Legislators work on a direct-sales bill, anticipating the state land board will not auction crown jewel property for development.
By Angus M. Thuermer Jr., WyoFile
Wyoming lawmakers are ready to propose legislation to sell the state’s 640-acre school trust parcel in Grand Teton National Park directly to the federal government, perhaps with a $100 million price tag.
Such a measure would provide an alternative to the controversial auction proposed by the Office of State Lands and Investments that could see the property developed into 18 luxury homesites. A direct sales bill could accomplish the twin aims of raising money for schools while preserving an invaluable national treasure.
First, however, the State Board of Land Commissioners — a panel composed of the governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and superintendent of public instruction — will vote on Dec. 7 whether to auction the environmentally sensitive “crown jewel” of school trust property to the highest bidder. A majority of the board is disinclined to approve an auction, KHOL Community Radio in Jackson first reported.
“I am hearing the proposed auction is dead,” Rep. Steve Harshman (R-Casper) wrote in an email. “I hope so and that is a good thing. We all want to protect the park!”
Lawmakers are ready to pick up the issue should the land board reject an auction Thursday.
“There’s intent to draft a bill for direct sale,” Rep. Andrew Byron (R-Jackson) said Monday.
Rep. Sandy Newsome (R-Cody) told the land board she prefers a sale directly to the federal government and, “[a]s a legislator, I’m willing to take the lead on that.”
Byron said he started down that legislative path this summer before events disrupted his effort. That happened when the U.S. Bureau of Land Management enraged state politicians by favoring conservation over development in a proposed management plan for 3.6 million acres of federal land in southwest Wyoming.
Byron “did a pretty good whip count” and found about 50% percent in favor of a direct-sale bill where 66% would be necessary for the bill’s introduction in the upcoming budget session. That means the best approach would be to craft a direct sales bill over the next year, then bring it to the floor in the 2025 general session when bill introduction will require only a majority vote, he said.
“I don’t think you want to take a swing at this and fail,” Byron said.
Do I hear $100 million?
A 2022 appraisal estimated the value of the parcel — based on its development as a subdivision — at $62 million. The Board of Land Commissioners should auction the property starting with a minimum $80 million bid, the director of the state land office recommended Thursday.
Opposition to that has been “near-unanimous,” among some 8,000 comments submitted to the land office, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance said in an alert email. “Hopefully, the Board [of Land Commissioners] can see their way to acknowledging the overwhelming will of the people of Wyoming,” Dave Sollitt, the group’s executive director wrote.
Lawmakers have floated a $100 million direct-sales price should the land board reject an auction to the highest bidder.
“I was one of the people pushing that amount when we were up on the site this summer,” Sen. Dan Dockstader (R-Afton) wrote in an email. “I was rather blunt when I brought it up at our onsite discussion with [Grand Teton Superintendent] Chip Jenkins.”
That price tag didn’t faze some lawmakers. “Yes, is the short answer,” Sen. Mike Gierau (D-Jackson) wrote in an email asking whether he would back a $100 million bill. “Kids will learn that a bigger National Park is a really smart investment. That’s a good day’s work.”
Rep. Mike Yin (D-Jackson) would support such a bill but would need to talk to stakeholders before settling on a price. Senate President Ogden Driskill said he, too, would need to learn the details of any bill before committing.
Rep. Liz Storer (D-Jackson) acknowledged that the appraisal should be reworked but balked at taxpayers overspending on a $100 million sticker. “Why should feds pay more than the appraised value?” she asked.
That issue also perplexes Gierau. “It seems odd that we lease land at below market rates and we are okay with that,” he wrote. “The only time we drive a hard bargain is with ourselves.”
Harshman, chairman of the House Revenue Committee, thinks all projections are off base.
“Everyone in Teton County knows the recently suggested price of $60 million was way low,” he said. “I think $100 million [also] is way too low.”
Given the public opposition to development, the difficulty of advancing a bill in a budget session, the prevailing anti-federal sentiments and election year distractions, many lawmakers envision a year of committee study followed by a direct-sale bill in the general legislative session in 2025.
“What’s the hurry?” Harshman asked. Dockstader agreed.
“Ultimately if we can’t sort it out this week then we all should stand down, let the dust settle and not have an irreversible mistake with a precious piece of property,” he said.
A year’s breathing room would give lawmakers time to analyze the property and set up a proper bill, Byron said.
A bill “has to be very carefully crafted,” he said. If successful, however, it would be “the win of a lifetime.”
WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
