[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6688509,"mediaKeyId","2360484-a181283c8e3a0cbca51b06e2a3f3cf89","parentId",2360484,"title","Committee passes bill adding limits on eminent domain for energy collector systems with 66% agreement threshold","audioSeconds",194,"startMs",3267000,"endMs",3461000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2360484-a181283c8e3a0cbca51b06e2a3f3cf89&start=3267&end=3461","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2360484-a181283c8e3a0cbca51b06e2a3f3cf89/thumbnail_3267000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6688509/Wyoming/Committee-passes-bill-adding-limits-on-eminent-domain-for-energy-collector-systems-with-66-agreement-threshold","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6688509-fb20a01a5372ac0b9a9752d3c65661c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1777086021&Signature=D3YlwQLtzYb~e5bVP441wBwuXoEioz3~YBfJmWYk1VNYeKsh83wI65nAtfgbyHypGi7kL9VtVSLyvKiwBkA6Khp-SyyZJfdXN39p4CJ3TOUxxIF5l0-Cj7JSh3GnSZJCJJLlHeICK98j1w5U8h52DECtUYkG-K9JM6qTL~d~g3097wdd413pOZiv-g9BJpaSxla6HuSeCFoIOYF~gy5hF8ArWoQ1VsR14vLk3utytHlOHBFLn-1NZo1RPr3jetuzRAA2V3D4lbSXpwWs5z2TzNEvadQ8NuzAzUUz96KkMCR8rE~AmB4OTUFAcreIx5-27xGWMO4FmX1B~tVD4ifLdA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wyoming Legislature","date","2025-02-20T16:34:55.68Z","article","Cheyenne — The Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee voted unanimously, 9–0, to pass Senate File 181, a bill that places new conditions on condemnation for energy collector systems while preserving a path to use eminent domain in defined circumstances.

Senator Barry Craigo, sponsor, described the proposal as a compromise protecting private property rights without banning eminent domain entirely. “This is a private property rights bill,” Craigo said, noting the bill creates “sideboards” — including a requirement that either agreements cover at least 66% of the land area affected or at least 66% of the landowners (if three or more owners are involved) before a collector‑system condemner may file a condemnation action.

The bill contains several provisions laid out for committee review: a cross‑reference to existing eminent domain statutes, a requirement that compensation include improvements to property when calculating fair market value, protections for preexisting easements (to prevent converting an easement granted for one purpose into an easement for a transmission line without meeting the bill’s new requirements), and a clause requiring easements to specify liability and reclamation responsibilities. Senator Craigo also explained the bill includes a grandfathering carve‑out for facilities that were exporting energy from Wyoming prior to the bill’s effective date.

Representatives and witnesses discussed several elements during public comment. Connor Nicholas of Bud Fallon Law Offices, representing landowners, said his clients supported the 66% threshold and favored notice to counties so local officials could consider zoning and health, safety and welfare implications. Jim Maggagna of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association recounted the bill’s lineage to earlier interim work and said the measure strikes a balance between private property rights and preventing one landowner from holding up projects that other landowners want.

Cindy Delancey, a Cheyenne lawyer who represents industry clients on these matters, urged technical revisions for statutory consistency and questioned whether the bill is addressing a widely documented abuse of eminent domain: she noted that Wyoming has extensive energy infrastructure and that cases invoking eminent domain are rare. Delancey suggested aligning the bill’s language on public use/public interest and necessity with existing statute and expressed concerns that subsection D’s compensation language might legislate a floor price rather than allow appraisers and evidence to determine fair market value.

Supporters said the 66% threshold reflects committee interim work and is intended to prevent single holdouts from blocking projects while still allowing projects where the majority of affected owners agree. Opponents focused on drafting details and urged clarifying conforming edits rather than wholesale rejection. The committee moved the bill forward without amendment; the final roll call vote was 9–0 (Ayes: Banks, Davis, Eklund, Johnson, Otman, Provenza, Schmidt, Strauch, Chairman Winter).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, February 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee voted unanimously to advance Senate File 181, which establishes conditions and sideboards for using eminent domain to acquire rights for energy collection systems, including a requirement that land‑use and compensation agreements cover at least 66% of affected land or landowners before condemnation can proceed.","taxTitle","Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, House of Representative, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",61348,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6688513,"Wyoming committee advances bill to extend protections to service dogs in training, raises penalties for injuring them",71,193000,264000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2360484-a181283c8e3a0cbca51b06e2a3f3cf89&start=193&end=264","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2360484-a181283c8e3a0cbca51b06e2a3f3cf89/thumbnail_193000.jpg","/articles/6688513/Wyoming/Wyoming-committee-advances-bill-to-extend-protections-to-service-dogs-in-training-raises-penalties-for-injuring-them","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6688513-8cc860c24da2e8eed17e7429d7ea1f0a/orig.mp4?Expires=1777086022&Signature=DI0Bq0weFmNCUtiRjeoYmOBo36ccMrglqHmtsyXJaMv~T9sLjNvmFT3Kom9N7h4rBvXIJxmG9X5OB~Yp-XV9LIrb121h2A1sZbPg5cQuUYJ2H7ldlqivBmP0roE2dUVpt31t1xWpGdA~yme3jkWU2Z4gHUyqw~cfYRaqml~8t0IcEf68Bxv4kIJcp1L3i0rB3reTZsrICDgDgD43x9y3aHMJhJvwQRVWmGIS4T9CgjO9hzqd1u7dEsdtRuGTcaqzR7wunzNUdm-ggDODLekf~dXC6cUdXRG0cNdMiMaiMcz-A14RloxPM25toUq8JlFr5IVyrrqnGpydNLZWyRTT5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cheyenne — The Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee voted 8–1 to advance Senate File 147 on a voice and roll-call combination vote after debate over penalty levels and prosecutorial concerns.

Senator Lynn Hutchings, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the measure “specifying that the rights and obligations applicable to service and assistance animals apply to service and assistance animals that are being trained,” and would increase the penalty for injuring or killing a service animal. Hutchings said Wyoming statutes on the subject “have not been updated since 1977.”

The bill would add language to existing law to treat animals that “are being trained to work, provide assistance, or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability” the same as fully placed service animals. Hutchings and multiple witnesses cited the Americans with Disabilities Act and its implementing regulation (CFR 36.104) as the model for the statutory language.

Michelle Warner, co‑founder and chief executive officer of Canines for Mobility in Cheyenne, testified the organization has placed dozens of service dogs and is accredited by Assistance Dogs International. Warner told the committee trainers do not bring very young puppies into public; she said dogs typically go into public training at about 5 to 6 months after housebreaking and vaccinations. “We do not take our dogs out in training until they are housebroken and have had all of their shots,” Warner said.

Adrienne Unerdle, a resident of Evanston who lives with multiple sclerosis and testified virtually, said she supports the bill because it would allow people who train their own service dogs to do so closer to home. Unerdle told the committee she must travel long distances to train a dog outside Wyoming and said service dogs function as “a medical device” and “our lifeline.”

Committee members questioned whether raising the penalty to a felony would make prosecutors less willing to file charges. Representative Mark Provenza asked whether local prosecutors had declined to bring misdemeanor charges in the past; Warner replied that “local authorities have been unwilling to press charges,” and that incidents involving trainers’ dogs being baited or nipped were common enough to affect dogs’ confidence. Provenza argued that a stiffer penalty could discourage prosecutions. Hutchings said she was seeking a stronger deterrent and noted the existing misdemeanor penalty (six months and a smaller fine) had not been updated in decades.

Representative Johnson and others suggested crafting graduated penalties or reserving felony-level penalties for repeat offenses; Hutchings and others agreed to continue work on the penalty language if the committee advanced the bill. Representative Johnson moved and the committee approved making the bill effective immediately; Representative Banks seconded the motion. On the final roll call for passage out of committee, the tally was: Banks — Aye; Davis — Aye; Eklund — Aye; Johnson — Aye; Otman — Aye; Provenza — Aye; Schmidt — Aye; Strauch — Aye; Chairman Winter — No. The committee announced the bill would advance with the amendment in place.

Amendment activity: Representative Provenza moved to strike the enhanced penalty language (removing the amended sentence that increased jail time and fines). The amendment was seconded and failed on a 4–4 recorded hand vote. Committee discussion reflected a split between members who wanted stronger deterrence and members worried about prosecutorial reluctance to pursue felony charges.

The committee record shows witnesses and members requested additional follow‑up about comparative penalties in other states and whether restitution mechanisms could better compensate handlers; Senator Hutchings and proponents offered to work with members between readings.

If enacted, the bill would add “service animals in training” to Wyoming statutory protections and raise the criminal penalty for knowingly injuring or killing a service dog; the bill text as presented raises the possible fine up to $5,000 and extends potential jail time beyond the existing six‑month misdemeanor range. The bill’s proponents also noted the cost to replace or retrain a working dog can exceed $20,000–$25,000, though the legislation as written does not direct penalty revenues to handlers.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to move SF 147 forward: moved and seconded; advanced to committee consideration.
- Amendment to strike enhanced penalty language: moved by Representative Provenza, seconded; failed on a 4–4 recorded hand vote.
- Motion to make bill effective immediately: moved by Representative Johnson, seconded by Representative Banks; passed.
- Final committee vote on SF 147 (with amendment and immediate effect): 8–1 (Ayes: Banks, Davis, Eklund, Johnson, Otman, Provenza, Schmidt, Strauch; No: Chairman Winter).","The Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee voted to advance Senate File 147, which would classify animals being trained as service or assistance animals, increase penalties for injuring or killing a service animal and make the bill effective immediately.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee passes bill adding limits on eminent domain for energy collector systems with 66% agreement threshold

Wyoming committee advances bill to extend protections to service dogs in training, raises penalties for injuring them