Wyoming Senate committee backs resolution asking Congress to raise federal mineral royalty share to 87.5%
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
The Senate Committee of the Whole recommended passage of House Joint Resolution 2, which asks Congress to increase Wyoming's federal mineral royalty share from 50% to 87.5%; supporters called it a step to press the federal delegation, critics called it largely symbolic and urged purchasing subsurface interests instead.
House Joint Resolution 2, which asks Congress to increase Wyoming's share of federal mineral royalties from 50% to 87.5 percent, won a favorable recommendation from the Senate Committee of the Whole on Wednesday.
The resolution's sponsor told senators the measure follows interim work by the Federal Natural Resource Management Committee and asks the president, congressional leaders and Wyoming's delegation to consider changing the law to return a larger share of federal royalties to the state.
"All this bill does folks is . . . request Congress to introduce a bill and enact a law to increase the State of Wyoming's share of Federal mineral royalties from 50% to 87.5%," the sponsor said during the committee presentation (discussion began at SEG 473). The sponsor also described a Committee of the Whole amendment that clarified references to surface and subsurface ownership and incorporated language about a federal 2 percent administrative fee.
During debate, Senator Scott challenged the practical value of the resolution, saying it offered "the illusion of doing something" and that the federal government was unlikely to act while facing a large deficit. He urged a policy alternative: consider purchasing subsurface mineral interests to increase state revenue directly. "If we really wanna do something in this area, we should make a serious attempt to buy the subsurface minerals," he said (SEG 631–639).
Other senators defended the resolution as a constructive way to engage Wyoming's congressional delegation and to highlight the economic impact of changes to federal royalty formulas on state revenue. Senator Anderson said the resolution could spur more substantive follow-up, including legislative proposals to acquire mineral interests.
The Committee of the Whole adopted a standing committee amendment and a Committee of the Whole amendment, then reported the resolution back to the Senate with a due-pass recommendation.
What happens next: the resolution will be returned to the Senate for further action consistent with committee recommendation; as a joint resolution requesting federal action it does not by itself change state law or state revenue flows.