Senate delays vote on bill giving Legislature authority to sue federal agencies after funding dispute

Senate File 41, a bill that would give the Wyoming Legislature standing to bring declaratory-judgment actions over federal laws and actions, was laid back without prejudice after senators disputed an attached appropriation and the proper committee process.

The bill would amend a statute authorizing the Legislature to sue to protect the state's interest in interpretation and administration of federal acts, adding explicit references to statutes and federal laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Sponsor discussion invoked the states interest in federal land management and cited the Legislatures need for a vehicle to challenge federal actions affecting Wyoming federal lands.

Why it matters: sponsors described the bill as a tool to protect Wyomings authority over state land and mineral management, noting…