Efforts to increase Wyoming coal exports turns the heat up on legal challenges to impacts both local and global

The coal deposits in the Powder River Basin are the most vast and cheapest to mine in the United States. Now mining companies hope to turn what has been a domestic energy resource into an international one, eyeing lucrative markets in growing Asian economies... Read the full article...
Wyoming officials grapple with coal export ambitions while spending millions on clean coal research

In light of the Powder River Basin coal industry’s recent focus to ship more coal to China and other burgeoning Asian economies, industry officials are taking heat for not doing more to support the deployment of so-called advanced coal technologies here at home... Read the full article...
New reference book offers exhaustive overview of Yellowstone geography

Deciding exactly where and what Yellowstone is depends on whom you ask, and what data is used to answer the question. A newly published reference book aims to define Yellowstone in as many ways as possible, using more than 800 maps with thousands of illustrations... Read the full article...
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...
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...

Columns/Blogs

Another Legend Leaves Us; Remembering Gene George

by The Sage Grouse February 21, 2012

Another Legend Leaves Us; Remembering Gene George
By R.T. Cox
My friend Gene George died on February 4 in Casper (click to read his obituary in the Casper Star-Tribune).
Gene, trained as a …

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Angry Birds

by The Sage Grouse February 21, 2012

By the time The Sage Grouse finally relented to the societal norm of smart phones, he discovered the cell towers are jammed with people wasting capacity and time with games.

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New bill promising to help employers will hit floor Tuesday in House, Senate

by Guy February 20, 2012

New bill promising to help employers will hit floor Tuesday in House, Senate

Dan Neal of the Equality State Policy Center wrote about a bill to promote workplace safety, the upcoming budget debate, …

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In a short bugdet session, still some environment-related bills

by Guy February 20, 2012

In a short budget Session, still some environment-related bills
Richard Garrett, Jr. of the Wyoming Outdoor Council discusses environmental bills at the fast-paced 2012 budget session of the Wyoming Legislature:
As I …

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UW’s Jeffrey Lockwood featured on WNYC Radiolab

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 16, 2012

UW’s Jeffrey Lockwood featured on WNYC Radiolab
WNYC Radiolab’s latest “short” podcast features University of Wyoming professor Jeffrey Lockwood. “Killer Empathy” (run time 18 minutes 33 seconds) explores the mysterious nature …

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Power to the People; New interactive site features Cowboy State’s electrical generation

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 15, 2012

Power to the People; New interactive site features Cowboy State’s electrical generation
The Wyoming State Geological Survey recently launched an interactive web site featuring electrical generation in the Cowboy State. Among …

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Wolf management and sheep dip

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 15, 2012

Wolf management and sheep dip

In this Wyoming Capitol Outlook post (published on February 15, 2012) Geoff O’Gara of Wyoming PBS writes about the confusing and complex attempts at crafting a …

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Walrus in the room

by WyoFile February 15, 2012

Walrus in the room

This Wyoming Capitol Outlook blog post by Geoff O’Gara originally published Tuesday February 14, 2012. Capitol Outlook is a program of Wyoming PBS.
Wyoming Senate President Jim Anderson …

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Grand Teton rangers rescue lost snowboarders in Granite Canyon

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 15, 2012

Grand Teton rangers rescue lost snowboarders in Granite Canyon
YellowstoneGate.com reports that rangers from Grand Teton National Park rescued two snowboarders Monday night after the pair took a wrong turn and …

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Mad as Hell?

by The Sage Grouse February 14, 2012

Mad as Hell?
Remember the movie “Network”? Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch: “I’m Mad as Hell and I’m Not Going to Take it Any More.”
The housing collapse, Fannie Mae collapse, AIG …

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Kicking and screaming toward climate regulation

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 14, 2012

Kicking and screaming toward climate regulation
State lawmakers held a special hearing Saturday (and held their noses) as Wyoming is steadily dragged, kicking and screaming, toward regulating greenhouse gases.

Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile …

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Gov. Mead opens Legislature’s budget session

by WyoFile February 14, 2012

Gov. Mead opens Legislature’s budget session
Dan Neal of the Equality State Policy Center wrote about Gov. Matt Mead’s speech at the opening of the 2012 Wyoming Legislative session, in which …

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It’s Your Legislature: Get Its Attention

by Guy February 14, 2012

It’s Your Legislature: Get Its Attention
With the 2012 Wyoming Legislative session already under way and likely to breeze through a few hundred bills in less than 20 days, getting your …

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Wyoming’s winter ozone in check, so far

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 10, 2012

Wyoming’s winter ozone in check, so far
It’s ozone season in Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin, but so far the region has avoided any prolonged spikes of high ozone concentrations, according …

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Occupy Fever: Running Amuck

by The Sage Grouse February 7, 2012

The Sage Grouse has been all over the Tea Party for bad manners, incivility and surrender of judgment to rampant emotion. But now, leftists, it is time to take your …

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BLM sets meetings for Gateway West sage grouse analysis

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 1, 2012

BLM sets meetings for Gateway West sage grouse analysis
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning two informational meetings in February to present information and answer questions about the sage …

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BLM posts lease parcels for oil and gas sale

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 1, 2012

BLM posts lease parcels for oil and gas sale
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming State Office has posted its proposed list of parcels to offer up to oil and …

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Winter in the Tropics

by The Sage Grouse January 31, 2012

The Sage Grouse unpacks a few photos from his recent trek to the Galapagos Islands, where it wasn’t just the tortoise, iguana and birds that left an impression.

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Gov. Mead to add to OSHA

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 24, 2012

Gov. Matt Mead announced today that he will shuffle vacant positions within state government, and possibly make new hires, to beef up resources at Wyoming Occupational Health and Administration (OSHA) …

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Georgia June

by The Sage Grouse January 24, 2012

Ladies and Germs, I have an announcement: The Sage Grouse is not always a grouch. Can you fathom the possibility that something could turn a Grouse into a warm mushy …

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Meetings set to discuss sage grouse conservation

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 20, 2012

Meetings set to discuss sage grouse conservation
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming, the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, and the Thunder Basin National Grassland will be holding a series of …

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Societal Meltdown

by The Sage Grouse January 17, 2012

Societal Meltdown
Remember the shockingly sudden loss of civility during the debate over reform of what everyone knows is a failed health care system; loud, rude shouting anti-government maniacs appeared at …

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Chuck Townsend

by The Sage Grouse January 10, 2012

Chuck Townsend was one of my favorite people. I thought about that a lot at his funeral on January 2. Chuck worked his ass off in the family businesses, devotedly …

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Follow state budget hearings via live streaming audio

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 4, 2012

Follow state budget hearings via live streaming audio
The Wyoming Legislature will provide live audio streaming of the 2013-2014 Joint Appropriations Committee (JAC) agency budget hearings beginning Monday January 9. The …

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Industry safety group seeks board candidates

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 4, 2012

Industry safety group seeks board candidates
The Wyoming Oil and Gas Industry Safety Alliance (WOGISA) has a board vacancy to fill. If you are interested in becoming a member of the …

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Mead sets seven town halls to solicit ideas on health care

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 4, 2012

Mead sets seven town halls to solicit ideas on health care
Gov. Matt Mead has set seven town hall meetings to solicit ideas from citizens on health care issues, including the …

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Huntsman-Barrasso 2012?

by The Sage Grouse January 3, 2012

The Sage Grouse revels in the time-honored tradition of speculating about the final GOP ticket.

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Boehner let the Tea Party bare its rear

by The Sage Grouse December 27, 2011

John Boehner, according to The Sage Grouse, has somehow saved face in the last-minute deal to get the extension, leaving folks like Eric Cantor baring their true intentions before a …

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WyoFile editor discusses fracking in radio interview

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 23, 2011

WyoFile editor discusses fracking in radio interview
My apologies for this late post of my December 13 radio interview on Canadian Public Broadcasting about hydraulic fracturing and the EPA investigation in …

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Newt Attacks the Courts

by The Sage Grouse December 20, 2011

The Sage Grouse reacts to recent comments by GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich about going after “activist judges.”

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The Problem With Elections is Re-Election

by The Sage Grouse December 13, 2011

The Sage Grouse contemplates how current term limits have fallen victim to extended campaign seasons, essentially neutering the opportunity for real policy work.

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Salazar wants Wyo-style sage grouse management across the West

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 9, 2011

Salazar wants Wyo-style sage grouse management across the West
At a press conference in Cheyenne today Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wyoming’s “core areas” sage grouse habitat management plan could be …

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Windsor drops bid for #26-2 well near Clark

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 8, 2011

Windsor drops bid for #26-2 well near Clark
This week Windsor Energy Group notified Shoshone National Forest and Wyoming Bureau of Land Management officials that it will not proceed with its …

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Abel lost long ago, Cain loses now

by The Sage Grouse December 6, 2011

Abel lost long ago, Cain loses now

Folks, we in Wyoming were maybe not that far from the Great Fall, the exit from the Garden of Eden, preceding or during the …

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Support WyoFile’s successful mission

by The Sage Grouse November 22, 2011

The Sage Grouse makes an important pitch to readers: consider supporting WyoFile and its mission of in-depth reporting on Wyoming’s people, places and policy.

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New rules for royalty-free gas flares up for comment

by Dustin Bleizeffer November 16, 2011

New rules for royalty-free gas flares up for comment
The Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments has issued its proposed policy changes regarding royalty-free flaring of natural gas. Written comments …

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BLM extends review/comment period for Lander area public lands plan

by Dustin Bleizeffer November 16, 2011

BLM extends review/comment period for Lander area public lands plan
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has extended the public review and comment period for the Lander Resource Management Plan (RMP) …

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Gaffes

by The Sage Grouse November 15, 2011

The Sage Grouse returns with a commentary on recent gaffes by those seeking to be the next President of the United States, and by our current president.

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Great new tool for access to state lands

by Dustin Bleizeffer November 14, 2011

Great new tool for access to state lands
The Office of State Lands and Investments just launched a great new online mapping application to navigate access to state lands, which are …

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Wyoming Public Media fall drive nets $290K

by Dustin Bleizeffer October 31, 2011

Wyoming Public Media fall drive nets $290K
Congratulations to Wyoming Public Media for reaching its goal of $290,000 during its recent fall membership drive. The drive ended Friday after 61 hours …

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Latest fracking news; cross-state injections and invasive mussels

by Dustin Bleizeffer October 28, 2011

Latest fracking news; cross-state injections and invasive mussels
There’s a lot to the business of shale oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing, and I just learned about a few more considerations being …

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Carbon Shock

by The Sage Grouse October 25, 2011

The Sage Grouse challenges readers to prove him wrong on what he surmises may be futile efforts to capture and sequester carbon dioxide.

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I’m With Stupid

by The Sage Grouse October 18, 2011

The GPS in my Mazda CX-9 shows a lot of roads and streets. In an urban setting, it probably works beautifully with the voice prompting feature. It ain’t so good …

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Civil Discourse

by The Sage Grouse October 11, 2011

What happens when persistent rain leaves two hunting buddies stranded inside with nothing to do but talk and drink? When one an oil and gas attorney and the other a …

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Spill at Wyoming uranium mine triggers NRC ‘special investigation’

by Dustin Bleizeffer October 5, 2011

Spill at Wyoming uranium mine triggers NRC ‘special investigation’
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission launched a “special investigation” today to determine if workers were exposed to “yellowcake” after an incident at …

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Local Control

by The Sage Grouse October 4, 2011

The authority of the federal government can be a pain sometimes, but it isn’t necessarily better when a school board, city or county is running the show…

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BugShot (part 2)

by The Sage Grouse September 27, 2011

After attending the BugShot workshop, your humble neophyte is working on photographs of insects and spiders at ranges of 1/2 to 2 inches…

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Let’s Not Kill All The Lawyers

by The Sage Grouse September 20, 2011

Lawyers are not generally held in high esteem these days. But in many instances they are heroes of personal rights and freedom — at least that’s what The Sage Grouse …

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Lawmakers gunning for K-12 “Energy Literacy” program

by Dustin Bleizeffer September 15, 2011

Lawmakers gunning for K-12 “Energy Literacy” program
As the nation’s largest producer of coal, and a workhorse supplier of natural gas, oil, uranium and wind energy, it makes sense that Wyoming’s …

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BugShot (part 1)

by The Sage Grouse September 13, 2011

I just spent three exhilarating days at the Shaw Nature Reserve near St. Louis, Missouri, the place where everyone who made the West into a European-culture dominated landscape started out. …

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