County weighs in on BLM plan

The county commissioners convened in a special meeting on Tuesday morning to approve a letter of comment on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (RMP).

The document has been controversial across Wyoming and, by approving the letter, the commission joined with the efforts of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association to push back against it.

"It is clear that the draft Rock Springs RMP is critical for the economy and lifeblood of Southwestern Wyoming," Governor Gordon said in November as he announced a series of public meetings on the matter. "Significant effort must be put into making the final plan work for the people and industries of Wyoming."

This came shortly after the governor requested that the BLM completely withdraw the plan and resubmit a new preferred alternative based on cooperation with impacted communities.

At that time, the preferred alternative was the "most restrictive" of the four proposed and Gordon felt it was disadvantageous to the local communities in favor of promoting "environmental conservation".

The BLM was set to recommend a conservation-focused approach on 3.6 million acres, prioritizing wildlife habitat and movement, which would require closing some areas to energy development and restrict uses including grazing and recreation.

In the county's letter of comment, which was prepared by Dru Palmer of Palmer Consulting, the commission agree that, "It is absurd that the BLM would consider this alternative as the preferred when the Rock Springs area is rich in mineral and energy reserves, the gateway for electric generation transmission, offers significant grazing opportunities, allows for all forms of recreation and multiple use."

Palmer commented during the special meeting that she was among the team tasked with analyzing the RMP. The results of this analysis, she said, showed that the preferred alternative did not align with Sweetwater County's stated goals in its own land management plan around 90% of the time.

The letter refers to the fact that, in response to a public outcry, the BLM agreed to extend the public comment period an additional 60 days, ending on January 17. The governor assembled a task force to represent diverse Wyoming interests and develop recommendations for a more "balanced" alternative.

It explains that Crook County, like the rest of Wyoming, has an interest in the RMP due to its own large area of BLM-managed land and the fact that the state needs Sweetwater County's contribution to its all-of-the-above energy strategy, which requires a diverse energy production portfolio.

"Without the critical tax revenue derived from the mineral industry in Crook County along with all of the participating counties in southwest Wyoming, there would be insufficient funds to provide basic services at a level needed for the protection of the county residents' health, safety and security," it states.

Funding from mineral exploration, it goes on to say, constitutes a "significant portion of revenue" for essential services ranging from roads to libraries, hospitals to public health.

"Any curtailment of leasing and development activity significantly impacts the socioeconomics of the communities and eliminates a critical funding stream for not just Crook County, but all counties, the State of Wyoming and its residents, which will cause reduction to budgets for human services, education, infrastructure and law enforcement," the letter states.

County Attorney Joe Baron commented that one of the reasons for Crook County's interest in the document is school funding. Due to its minerals, he said, Sweetwater County produces an abundance of funding for schools, while Crook County produces less than required to fund its schools.

Consequently, Crook County benefits from Sweetwater County's financial success.

The letter implores the BLM to issue a supplemental environmental impact statement based on information provided by public stakeholders, cooperating agencies and the governor's task force, and asks that the BLM review all the most recent local county natural resource management plans affected by the decision.