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SF 149: Conservation Easements
2005 General Session
Sponsor: Sen. Phil Nicholas (R-S10, Laramie); co-sponsors Sens. Rae Lynn Job (D-S12, Rock Springs), Wayne Johnson (R-S6, Cheyenne) and Reps. Rosie Berger (R-H51, Big Horn), Kermit Brown (R-H14, Laramie), Jim Hageman (R-H5, Ft. Laramie)
Legislator votes
by regions
Big Horn Basin
Casper-Area
Cheyenne-Area
Gillette-Area
Lander/Riverton-Area
Northeast/East Central
Sheridan-Area
South Central
Southwest
West Central


         SF 149 made it easier for landowners in Wyoming to create and convey conservation easements on their property. Conservation easements may be used to impose limitations or affirmative obligations to protect natural, scenic or open space values, to maintain the property for agricultural, forest, recreational or open space use, to protect natural resources, to maintain or improve air or water quality, or to preserve historical, architectural, archeological or cultural aspects of the property.
         SF 149 specified that conservation easements could not override existing mineral rights or the rights of an owner of the property without agreement of the owner of those rights, and reserved the rights of the state regarding eminent domain.
         Supporters noted that under previous Wyoming law, a landowner who wanted to create a conservation easement had to sell some portion of the property to be able to set up the easement, and many rural landowners were reluctant to sell even a small portion of their property. Supporters argued that landowners should be allowed to protect their property with conservation easements if they wish, and that conservation easements offer one important way to help maintain Wyoming’s working ranches and open spaces.
         Opponents objected to the concept of permanence embodied in conservation easements, believing it was unfair to potential future landowners to burden the land with legal limitations to how the land could be used in perpetuity.
         The Senate passed SF 149, 18-12, and the House passed the bill, 52-6 (2 excused). The votes listed below are the Senate and House third reading (final passage) votes. A YES vote means the legislator wanted to make it easier for willing landowners to pursue conservation easements. A NO vote means the legislator did not want to make it easier for landowners to set up such easements.


Bighorn Basin Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 18 Hank Coe (R) No
H 24 Colin Simpson (R) Yes
H 50 Pat Childers (R) Yes
S 19 Laness D. Northrup (R) No
H 25 Alan Jones (R) Yes
H 26 Elaine Harvey (R) Yes
S 20 Gerald E. Geis (R) No
H 27 Debbie Hammons (D) Yes
H 28 Lorraine Quarberg (R) Yes


Casper-Area Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 27 John Barrasso (R) Yes
H 35 Roy Cohee (R) Yes
H 36 Gerald Gay (R) Yes
S 28 Kit Jennings (R) No
H 56 Tom Walsh (R) Yes
H 57 Thomas A. Lockhart (R) Excused
S 29 Bill Hawks (R) No
H 37 Steve Harshman (R) No
H 59 Mary Gilmore (D) No
S 30 Charles K. Scott (R) Yes
H 38 Bob Brechtel (R) No
H 58 Ann Robinson (D) Yes


Cheyenne-Area Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 4 Tony Ross (R) Yes
H 7 Doug Samuelson (R) Yes
H 41 Becket Hinckley (R) Yes
S 5 John Hanes (R) Yes
H 8 Larry Meuli (R) No
H 42 Pete Illoway (R) Yes
S 6 Wayne H. Johnson (R) Yes
H 9 Bryan Pedersen (R) Yes
H 10 Rodney "Pete" Anderson (R) Yes
S 7 Kathryn Sessions (D) No
H 11 Wayne Reese (D) Yes
H 43 Dan Zwonitzer (R) Yes
S 8 E. Jayne Mockler (D) Yes
H 12 Layton Morgan (D) Yes
H 44 Floyd Esquibel (D) Yes


Gillette-Area Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 23 John Hines (R) No
H 31 Thomas E. Lubnau II (R) Yes
H 52 Burke Jackson (R) Yes
S 24 Michael Von Flatern (R) No
H 32 Jeff Wasserburger (R) Yes
H 53 Frank Latta (R) No


Lander/Riverton-Area Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 25 Cale Case (R) Yes
H 33 W. Patrick Goggles (D) Yes
H 54 Del McOmie (R) Yes
S 26 Robert A. Peck (R) No
H 34 Frank Philp (R) Yes
H 55 David Miller (R) No


Northeast/East Central WY Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 1 C.L. Townsend (R) No
H 1 Mark Semlek (R) Yes
H 2 Ross Diercks (D) Yes
S 2 Jim Anderson (R) No
H 5 James C. Hageman (R) Yes
H 6 Dave Edwards (R) Yes
S 3 Curt Meier (R) No
H 3 Deborah Alden (R) Yes
H 4 Edward A. Buchanan (R) Yes


Sheridan-Area Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 21 Bruce Burns (R) Yes
H 29 Jerry Iekel (R) Yes
H 51 Rosie Berger (R) Yes
S 22 John Schiffer (R) Yes
H 30 Jack Landon (R) Yes
H 40 Doug Osborn (R) Yes


South Central WY Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 9 Mike Massie (D) Yes
H 13 Jane Warren (D) Yes
H 45 Kevin A. White (R) Yes
S 10 Phil Nicholas (R) Yes
H 14 Kermit C. Brown (R) Yes
H 46 James Slater (R) Yes
S 11 Bill Vasey (D) Yes
H 15 George Bagby (D) Yes
H 47 Kurt Bucholz (R) Yes


Southwest WY Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 12 Rae Lynn Job (D) Yes
H 48 Marty Martin (D) Yes
H 16 Pete Jorgensen (D) Excused
S 13 Tex Boggs (D) Yes
H 17 Stephen Watt (R) Yes
H 60 Bill Thompson (D) Yes
S 14 Stan Cooper (R) Yes
H 18 Mick Powers (R) Yes
H 39 John Hastert (D) Yes
S 15 Ken Decaria (D) Yes
H 19 Owen Petersen (R) Yes
H 49 Bruce Barnard (R) Yes


West Central WY Legislators Senate 3rd
2/3/05
House 3rd
2/23/05
S 16 Pat Aullman (R) Yes
H 20 Kathy Davison (R) Yes
H 21 Randall Luthi (R) Yes
S 17 Grant Larson (R) Yes
H 22 Monte Olsen (R) Yes
H 23 Keith Gingery (R) Yes

See Southwest Region for H 16 and S 12