CHEYENNE — The movement to get the federal government to cede land to Western states has taken hold in Wyoming’s U.S. House race.
Gillette veterinarian Rex Rammell has made it his core campaign issue.
Wyoming would benefit from having full control over federal lands, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, Rammell said.
“I guarantee you, if I was in charge of Yellowstone, it would be making money,” he said.
Rammell, 55, is among nine candidates seeking the Republican nomination to replace Republican Rep. Cynthia Lummis, who plans to retire at the end of her current term.
Federal land accounts for just less than half of Wyoming’s total area. Only Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Utah and Nevada have more federal land in proportion to their size than Wyoming. To date, the idea of taking control of federal land hasn’t caught fire in mainstream politics in Wyoming as it has in Utah, where some lawmakers want to sue the federal government to make it happen.
