Wyoming officials and counties defend, refine use of Federal Natural Resource Policy account

The Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee heard extended testimony Wednesday in Laramie on the Federal Natural Resource Policy account — known in testimony as FANERPA or FINERPA — with the governor’s office and county leaders saying the account enables local governments to participate in federal planning, NEPA processes and, when necessary, litigation.

At the meeting Randall Luthy, Governor Mark Gordon’s policy director, told the committee the account was created in 1999 to let the state and local governments “take any of the actions” needed to respond to federal land, water, air, mineral and other natural resource policies. He said the account has funded county participation in environmental impact statements, resource-management-plan comments and rangeland assessments.

The account “has brought in our local governments as partners,” Luthy said. “Most of the time they contract out for expert advice, professionals, witnesses … we approve those on a reimbursement basis.” Nolan Rapp, the governor’s energy and federal lands policy lead, added that counties often apply for grants under the account on a voluntary basis and that many county land-use and natural-resource plans were updated between 2019 and 2022 using the funds.

Polly Scott, senior fiscal analyst with the Legislative Service Office (LSO) budget/fiscal division, summarized the account’s recent finances. She told the committee the account held about $3.8 million as of June 30, 2025 and that, historically, the baseline general-fund…