parcels in 2022 to 8 in 2024) and lengthy regulatory delays as reasons for seeking state control. Wyoming argues this aligns with the 10th Amendment, giving states greater authority over natural resources within their borders. This is a request for federal legislative action, not an enacted law.

This bill (SF 25) allows Wyoming's Game and Fish Commission to set numerical limits on landowner hunting licenses for elk, deer, antelope, and turkey in designated "limited quota hunt areas." It directly affects landowners who currently hold these licenses and the Commission, which gains authority to regulate license issuance to support wildlife habitat management. The key provision amends existing law to let the Commission establish specific limits on how many landowner licenses can be issued in certain zones, while keeping fees aligned with standard hunting license rates. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.