Wyo looking to buy 1 million acres of land in southern Wyoming

[Teepee]

FYI:

State leaders are looking to buy 1 million acres of land in southern Wyoming

State leaders view the purchase as a way to generate revenue and improve public lands access.

trib.com

 

[highfastflyer]

Probably a good long term investment if the terms are right. Anadarko-Occidental doesn’t own 1 million acres, they control that much through leases and checkerboard lands. All of the lands west of the Continental divide are already open for hunting. East of the divide the big ranches like Overland Cattle and Q creek lease their lands and don’t allow public hunting. They have been voted numerous times for landowner and resource management award recipients and for benefitting Wyoming sportsmen. If the state doesn’t buy this more public access will be lost throughout Carbon, Sweetwater and Uinta county, some of the best antelope country in the famed Red Desert. They also have lands in the Powder River basin though not as familiar with those.

 

[Chesterwyo]

Genuinely curious what the purchase price will be.

 

[elks96]

I sure hope this can be done and in a conservative and fiscally responsible way. If we can get this done and preserve grazing rights, hunting rights, mineral rights, public access, etc. it would be huge but I want some guarantees from the state that those items will be preserved when using state money to make this move!!!

 

[jm77]

If they buy a million, they have to sell a million.

 

[wytex]

If they buy a million, they have to sell a million.

My thoughts as well.

 

[TXMT]

Anadarko allowed access where I go, not sure about OXY.

 

[TXMT]

OXY paid 55B

 

[Bookhead]

OXY paid 55B

For anadarko as a company i would assume not just the land itself

 

[88man]

If they buy a million, they have to sell a million.

Oh boy

 

[BlackBear53]

For anadarko as a company i would assume not just the land itself

They wanted Anadarko's Permian assets, namely their Delaware Basin assets. Anadarko had under performed verse offset peers and Oxy figured they could improve results. Anadarko's assets in Mozambique were sold off as soon as the deal closed to Total and it certainly inst surprising WY assets weren't far behind. Opal pricing is significantly disadvantaged to Henry Hub removing most of the Green River Basin value and as good as the Powder could be there just is not the investor desire. Again most likely caused by a differential in pricing this time Wyoming Light verse WTI.

 

[Teepee]

I'm not sure if the no net gain applies here. (i.e., buy a million, sell a million) . Never seen that in state statute, but have heard of it as a policy. I know when the State bought a ranch in Elk Area 7 a couple of years ago (15K acres), I never heard of any sales preceding that transaction.

According to the State Land & Investment site, "Since 2005, Board-approved land transactions have resulted in a net gain of over 30,000 acres of publicly-accessible state trust lands. "

 

[jm77]

"No net gain" may not app

I'm not sure if the no net gain applies here. (i.e., buy a million, sell a million) . Never seen that in state statute, but have heard of it as a policy. I know when the State bought a ranch in Elk Area 7 a couple of years ago (15K acres), I never heard of any sales preceding that transaction.

According to the State Land & Investment site, "Since 2005, Board-approved land transactions have resulted in a net gain of over 30,000 acres of publicly-accessible state trust lands. "

"no net gain"may not apply with this Oxy sale if the lands are classified as other than "Trust Lands" I am waiting on a Senator to find this out.

But it certainly does with state trust lands. Just because OSLI may purchase land tomorrow, it could be a year or more and many transactions later that bring the acres back within limits.

Also, a net gain of publicly accessible land doesn't necessarily mean more land. It can, and most likely is, achieved through different sales, purchases and exchanges.