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...

Energy Report

Oil and gas lobby overstates job potential

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 16, 2012

Most of these good jobs that WEA promises are hard to fill and even more difficult to keep filled. When it comes to these drilling locations, “it’s a revolving door,” …

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Industry’s fracking problem

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 4, 2012

All the fuss about fracking centers on two things; the proliferation of oil and gas drilling in and around our drinking water aquifers, and the ability to figure out whether …

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Widow of a fallen Wyoming worker speaks

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 1, 2012

Widow of a fallen Wyoming worker speaks
There’d been a fire at the rig that had gone unreported. The drilling company allegedly failed to conduct all the required inspections before putting …

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Workers’ Memorial Day in Wyoming

by Dustin Bleizeffer April 30, 2012

Workers’ Memorial Day in Wyoming
LeRoy Fried was killed on a drilling rig in Wyoming in 2004. He left behind his wife, Cheryl Fried, who — after receiving only $120,000 in …

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Wyoming escapes ozone season, but not ozone problem

by Dustin Bleizeffer April 20, 2012

Wyoming escapes ozone season, but not ozone problem
Pinedale area residents can breathe easy now that the wintertime ozone season has passed without any exceedences of the federal 8-hour ozone threshold. …

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Utility wants to convert Wyoming coal unit to natural gas

by Dustin Bleizeffer April 12, 2012

Utility wants to convert Wyoming coal unit to natural gas
Due to the increasing cost of scrubbing pollution from coal-fired power plants and the increasing availability of cheap natural gas, PacifiCorp …

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The coal lobby has itself to blame

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 29, 2012

Curbing greenhouse gas emissions from coal is not a new policy ambition, and neither is the effect of the coal lobby’s refusal to negotiate. For many years now, American utilities …

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Sage grouse on the edge of functional extinction in northeast Wyoming

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 21, 2012

Sage grouse on the edge of functional extinction in northeast Wyoming
The greater sage grouse — the West’s best metric for the health of the western prairie ecosystem — is teetering …

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Obama’s message on world oil was a bummer for the public at large

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 15, 2012

The crowd eagerly cheered jabs at the GOP’s energy policy, but was a bit dumbfounded when Obama spoke hard truths about energy. It was as though the audience expected …

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Sen. Enzi: China wants to own our energy

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 23, 2012

On the state senate floor, U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, a Republican, recalled the 1970s oil embargo. “The price (of gasoline) went from 25 cents a gallon to $1 a gallon …

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Who really defrauds workers’ compensation?

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 21, 2012

Did you know; of Wyoming’s 18,228 employers 1,212 of them are delinquent on their Wyoming Workers’ Compensation premiums — to the tune of $943,498.73, according to state officials? That’s 6.6 …

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Go ahead and blame EPA, but don’t politicize the science

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 9, 2012

The notion that the best thing for our human health, environment and wildlife is more mining and drilling and less (or loosened) regulation somehow continues to gain traction in today’s …

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Find the source in Pavillion

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 30, 2012

Locker and his neighbors deserve a conclusive determination of the source of pollution, because their property values have fallen and any new long-term water supply system is going to come …

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Can Wyoming put its mouth where its money is?

by Dustin Bleizeffer November 17, 2011

Wyoming coal — in terms that coal is one of Wyoming’s powerhouse economic drivers — is likely to continue to lose its share of the U.S. utility market to natural …

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Keystone pipeline would benefit Wyo oil producers

by Dustin Bleizeffer November 15, 2011

Oil pipeline capacity is a challenge that Wyoming officials wish to have as they look across the Colorado border with a bit of rig-envy at momentum building in Colorado’s Niobrara …

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‘American energy independence’ advocates also want to export

by Dustin Bleizeffer October 28, 2011

Exporting a modest percentage of domestic oil and natural gas to high-paying markets overseas would likely be very good for our economy. Our Wyoming coal producers certainly intend to increase …

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Mead declares carrot over stick in workplace fatalities

by Dustin Bleizeffer October 14, 2011

A united effort among industry and safety officials is crucial to identifying and implementing a smart strategy to make sure more Wyoming’s workers return home safe each night. But it’s …

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State royalties go up in smoke with gas flares

by Dustin Bleizeffer October 7, 2011

With Wyoming’s shale oil industry still very much in its infancy, a large volume of state-owned natural gas is going up in smoke, and along with it a small fortune …

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Former state legislator; ‘All we lack is some leadership’

by Dustin Bleizeffer September 26, 2011

At a University of Wyoming forum on hydraulic fracturing on Monday, some attendees questioned whether Wyoming’s leaders are too chummy with the industry to fix identified regulatory loopholes and generally …

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Do today’s spills stem from yesterday’s boom?

by Dustin Bleizeffer September 22, 2011

That the commission took a hard stance this week against two bad actors is commendable. But it can also be argued that the state is paying today for past leniency …

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Wyoming’s cleaner coal efforts need national push

by Dustin Bleizeffer September 15, 2011

Bent on dismissing the urgency for the U.S. to address climate change, and reflexively insisting that coal is the victim of an anti-development agenda, Wyoming leaders are now in a …

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Thank A Wyoming Worker this Labor Day

by Dustin Bleizeffer September 1, 2011

Wyoming employers are lucky to have such a hard-working class of folks, and they deserve safe working conditions and decent pay.

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Can technology turn drilling into sunshine?

by Dustin Bleizeffer August 25, 2011

When it comes to energy development, it’s crystal clear where Wyoming’s governor and its congressional delegation stand; Wyoming is open for business, and most any environmental concern can be satisfactorily …

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Brinksmanship dims future of Wyo coal

by Dustin Bleizeffer August 11, 2011

When it comes to climate policy, Wyoming’s congressional delegation is engaged in the same type of brinksmanship that downgraded America’s credit rating and sent the stock market plunging on Monday. …

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Would you like fracked or non-fracked?

by Dustin Bleizeffer July 28, 2011

To take fracking away from the oil and gas industry would be like taking shovels away from coal miners. It doesn’t make practical sense. Fighting to protect our health and …

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Judge: DM&E’s abuse of eminent domain cost landowners dearly

by Dustin Bleizeffer July 22, 2011

Judge: DM&E’s abuse of eminent domain cost landowners dearly
The potential to abuse Wyoming’s eminent domain laws was clearly noted this week in a ruling by U.S. District Judge William Downes.
On …

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Oil and gas leaders seek to stem deaths on the job

by Dustin Bleizeffer July 14, 2011

Beyond those efforts, exactly what WOGISA can and should do to help stem serious injuries and fatalities in the industry isn’t clear to it’s own members. Attendees in Rock Springs …

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Wyoming wind and coal need natural gas bridge

by Dustin Bleizeffer July 7, 2011

For more than 30 years, Wyoming leaders have professed the importance of adding value to the state’s mineral resources rather than simply exporting raw products — particularly coal. Companies have …

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Fracking & Leasing; Fear and loathing in the Rockies

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 30, 2011

State and industry officials have repeated the “no documented case” mantra ever since the Pavillion fracking trial began many years ago. Rather than instill confidence in their ability protect drinking …

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Wyoming’s low rig count worries policymakers

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 23, 2011

Having led the Rockies’ natural gas boom during the past decade, Wyoming policymakers get extremely nervous when rigs are busy drilling outside the Cowboy State.

“Some would say it’s not a …

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Even toothless safety alliance is improvement

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 16, 2011

WOGISA’s efforts to develop more workforce safety and development training is absolutely critical given the fact that Wyoming OSHA’s budget will be slashed 20 percent in 2013. The agency currently …

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Gas industry pains over cost of coal

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 9, 2011

In its current rate increase request in Wyoming, Rocky Mountain Power is under scrutiny for having spent hundreds of millions of dollars in pollution controls for its fleet of coal-fired …

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‘Wild lands’ bullet dodged, oil still spills in Wyoming

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 2, 2011

‘Wild lands’ bullet dodged, oil still spills in Wyoming
The Obama administration’s announcement this week to dump the so-called “wild lands policy” was not unexpected. The policy was already dead in …

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Rig count stuck in the mud

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 26, 2011

A lot of Wyoming towns are pulling for a resurgence in drilling beginning this year, particularly Douglas, Gillette, Casper and Rock Springs where the mineral extraction service industry is well …

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Subsidy Cut Wasn’t a Rig-Killer

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 19, 2011

Subsidy Cut Wasn’t a Rig-Killer
This week Wyoming’s congressional delegation cheered the demise of a bill that would have cut some tax breaks to the top five oil companies, a measure …

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Cost of Solar Energy Revolution: Four Pints of Beer

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 12, 2011

Cost of Solar Energy Revolution: Four Pints of Beer
Nevada is the latest among several states to consider a feed-in-tariff as a way to boost renewable energy, specifically small- to mid-scale …

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Railroad wins in coal dust-up

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 5, 2011

Before you roll your eyes thinking this is another ploy by environmentalists to poke Big Coal in the eye, consider this; Suppressing coal dust from loaded trains is a matter …

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Mead Touts Pro-Energy Stance

by Dustin Bleizeffer April 28, 2011

Mead isn’t the first and certainly isn’t the only person to reject the either-or notion regarding energy development and conservation. If any community has the can-do attitude to embrace both …

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A Heavy Workload for Wyoming

by Dustin Bleizeffer April 21, 2011

I was visiting with a local geologist in Casper recently who was reminiscing about the heyday of Wyoming’s uranium industry in the 1970s. He was a young guy then, fresh …

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Ozone spikes aren’t Mother Nature’s fault

by Dustin Bleizeffer April 15, 2011

Ozone spikes aren’t Mother Nature’s fault
Metropolitan-type smog pollution spiked past federal thresholds 13 times this winter and triggered 10 state-issued advisories, warning people in the Pinedale area to avoid going …

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German officials say U.S. is ‘by-standing in the way’ of climate effort

by Dustin Bleizeffer April 7, 2011

International efforts to address climate change solidified somewhat in December when nations agreed that more action is needed to meet a goal of containing warming to no more than 3.6 …

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Permit numbers don’t tell the whole story

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 31, 2011

Environmental groups are correct to note that industry has a lot of active APDs to develop. But industry is telling the truth when it says a complex set of timing …

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Wyoming coal is not partisan

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 24, 2011

I come from Gillette, so I’m familiar with the time-honored tradition among many in the coal mining industry to declare during presidential campaigns that the Democratic candidate (fill in blank) …

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Alarm is proper response to industrial disaster

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 15, 2011

Whether the public response to Japan’s nuclear crisis will be a measured level of scrutiny, an emotional punishment or an overconfident rejection of industry reforms remains to be seen.

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Cozy relationship between Casper BLM manager, contractor deserves more scrutiny

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 10, 2011

When Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a new code of ethics in the department in a 2009 press conference, he proclaimed, “There’s a new sheriff in town,” specifically naming the …

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Ciris agrees to fine, monitoring, after rogue injections into coal aquifer

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 8, 2011

But both Ciris and the microbial stimulation proposal has faced scrutiny from the Powder River Basin Resource Council, which advocates on behalf of many rural landowners in the region. Many …

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State says microbe gas company broke the rules

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 4, 2011

Before Ciris Energy Inc. successfully lobbied for a new law allowing for the microbial production of coal-bed methane gas in Wyoming, it got in trouble under the state’s existing rules.

Ciris …

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Pavillion investigation focuses on pollution source

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 25, 2011

This new emphasis on pits and well bores may please local residents as well as industry. Residents say it’s essential to understand the source of the pollution to avoid long-term …

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Sullivan: I was right to veto nuclear waste

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 18, 2011

Nearly 20 years later, Sullivan said he can look back on his decision to veto the temporary storage site in Wyoming and say that he got it right. The federal …

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Why the defeatist attitude toward carbon sequestration?

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 4, 2011

In 1969 the U.S. set off a 40 kiloton nuclear bomb underground near Rulison, Colo., to “stimulate” natural gas production. But, hey, it’s the slow, monitored injection of CO2 that’s …

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