HB 15-1225 Summary

• Governor shall provide technical assistance to local governments for engaging in federal land management decision-making, including entering cooperating agency relationships, sharing expertise, developing land use plans, hiring consultants, and entering memoranda of understanding with federal agencies.

• Governor may establish an advisory committee to provide technical assistance for federal land management processes if deemed effective and efficient for collaborative engagement.

• One million dollars per year for three years shall be allocated from the Local Government Mineral Impact Fund or Local Government Severance Tax Fund for grant funding to local governments for planning, analyses, public engagement, and coordination with federal land managers.

• Amended existing mineral leasing and severance tax fund distributions to explicitly include planning, analyses, public engagement, and coordination with federal land managers as eligible uses for local government grants.

• Appropriated $32,369 to the Department of Local Affairs for the 2015-16 fiscal year to implement the technical assistance program.