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Committee advances resolution urging Congress to boost Wyoming's federal mineral-royalty share and consider state management
Summary
Representative Warf presented a resolution asking Congress to increase Wyoming's federal mineral-royalty share (the resolution cites a target of roughly 87.5%) and to consider cooperative agreements that would allow the state to assume administrative responsibilities. Supporters urged consistency with a related Senate resolution; the committee advanced the measure.
House Joint Resolution 2, presented by Representative Warf, calls on Wyoming's congressional delegation and federal leaders to consider legislation that would increase the state's share of federal mineral-royalty revenues and enable cooperative agreements for state administration.
Representative Warf said the resolution mirrors a letter previously sent by appropriations committee chairs and seeks to raise the state's share from the roughly 50% it receives now toward an 87.5 percent target. "We finally have a friendly administration...we're in the best position we've ever been to ask for this," Warf said, noting Alaska receives a much larger share in some cases.
Industry and agricultural groups told the committee they support the broader goal but urged consistent wording across related resolutions. Ryan McConnah of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming supported the resolution but recommended clarifying how it interacts with Senate Joint Resolution One, which separately seeks a 2 percent administrative fee return if the state assumes management. Brett Molen of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation also supported the concept and asked for consistent language between the measures.
Committee members and sponsors discussed two related policy paths: (1) seek a higher share of royalties (the percentage asked for in this resolution), or (2) obtain state administrative authority via a cooperative agreement that would bring back the 2 percent administrative fee currently retained by the federal government under 30 U.S.C. §191B. Committee members agreed the two efforts should be harmonized to avoid conflicting messages and to give the congressional delegation latitude on the best legislative strategy.
The committee also approved an amendment inserting more-expansive federal-ownership language — "more than 46% of the surface and more than 69% of the subsurface resources" — to strengthen the resolution's factual basis. Members agreed to work with LSO and the Senate minerals committee to reconcile the two resolutions' language (percentage and management) before further floor action.
On a roll-call vote the committee recorded four "aye" votes and one excused member and advanced the resolution out of committee. Sponsors said they will ask drafting staff to craft language that either combines the management/cooperative-agreement approach with a royalty-share request or, at minimum, ensures the two resolutions send a consistent message to Congress about Wyoming's priorities.
Next steps for HJR2 are to circulate the reconciled language to both chambers and to move the resolution to committee-of-the-whole or general-file consideration where amendments can be offered.
