Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

Wyoming Senate Bill SF0092 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	2025
2	2	STATE OF WYOMING
3	3	25LSO-05001SF0092
4	4	SENATE FILE NO. SF0092
5	5	Make carbon dioxide great again-no net zero.
6	6	Sponsored by: Senator(s) Steinmetz and Representative(s)
7	7	Bear
8	8	A BILL
9	9	for
10	10	1 AN ACT relating to environmental quality; providing
11	11	2 legislative findings; specifying that carbon dioxide is not
12	12	3 a pollutant and is a beneficial substance; providing policy
13	13	4 statements of the state associated with carbon dioxide;
14	14	5 repealing low-carbon energy standard requirements;
15	15	6 repealing conflicting provisions; making conforming
16	16	7 amendments; specifying applicability; requiring
17	17	8 reimbursement to utility customers as specified; requiring
18	18	9 rulemaking; and providing for an effective date.
19	19	10
20	20	11
21	21	12
22	22	13. W.S. 35-11-215 is created to read:
23	23	14 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-05002SF00921
24	24	2
25	25	3
26	26	4 (a) The legislature finds that:
27	27	5
28	28	6 (i) Carbon dioxide is a foundational nutrient
29	29	7 necessary for all life on earth. Plants need carbon dioxide
30	30	8 along with sunlight, water and nutrients to prosper. The
31	31	9 more carbon dioxide available for this, the better life can
32	32	10 flourish;
33	33	11
34	34	12 (ii) The carbon cycle, where carbon dioxide is
35	35	13 reused and transferred between the atmosphere and organisms
36	36	14 on earth, is a biological necessity for life on earth;
37	37	15
38	38	16 (iii) Agricultural production worldwide is
39	39	17 outpacing population growth and breaking production records
40	40	18 primarily due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide;
41	41	19
42	42	20 (iv) More carbon dioxide allows plants to better
43	43	21 resist drought by using water more efficiently;
44	44	22 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-05003SF00921 (v) The national aeronautics and space
45	45	2 administration has confirmed that global vegetation is
46	46	3 increasing from the near-polar regions to the equator. The
47	47	4 largest contributor to this greening of the earth is
48	48	5 increasing carbon dioxide;
49	49	6
50	50	7 (vi) Carbon dioxide levels are currently at
51	51	8 approximately four hundred twenty (420) parts per million,
52	52	9 which is at near-historically low concentrations. The
53	53	10 current carbon dioxide levels are one-sixth (1/6) of the
54	54	11 average of two thousand six hundred (2,600) parts per
55	55	12 million over geologic time;
56	56	13
57	57	14 (vii) It is estimated that carbon dioxide levels
58	58	15 need to exceed one hundred fifty (150) parts per million to
59	59	16 ensure the survival of plant life on earth;
60	60	17
61	61	18 (viii) The earth needs carbon dioxide to support
62	62	19 life and to increase plant yields, both of which will
63	63	20 contribute to the health and prosperity of all Wyoming
64	64	21 citizens.
65	65	22
66	66	23 (b) It is the policy of the state of Wyoming that: 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-05004SF00921
67	67	2 (i) Carbon dioxide is a foundational nutrient
68	68	3 necessary for life on earth;
69	69	4
70	70	5 (ii) Carbon dioxide shall not be designated or
71	71	6 treated as a pollutant or contaminant;
72	72	7
73	73	8 (iii) The state of Wyoming shall not pursue any
74	74	9 targets or measures that support the reduction or
75	75	10 elimination of carbon dioxide, including any "net-zero"
76	76	11 targets.
77	77	12
78	78	13W.S. 37-1-101(a)(intro) and 37-2-134(a)(i)
79	79	14 and (iv) are amended to read:
80	80	15
81	81	16
82	82	17
83	83	18 (a) As used in chapters 1, 2, 3, 12
84	84	19 this title:
85	85	20
86	86	21
87	87	22
88	88	23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-05005SF00921 (a) As used in this section:
89	89	2
90	90	3 (i) "Dispatchable" means
91	91	4
92	92	5
93	93	6
94	94	7 and includes
95	95	8 dispatchability;
96	96	9
97	97	10 (iv) "Reliable" means
98	98	11
99	99	12.
100	100	13
101	101	14W.S. 37-1-101(a)(vi)(N), 37-18-101 and
102	102	15 37-18-102 are repealed.
103	103	16
104	104	17Not later than sixty (60) days after the
105	105	18 effective date of this act, each public utility that
106	106	19 recovered rates from customers under W.S. 3718-102(c)(i)
107	107	20 or (iii), as repealed by section 3 of this act, shall
108	108	21 refund those rates to customers who paid them, provided
109	109	22 that the utility shall not be required to refund rates
110	110	23 recovered under W.S. 37-18-102(c)(i) and (iii) that the 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-05006SF0092
111	111	1 utility had expended for carbon capture, utilization and
112	112	2 storage technology before the effective date of this act.
113	113	3 Refunds required under this section shall be in a form and
114	114	4 manner specified by the public service commission.
115	115	5
116	116	6The public service commission shall
117	117	7 promulgate all rules necessary to implement this act.
118	118	8
119	119	9. This act is effective immediately upon
120	120	10 completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law
121	121	11 as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming
122	122	12 Constitution.
123	123	13
124	124	14 (END)