Cooper discusses energy, property tax bills in advance of legislative session

Sen. Ed Cooper (R-Ten Sleep) gave his insight on a carbon negative Wyoming and the upcoming legislative session during a recent interview.
“There is a lot of fluff going around about the governor’s comments about trying to be carbon negative for the state of Wyoming. Let’s think about what carbon negative actually is. Carbon negative is capturing or sequestering more CO2 than you emit. The governor’s comments were completely misconstrued.
“It doesn’t say anything about windmills. It doesn’t say anything about solar projects. It doesn’t say anything about the new green deal. It says capturing or sequestering more CO2 than you emit.”
Cooper went on to discuss the CO2 sequestration projects around the state. There is one in the Southeast Wyoming that, if it comes to fruition, has the potential to be the largest sequestration project in the world.
There is landowner involvement. The project is working closely with the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources, the Department of
Energy. They are doing this to really understand the entire sequestration process.
He next spoke of the 45Q tax credit. (As part of the Bipartisan Budget Act that passed in February 2018, the US Congress extended and significantly increased tax credits for CO2 use and storage under Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code.)
“It allows for $85 a metric ton in tax credit for sequestration but it only allow $60 a metric ton for use. The use in Wyoming is enhanced oil recovery. There is a bill coming out of the minerals committee to bump that use portion up a little bit by the state of Wyoming to really try to trigger enhanced oil recovery projects.” The oil recovery projects that are out there are so successful that the return to the state is unbelievable.
PROPERTY TAX BILLS
Cooper said there would be likely be six or eight property tax bills. “With it being a budget session, we have to get those bills introduced with a two-thirds majority. That can be kind of tough. I’m going to push hard to get every one of those tax bills brought forward so we can consider them to understand which ones are the best. Some won’t work. Some will conflict.”
He said a few bills would be good for short term fixes. One calls for a 5% cap on a tax increase for single family residential structures. This is HB 45. It states, “AN ACT relating to taxation; establishing a property tax exemption for single gamily residential structures base on the prior year assessed value.”
Another bill Cooper would like to see make it to the floor is one with an exemption increase for veterans. He is sponsoring this bill. “Basically, what it does is double the exemption without a lot of cost to the state. I’m pretty proud of our veterans and I think they need a lot more support than they get.” To move forward, this bill will need the two-thirds majority. He may change it from a bill to a budget amendment.
There are several bills with longer-term fixes that will take constitutional amendments. “What I really want to make sure gets done is to get some short term immediately in place. That could be nothing more than a cap. Then we can fix the whole thing with a constitutional amendment. I think that is pretty important.”
Cooper supports Rep. Martha Lawleys tax deferral program, HB 134. “Martha’s bill is a real good bill. It clears up the exemption quite a bit. Makes it easier to put in place.”
She proposed a similar bill last year, but it died in the Senate.
SPECIAL DISTRICTS
Cooper and Rep. John Winter (R-Thermopolis) are sponsoring SF 74. It reads “AN ACT relating to special districts; providing a process by which special districts required to dissolve for audit report noncompliance may reinstate the special district or cease the dissolution; specifying requirements; making conforming amendments; and providing an effective date.”
The senator explained there are 20 special districts in the state that were late with their reporting.
According to the Department of
Audit, all those districts are subject
to dissolution.
“Big Horn County is the queen of special districts. The current statute says if they miss the final deadline, they have to be dissolved. Once you dissolve them, you have to go through the mill levy process again.
“What we are trying to do is give the county commissioners the discretion to be able to stop or cease a dissolution if a district gets current on its reporting. It is basically a clean-up bill.”
GOALS
Cooper shared, “With the abnormal politics that are running through the system right now…one of my goals is to really reach out and try to bring the people together. Get everyone working on one page.”