The Wyoming State Land and Investment Board has given its support for the state to submit a bid for Occidental Petroleum’s land holdings in three states including Wyoming.
During his news conference on Wednesday, Governor Mark Gordon indicated that the state would use the state’s Permanent Fund to pay for the purchase if Wyoming’s bid is successful.
The Occidental Petroleum property is in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming and encompasses approximately a million acres.
The Governor vetoed the legislature’s attempt to set parameters for the state’s bid and many legislators are troubled by his decision to limit legislative involvement.
Mark Kinner is the State Representative for District 29 and weighed in on the Occidental Petroleum issue…
District 30 representative Mark Jennings stated emphatically that he opposed the potential investment…
The expected cost of purchasing the massive land and mineral holdings has been estimated to carry a price tag of nearly $1 billion.