Senate minerals committee codifies notification to Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho for industrial siting projects near Fremont County

The Senate Minerals Committee unanimously approved Senate File 16 to codify tribal notification for certain industrial siting projects near Fremont County.

Todd Parfitt, director of the Department of Environmental Quality, told the committee the bill defines "tribal government" for notification as the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe and requires DEQ to notify those tribes of applications and hearing dates for industrial siting projects in Fremont County and counties adjacent to Fremont: Natrona, Carbon, Sweetwater, Sublette, Teton, Park, Hot Springs and Washakie.

"This bill does not give party status to the tribes, and they would not be eligible for any impact assistance payments," Parfitt said in response to a committee question. He said the proposal largely codifies a practice already in place for tribes that are on DEQ's mailing list but creates an explicit statutory notification requirement for the listed counties.

Officials from the governor's office and tribal liaisons attended and expressed support. Representatives from the Northern Arapaho Business Council also testified in favor of the measure. Travis McNevin, speaking for the Northern Arapaho Business Council, said the tribe appreciated formalizing the government‑to‑government flow of information and understood the bill did not change party status or financial distributions.

Senator Cooper moved to pass the bill and Senator Jones seconded. A roll‑call vote recorded Senators Cooper, Jones, Nethercott, Rothfuss and Chairman Anderson as "aye." The committee assigned Senator Cooper to carry the bill to the Senate floor.

No amendments were offered, and public comment included support from tribal representatives and the governor's office.