Yellowstone fee proposal wins initial vote in Wyoming House

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The Wyoming House of Representatives has agreed to vet a proposal that advocates for imposing a fee at Yellowstone National Park to help pay for wildlife conservation efforts in the states surrounding the park.

The proposed resolution cleared an introductory vote on Thursday.

Its primary sponsor, Republican Rep. Albert Sommers, of Pinedale, says the idea is to generate money for the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to deal with issues like wildlife collisions, disease and migration routes.

The states cannot impose fees in Yellowstone. The resolution requests that the U.S. Interior Department and the National Park Service enter into an agreement with the three states on a fee at Yellowstone.

The Wyoming resolution does not specify how the fee would be assessed or what the amount would be.