Sage Grouse Mitigation

Operator-Offered Sage-Grouse Compensatory Mitigation Now Available

The Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners (Board) has officially adopted amended rules for Chapter 29: Sage Grouse Mitigation Credits, formalizing a framework that allows operators to fulfill greater sage-grouse compensatory mitigation requirements directly.

Implemented under the authority of Wyoming Statute § 36-2-107 and 2025 Senate Enrolled Act No. 38, the updated Chapter 29 rules give operators the option to carry out their own compensatory mitigation measures within qualifying service areas - either alongside or in lieu of purchasing traditional third-party mitigation credits. Operators retain responsibility for the mitigation measures throughout the duration of the impact, and work on the measures must begin within twelve (12) months of the impact.

With the adoption of Chapter 29, Section 19, the application process is now open. Operators must assemble a funded mitigation proposal, secure a concurrence letter from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), and submit the complete package to the Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) for final Board approval and certification.