(a)The governor's office may supervise the collection of
baseline scientific assessment data on public lands which may
impact agricultural, mineral, geological, historical or
environmental resources. The data collected shall be of
sufficient quality and quantity to provide a scientifically
defensible record of the ambient environment in a defined
geographic area. The governor's office may supervise collection
of all data on public lands which may impact agricultural,
mineral, geological, historical or environmental resources,
including, but not limited to, the following:
(i)Air quality, including ozone and haze levels;
(ii)Surface water and groundwater quality and
quantity;
(iii)Economic development infrastructure, roads,
reservoirs, corrals, fences, pipelines, transmission lines and
a
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(a) The governor's office may supervise the collection of
baseline scientific assessment data on public lands which may
impact agricultural, mineral, geological, historical or
environmental resources. The data collected shall be of
sufficient quality and quantity to provide a scientifically
defensible record of the ambient environment in a defined
geographic area. The governor's office may supervise collection
of all data on public lands which may impact agricultural,
mineral, geological, historical or environmental resources,
including, but not limited to, the following:
(i) Air quality, including ozone and haze levels;
(ii) Surface water and groundwater quality and
quantity;
(iii) Economic development infrastructure, roads,
reservoirs, corrals, fences, pipelines, transmission lines and
all other man-made structures on public land;
(iv) Historic trails, stock driveways, historic sites
or archeological sites;
(v) Livestock grazing;
(vi) Geological analysis;
(vii) Populations of species listed as threatened or
endangered under the Endangered Species Act and all state and
federal agency species lists including, but not limited to,
management indicator species, sensitive species, native species
status and the Wyoming natural diversity database;
(viii) Rights-of-way corridors for electric
transmission, fiber optics and pipelines;
(ix) Enhanced oil recovery.
(b) The governor shall assign the collection of data under
subsection (a) of this section to the appropriate state agency
or political entity of the state, including, but not limited to,
the following:
(i) The department of environmental quality;
(ii) The University of Wyoming;
(iii) The oil and gas commission;
(iv) The game and fish department;
(v) The department of agriculture;
(vi) The office of state lands and investments;
(vii) The department of state parks and cultural
resources;
(viii) The department of administration and
information;
(ix) The state archeologist;
(x) The state geologist;
(xi) The Wyoming energy authority;
(xii) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 34, § 4.
(xiii) Conservation districts;
(xiv) All other state agencies, boards, commissions
and departments with knowledge and expertise on issues impacting
lands in the state; and
(xv) All interested local governments.
(c) The governor's office may collaborate with any entity
not under the complete control of the state of Wyoming to
accomplish the purposes of this section. Before collaborating
with an entity not under the complete control of the state of
Wyoming, the governor's office and the other entity shall enter
into a cost sharing agreement. The governor's office may accept
funding from an entity for data collection under this section.
Any funding received shall be reported to the joint minerals,
business and economic development interim committee in
accordance with subsection (h) of this section.
(d) The governor may direct state agencies and political
entities to use all available technologies at their disposal to
collect data under this section, including geographic
information systems (GIS).
(e) The governor's office shall provide for a repository
for all data collected under this section. The governor may
designate data collected from private sources containing
proprietary information or trade secrets as confidential and not
subject to inspection as provided by W.S. 16-4-203(d)(v). All
other data collected and not designated shall be available to
the public.
(f) State agencies and political entities of the state
assigned with collecting data under subsection (b) of this
section shall submit an estimate of the necessary costs of
collecting their assigned data to the governor's office. To the
extent necessary, the governor shall use his authority under
W.S. 9-2-1005(b)(i) to transfer sufficient funds to the assigned
agency to pay the necessary costs of data collection.
(g) The governor's office shall promulgate rules and
regulations necessary to implement this section, including
establishing standards for data collection consistent with other
standard peer reviewed scientific research.
(h) The governor's office shall report to the joint
minerals, business and economic development interim committee by
October 1, 2012 and by October 1 annually thereafter concerning
the progress of data collection under this section.