The bill establishes new requirements for wildlife mitigation impact payments related to industrial facility siting in Wyoming. It creates a new section, W.S. 35-12-120, which outlines the process for eligible entities to apply for wildlife impact payments from industrial facility applicants. The eligible entities must provide detailed information about the wildlife impacts of the proposed facility, including evidence of those impacts and potential mitigation efforts. The bill also mandates that the Industrial Siting Council review applications and determine the appropriate wildlife impact payment based on the evidence presented. Additionally, it specifies that these payments must be used for mitigating identified wildlife impacts and establishes record-keeping requirements for entities receiving such payments.

The bill includes several amendments to existing laws, such as defining "eligible entity" to include the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Account Board. It also allows the board to seek wildlife impact payments and requires the council to enforce and administer the provisions of the new section. The act will apply to all industrial facilities for which applicants receive a jurisdiction determination on or after July 1, 2025, and the Industrial Siting Council is tasked with promulgating necessary rules for implementation. The effective date for most provisions is set for July 1, 2025, while certain sections will take effect immediately upon the bill's passage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 9-15-104, 18-5-509, 18-5-511, 35-11-109, 35-11-110, 35-11-2101, 35-12-102, 35-12-105, 35-12-110