Debate rages over the impact of federal regulations on drilling, jobs

A day after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved a major new natural gas drilling project in Utah, a new study concludes that federal regulations have delayed 22 major drilling projects representing thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact... Read the full article...
EPA gives heavily drilled Wyoming area three years to improve

U.S. EPA has determined that southwest Wyoming's Upper Green River Basin no longer meets federal ground-level ozone pollution standards, a conclusion that could significantly affect two of the nation's largest oil and natural gas fields... Read the full article...
Surface damage from Niobrara seismic work results in citations

Seismic crews working in the Niobrara shale oil play caused serious rutting and other surface damage earlier this year on 10 different ranch properties in southeast Wyoming, resulting in several state-issued citations for the operator and the seismic contractor... Read the full article...
Deer-ly Departed: Revelation of mule deer ‘stop-over’ behavior may alter drilling plans in Bridger Teton Forest

Plans to introduce 136 natural gas wells into the Jonah and Pinedale Anticline fields in the Wyoming Range. But the project has drawn objection from the conservation community, who've been fueled by a new research report detailing mule deer behavior... Read the full article...
The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920: The law that changed Wyoming’s economic destiny

While energy development is arguably central to Wyoming's economy, it wasn't always this way. In the beginning of the 20th century, agriculture was king in Wyoming, until a historical Congressional vote in 1920... Read the full article...
Rare Stake: Can Wyoming help serve world’s hunger for rare earth minerals?

A newly opened mine near the city of Sundance raises the prospect of a new industry for Wyoming. The project's owners believe they'll have the infrastructure to compete with China's industry, which has a near monopoly on the market... Read the full article...

Environment & Energy Daily

Debate rages over the impact of federal regulations on drilling, jobs

by Environment & Energy Daily May 15, 2012

Although the U.S. is drilling and producing more oil and natural gas than it has in decades, there are still drilling projects delayed in federal permitting.

Read the full article…

EPA gives heavily drilled Wyoming area three years to improve

by Environment & Energy Daily May 15, 2012

U.S. EPA has determined that southwest Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin no longer meets federal ground-level ozone pollution standards, a conclusion that could significantly affect two of the nation’s largest …

Read the full article…

GOP bills seek to speed approval of energy projects

by Environment & Energy Daily April 24, 2012

House Republicans seek to accelerate national energy development. However, their measures are at odds with the oil and gas leasing reforms at the heart of the Obama Administration’s public lands …

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Wyoming’s fracking chemical disclosure requirements draw lawsuit

by Environment & Energy Daily April 3, 2012

Wyoming’s public disclosure requirements for hydraulic fracturing chemicals were once hailed by environmentalists as the best in the country. But environmental groups are suing after saying Wyoming’s Oil and Gas …

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BLM rejects bid for sprawling tract in Powder River Basin

by Environment & Energy Daily March 6, 2012

The Bureau of Land Management rejected a bid yesterday by Peabody Energy Corp. for leasing a major tract for coal mining in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin.

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FERC rejects major Wyo.-Colo. pipeline proposal

by Environment & Energy Daily February 28, 2012

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week rejected a Colorado entrepreneur’s proposal to pump millions of gallons of fresh water from the Green River Basin in Wyoming to Colorado’s Rocky …

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Shoshone drilling project wins BLM approval

by Environment & Energy Daily February 7, 2012

The Bureau of Land Management has approved the first drilling project inside northwest Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest in more than 20 years, raising concerns among environmentalists.

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House panel bars filmmaker from Wyo. pollution hearing

by Environment & Energy Daily February 2, 2012

The House Science subcommittee hearing on water contamination in Pavillion, Wyo., took an unusual turn Wed. morning when filmmaker and drilling opponent Josh Fox was handcuffed and led away by …

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EPA moving in on state regulation of drilling

by Environment & Energy Daily January 31, 2012

Several ongoing investigations conducted by EPA are generating friction between the agency and state officials across the country over the management of oil and gas drilling, and hydraulic fracturing in …

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$Thumbnail image for What EPA really said about Wyo. fracking pollution$

What EPA really said about Wyo. fracking pollution

by Environment & Energy Daily January 24, 2012

Environment & Energy reporter Mike Soraghan gives an accurate description of the EPA’s findings, and outlines their implications.

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Could methane farming hurt Wyo.’s coal deposits?

by Environment & Energy Daily January 17, 2012

While many folks in the Powder River Basin hope that “microbial stimulation” may help prolong coal-bed methane gas production, the coal industry is seeking assurances that the process won’t degrade …

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Appeals court says Yellowstone grizzlies must remain protected

by Environment & Energy Daily December 6, 2011

Reprinted with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. Not for republication by Wyoming media.
A federal appeals court last week upheld a Montana judge’s decision that the federal government must …

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BLM, OSM merger aimed at improving efficiencies, cutting costs

by Environment & Energy Daily November 1, 2011

Ken Salazar signed an order to fold the Office of Surface Mining into the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, sparking criticism that the move could degrade oversight of surface mining.

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Condition of rare Indian artifacts reveals deficiencies at NPS museum

by Environment & Energy Daily October 25, 2011

Grand Teton National Park’s Indian Arts Museum at Colter Bay was closed recently because the condition of the building placed the artifacts at risk of deterioration.

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Sagebrush sparrow declines linked to Wyo. drilling fields

by Environment & Energy Daily October 18, 2011

A new study suggests that intense oil and natural gas drilling on federal land is wiping out sensitive species of sparrows in southwest Wyoming…

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BLM to remove 6,000 horses from range, boost contraception

by Environment & Energy Daily October 11, 2011

The Interior Department over the next six months plans to remove more than 6,000 horses from federal lands and administer birth control to roughly 2,000 more…

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Rapidly rising temperatures threaten Yellowstone ecosystem

by Environment & Energy Daily October 4, 2011

Temperatures in Yellowstone could rise by as much as 9.7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century if global emissions of greenhouse gases are not restrained, according to a …

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Judge’s sage grouse ruling could stall BLM plans in Wyo., Idaho

by Environment & Energy Daily October 4, 2011

Reprinted with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. Not for republication by Wyoming media.
A federal judge in Idaho this week ruled the Interior Department failed to analyze the cumulative …

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Feds OK Powder River Basin coal leases

by Environment & Energy Daily August 23, 2011

The Bureau of Land Management has approved the latest in a string of coal leases in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, signaling strong Obama administration support for Western coal …

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Enviro groups sue BLM over Powder River Basin leases

by Environment & Energy Daily August 23, 2011

Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management in an effort to stop the mining of roughly 350 million tons of federal coal in Wyoming’s Powder River …

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Wild Horses: Grazing association sues over Rock Springs herd levels

by Environment & Energy Daily August 14, 2011

Reprinted with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. Not for republication by Wyoming media. A southern Wyoming livestock group is asking a federal court to force the Bureau of …

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Significant challenges await 1,100-mile Gateway West power corridor

by Environment & Energy Daily August 9, 2011

Reprinted with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC.
Not for republication by Wyoming media.

The Bureau of Land Management has taken a major step toward approving what would become the …

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‘Liquid coal’ too costly for Pentagon despite GOP push

by Environment & Energy Daily June 7, 2011

Tom Hicks, deputy assistant Navy secretary for energy, said in testimony to Congress that the rising price of oil “dramatically impacts the military.” For every $1 a barrel increase in …

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Study cautions against energy industry’s effects on mule deer

by Environment & Energy Daily May 31, 2011

Energy development on Western public lands has contributed to the destruction of millions of acres of mule deer habitat in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, according to a new study that …

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Forest Service reverses course on Bridger-Teton leases

by Environment & Energy Daily May 17, 2011

The Forest Service is reversing a controversial decision to cancel valid oil and natural gas drilling leases on 44,720 acres of Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest that are prized by outdoor …

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Winter ozone problem confounds regulators, industry

by Environment & Energy Daily April 26, 2011

The mystery behind the wintertime ozone problem that has plagued parts of the Intermountain West is deepening as pollution levels during the first quarter of 2011 dropped in northeast Utah …

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Wolf delisting survives budget fight as settlement crumbles

by Environment & Energy Daily April 12, 2011

House and Senate appropriators have agreed to include a bipartisan proposal to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves as part of a final compromise to fund the government …

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Oil & gas industry sitting on 7,200 drilling permits

by Environment & Energy Daily March 29, 2011

The oil and gas industry has nearly 7,200 permits to drill on public lands that it has yet to use. The unused, but still valid, drilling permits paint a starkly …

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Wyoming Range drilling project garners 40,000 comments

by Environment & Energy Daily March 15, 2011

A voluntary agreement by a Houston-based energy company to scale back a drilling project in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and win public support for the proposal appears to have galvanized …

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BLM pressed on alleged ethics violations by former Wyoming manager

by Environment & Energy Daily March 8, 2011

The Interior Department is being accused by a government watchdog group of ignoring possible ethics violations by a former Bureau of Land Management Casper field office manager who allegedly accepted …

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Fish & Wildlife nominee could face tough questions over wolves, other species

by Environment & Energy Daily February 15, 2011

Dan Ashe’s road to becoming director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may hit speedbumps from northern Rockies senators, who likely will pose tough questions over plans to remove …

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BLM considers McCullough Peaks for ‘wild lands’ protection

by Environment & Energy Daily January 25, 2011

The Bureau of Land Management has identified nearly a quarter-million acres in northwest Wyoming that may have wilderness characteristics and should be studied for possible protection as “wild lands” under …

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High court takes up interstate river battle

by Environment & Energy Daily January 11, 2011

The Supreme Court this week wades into a dispute between Montana and Wyoming over water rights to two rivers that flow through both states. Montana claims Wyoming farmers and industries …

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$Thumbnail image for Wyoming fracking rules point the way for public disclosure$

Wyoming fracking rules point the way for public disclosure

by Environment & Energy Daily December 28, 2010

Wyoming’s hydraulic fracturing regulations could be the shape of things to come. The Obama administration is looking to the Cowboy State as a model for fracturing disclosure on federal lands …

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Whitebark Pine Trees Face Long Odds for Survival

by Environment & Energy Daily December 14, 2010

For millennia, whitebark pine trees have held firm to the cold, rocky timberlines of the northern Rockies, Cascades and Sierra Nevada, providing shelter, food and other ecosystem services for mountain …

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Industry, Regulators Square Off Over Fracking Disclosure

by Environment & Energy Daily November 30, 2010

A major fight is set to erupt over how much information oil and gas drillers should be required to publicly disclose about the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, government and …

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Group Says Coal-Bed Methane Plan Threatens Powder River Basin Elk Herd

by Environment & Energy Daily November 23, 2010

Environmentalists blasted federal plans for allowing nearly 500 new coal-bed methane wells in northeast Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, arguing that the proposal imperils an elk herd and threatens the area’s …

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Study: Carbon Sequestration Could Foul Drinking Water

by Environment & Energy Daily November 16, 2010

Carbon dioxide leaking from underground storage sites could contaminate drinking-water aquifers with dangerous levels of pollutants such as uranium under the wrong conditions, a new study finds.

If stored CO2 bubbled …

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Potential Oil Boom in SE Wyo Raises Water Questions

by Environment & Energy Daily October 19, 2010

In the arid rolling hills and grasslands of southeast Wyoming there is no surplus of groundwater to allocate, said Bern Hinckley, a hydrogeologist who runs a consulting firm in the …

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What Does California “Decarbonization” Bode for Wyoming Coal, Gas & Wind?

by Environment & Energy Daily August 16, 2010

…California is not normally regarded as being in “coal country” because it gets most of its electricity from plants that burn natural gas. But coal-producing Western states, such as Wyoming, …

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Senate Dems Abandon Carbon Caps

by Environment & Energy Daily July 22, 2010

Senate Democrats today abandoned their summer bid to pass a broad energy and climate bill, instead opting to push off the politically heated debate over pricing carbon until at least …

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Big Piney CO2 Storage Pilot Nears OK

by Environment & Energy Daily February 7, 2010

Federal regulators are nearing approval of a natural gas development project in southwest Wyoming that would serve as a testing ground for new mineral extraction technology while becoming one of …

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Taxing The Wind – Governor Pushes First Statewide Production Levy

by Environment & Energy Daily February 1, 2010

Reprinted from ClimateWire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net. 202/628-6500
By Debra Kahn, ClimateWire
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) is determined to levy a production tax on wind power …

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