On Thursday, Wyoming decided it will sell a parcel of state land next to Grand Teton National Park to the federal government for $100 million.
The five-member State Board of Land Commissioners voted 3 to 2 to approve the sale of the Kelly Parcel to the national park.
The vote all but guarantees that a critical migration path for moose, mule deer and elk known for its jaw-dropping scenery won’t be privately developed. That was a real possibility that the board proposed last year, inciting anger from thousands of Wyomingites.
Rep. Clark Stith (R-Rock Springs) helped shepherd the deal through the Legislature this past session.
“It's a win-win,” said Stith. “On balance, it's been good for southwest Wyoming. It's good for the beneficiaries of the school trust lands.”
The sale of the Kelly Parcel is contingent on the federal Bureau of Land Management’s final record of decision on managing lands in southwest Wyoming near Rock Springs, which hasn’t been issued yet. The decision is expected this winter.
The two ‘no’ votes, from Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and Secretary of State Chuck Gray, argued that the board was rushing the sale.
“I don’t think we’re getting the best deal for this,” said Gray.
They wanted the board to do an exchange with the federal government for resources-rich land in the Powder River Basin, instead of a cash-for-land transaction.
In a separate vote taken before the Kelly Parcel go-ahead, the State Land and Investments Board – a body composed of the exact same officials as the State Board of Land Commissioners – voted to begin looking into using Kelly Parcel sale proceeds to purchase Powder River land from the feds.
The contract for the sale doesn’t have an official close date but requires that it close as early as possible.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
