(a) Any person may file a petition to remove an existing designation. The petition shall contain the following: - (i) The name, address, phone number, and email address for the petitioner;
- (ii) The location by legal description, including section, township, and range, of the area the petitioner is proposing to be removed;
- (iii) The names, if any, by which an area is locally known;
- (iv) The distance from the area to the nearest city or town;
- (v) The county in which the area is located;
- (vi) An original U.S. Geological Survey topographic map showing the area reflecting the surface land ownership pattern (private, state, federal) in the area;
- (vii) A list of the names and addresses of the surface and mineral owners whose lands are included within the area proposed for removal with a description of the ownership interest of each surface and mineral owner including a legal description of the lands in which each person has an interest;
- (viii) A concise statement of the reasons for the removal including an explanation of the substantial change in circumstances that has occurred since designation;
- (ix) A description of the current and historical land use in the area;
- (x) A list of any special designations or descriptions of the area made by other governmental agencies, including, but not limited to, designations by the Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, or Office of Surface Mining, designations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and designations by the Wyoming Department of Game and Fish;
- (xi) The names and addresses of all expert witnesses whose work or whose testimony may be offered by the petitioner to support the petition;
- (xii) The names and addresses of the surface owners of lands contiguous to the area proposed for removal; and
- (xiii) A list of any scientific documents to be offered by the petitioner to support the petition that discuss the area to be removed.
(b) Petitioner shall submit eight (8) copies of the petition to the Chair of the Environmental Quality Council at the Council's office in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The petition shall be considered to be filed in the Council's office as of the date it is received in that office.
(c) The Council shall consider the petition at a regularly scheduled Council meeting and shall notify the petitioner and surface and mineral owners whose lands or minerals are within the area of the time, date, and location of the meeting. The Council's consideration shall be limited to whether the petition should be accepted or dismissed.
(d) The Council may dismiss a petition if, after review, the Council determines that the petition does not provide the information required by these rules or that the petition does not provide sufficient information to support the conclusion that the area may be removed if the Council were to proceed.
(e) If the Council votes to dismiss the petition, the Council shall issue a brief statement of the reasons for dismissal.