WASHINGTON – Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal will testify in a Senate hearing on U.S. Senator John Barrasso’s Wyoming Range bill. The bill is aimed at protecting more than 1.2 million acres of the Bridger Teton National Forest and the Wyoming Range .

The Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee hearing on the “Wyoming Range Legacy Act” will take place in Washington, D.C. February 27, 2008.

Barrasso is the lead Republican on the Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee.

“This is an enormously important issue,” Barrasso said. “The Governor and I share a commitment to the Wyoming Range . We must keep and enhance the sportsmen, tourism and recreation economy of the Wyoming Range . We must preserve this key part of Wyoming ‘s natural heritage.”

Senator Barrasso was instrumental in identifying witnesses, both in favor and opposed to the legislation, from a wide array of stakeholders.

Additional witnesses include Gary Amerine, outfitter and co-founder of Citizens Protecting Wyoming Range , speaking in favor of the bill. An opposing view is expected from Claire Moseley of Public Lands Advocacy.

“I’m pleased we are moving forward on protecting the Wyoming Range – the heart and soul of our state,” Barrasso said. “There is a vast coalition working to preserve the extraordinary natural landscapes of the range.”

“This is about sportsmen–those of us who carry guns and fishing rods and enjoy Wyoming’s outdoor heritage,” said Tom Reed spokesperson for Sportsmen for the Wyoming Range . "This bill proves that in Wyoming we can have balance; the state can lead the way in our nation’s energy needs with development in many parts of Wyoming, but we can also conserve a mountain range for generations of Wyomingites to come.”

The bill, S. 2229, will protect more than 1.2 million acres of the Wyoming Range by prohibiting future oil and gas leasing. Barrasso’s bill provides a buy-out process that respects the property rights of current leaseholders.

The bill allows the remaining leases to be voluntarily purchased, presumably by conservation groups, in order to retire the leases.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150 , or by email to rachel_pasternack@energy.senate.gov.