… On Tuesday, she [Rep. Tomi Strock] presented House Bill 116 to the [Wyo.] House Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, calling it “a clear Wyoming first water protection bill.” … The bill, sponsored by the Select Water Committee, declares that splitting water molecules to industrially produce hydrogen “shall not constitute a beneficial use of water” — the foundational legal standard governing every water right in Wyoming. The committee passed it 8-1. … State Engineer Brandon Gebhart told the committee that if the bill’s declaration that water-splitting is not a beneficial use remains in place, his office would have no ability to permit the process under any circumstance — including with wastewater or produced water from oil and gas operations.