The Federal role in managing the vast amount of public land and mineral resources has changed in the past several years and is bound to continue to change.

Efforts to control the national deficit will affect the oil and gas industry. The need to cut the cost of government may reduce some services and contribute to some delays due to reduced manpower in the Federal agencies.

On the positive side, the recent announcement of the interchange of Bureau of Land Management and National Forest System lands will result in greatly improved service to the mineral industry and other users of the public lands. The concept and its effects in central/eastern Wyoming will be discussed.