Atmospheric geoengineering prohibition.25LSO-0247, 1.0
HB0208
FISCAL NOTE
FY 2026FY 2027FY 2028NON-ADMINISTRATIVE IMPACTAnticipated Revenue (decrease)WATER DEVELOPMENT I($570,000)($570,000) ($570,000)
Source of revenue decrease:
The decrease in revenue would come as result of the prohibition of our annual
Cloud Seeding Operations. This prohibition would result in the loss of grant
money received from funding partners outside of the State’s annual appropriation.
These funding partners include entities from the Lower Colorado River Basin
(California’s Six Agency Committee, Central Arizona Water Conservation District,
and the Southern Nevada Water Authority), the City of Cheyenne Board of Public
Utilities and local southwestern Wyoming stakeholders (Green River-Rock Springs-
Sweetwater County Joint Powers Water Board, Rocky Mountain Power and the Wyoming
Mining Association).
Assumptions:
If the Wyoming Water Development Commission’s (WWDC) annual Cloud Seeding
Operations, including the ground-based program to augment snowpack in the
Colorado River Basin (Wind River and Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges) and aerial
program to augment snowpack in the Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges
were prohibited, the WWDC would lose the annual contributions from funding
partners outside of the State’s annual appropriation. The decreased revenue would
be comprised of $500,000 from entities in the Lower Colorado River Basin, $50,000
from the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities and $20,000 from local
southwestern Wyoming stakeholders. These are annual contributions.
FY 2026FY 2027FY 2028NON-ADMINISTRATIVE IMPACTAnticipated Expenditure increaseWATER DEVELOPMENT I$150,000 $0 $0
Source of Expenditure Increase:
The increased expenditure is due to the reclamation of 13 sites/stations used in
WWDC’s annual ground-based Cloud Seeding Operations. A prohibition of the WWDC’s
annual Cloud Seeding Operations would require the reclamation of these ground-
based generator sites including the removal of equipment (scaffolding, 20-foot
tower, burner assembly, tanks, batteries, satellite modem and computer boards).
Assumptions:
The latest estimates from WWDC’s contractor indicate a cost of roughly $150,000
to complete this equipment removal and reclamation of sites. The WWDC would
require additional spending authority from Water Development Account I. This
request for additional spending authority is included in the WWDC’s Agency
Estimate of Administrative Impact indicated below. Atmospheric geoengineering prohibition.25LSO-0247, 1.0
HB0208
NOTICE-AGENCY ESTIMATE OF ADMINISTRATIVE IMPACT REQUESTED
This bill has administrative impact that appears to increase duties or
responsibilities of one or more state agencies and may impact agency spending or
staffing requirements. As introduced, the bill does not modify any state agency
budget or current personnel authorizations.
The following state agencies will be asked to provide their estimate of the
administrative fiscal impact prior to the first committee meeting held to
consider the bill:
Dept. of Environmental Quality
Water Development Commission
Prepared by: Matt Sackett, LSO Contractor and Dean Temte Phone: 777-7881
(Information provided by Jason Mead, Water Development Commission, 307-777-7626;
Todd Parfitt and Nancy Vehr, Dept. of Environmental Quality, 307-777-3746)