State lawmakers debate whether climate hearing is a legislative event

CHEYENNE — Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, announced on Tuesday that a public hearing on Feb. 13 would be an official meeting of the Legislature, but legislative leaders clarified they were never notified of the hearing.

Steinmetz said in Tuesday’s news release that the Legislature’s Joint Agriculture State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee would hold an “Oversight Hearing...on the Environmental Impact of ‘Net-Zero’ and ‘Carbon Negative’ Policies,” as well as the Annual Forest Health Briefing on Feb. 13 upon adjournment.

However, it turns out the senator failed to notify both Senate President Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, and House Speaker Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, of the hearing. Driskill and Sommers sent out a news release Thursday to clarify the event is not sponsored by the Legislature. In the release, both lawmakers said neither of them was consulted prior to Steinmetz’s announcement.

“While Sen. Steinmetz is free to hold an event in the Capitol auditorium on whatever issues she chooses, it is disingenuous to present such an event as sponsored by the Wyoming Legislature,” the news release from the two legislative leaders stated. Later that afternoon, Steinmetz revised the details of the public hearing through a second news release.

In the new release, she said that the annual forest health briefing would not occur that day and would be announced at another date. The senator still put her foot down about the public hearing being an official meeting of the Senate Agriculture Committee, however, and added it will “be noticed through official channels of the Legislative Service Office on Feb. 9 in compliance with Legislative Session notice requirement.”

Driskill told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle it is “critical” that the public understand that the hearing, which would discuss policy decisions related to climate change, is not a legislative sanctioned event.

“She’s still going to hold it, and we’re happy with her holding it,” Driskill said. “I have no heartburn about it going on; it just wasn’t appropriate.”

The issue was particularly concerning, Driskill said, because of the state’s rocky relationship with the federal land agencies. State officials have been negotiating with the Bureau of Land Management over the Rock Springs area draft management plan, and the senator said the Forest Service’s Black Hills management plan already seems “very similar to what happened in Rock Springs.”

“The Forest Service has unilaterally moved ahead with a plan and is presenting a plan that’s going to be unbelievably detrimental to forest health and to our sawmills and the Black Hills,” Driskill said.

State lawmakers are working closely with the federal government in striking a deal that won’t compromise the business of the state’s sawmills, Black Hills and forest health, which is “a big part of our economic base.” 

The annual forest health briefing between the legislators and the U.S. Forest Service will be announced later during the upcoming budget session, according to the news release.

The public hearing held by Steinmetz, which Driskill said will likely still be held, will discuss the role of CO2, and socioeconomic and environmental impacts of “net-zero” and “carbon negative” policies. The hearing is set for Feb. 13 upon adjournment of the legislative session in the Capitol’s auditorium.

Driskill added he may even attend the event himself, if he’s not stuck in session.

“It’s legitimate issues we need to talk about,” Driskill said.

After a revised notice of the public hearing was sent out by Steinmetz, which still said the hearing would be a legislative-sponsored event, Driskill did not respond to the WTE’s request for comment on whether the hearing will, in fact, be a legislative event.