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

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…

Deer-ly Departed: Revelation of mule deer ‘stop-over’ behavior may alter drilling plans in Bridger Teton Forest

by Geoffrey O'Gara May 8, 2012

Hall Sawyer’s new research report has complicated plans to drill 136 natural gas wells in the Jonah and Pinedale Anticline fields.

Read the full article…

The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920: The law that changed Wyoming’s economic destiny

by Samuel Western May 8, 2012

While energy development is arguably central to Wyoming’s economy, it wasn’t always this way.

Read the full article…

Drill Baby Drill? Policy makers ponder the best way out of America’s oil dependency

by Allen Best April 17, 2012

Conflicting viewpoints were abound at the Global New Energy Summit in Colorado Springs last week. In the face of America’s oil dependency, some still advocate we drill our way out …

Read the full article…

$Thumbnail image for Wyoming’s fracking chemical disclosure requirements draw lawsuit$

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 …

Read the full article…

The BLM struggles to get ahead of oil and gas development in the West

by High Country News March 20, 2012

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has a new layer of analysis it can use to protect resources before mineral leasing occurs on public lands. Looking at the development in …

Read the full article…

Expert: Energy standard key to launching carbon sequestration

by Allen Best March 13, 2012

Dr. Sally Benson, director of the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University, argues that a techno-agnostic renewable energy standard is key to launching carbon capture and sequestration efforts …

Read the full article…

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.

Read the full article…

Wyoming’s Permanent Mineral Trust Fund can’t entirely protect the budget from volatile commodity prices

by Samuel Western February 21, 2012

Wyoming’s Permanent Mineral Trust Fund provides a mostly stable stream of revenue to the state’s general fund. Yet state lawmakers are trimming budget plans right now, revealing that even $5.4 …

Read the full article…

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.

Read the full article…

A mom-and-pop oil company prospects for gas in central Wyoming

by High Country News January 31, 2012

John Wold is one of Wyoming’s most notorious wildcatters. At the age of 95, he still enjoys the thrill and challenge of making new oil and gas discoveries.

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

Worker advocates slam state for timid response to workplace fatalities

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 6, 2012

Two worker advocacy groups say that, for 10 years, Wyoming and industry leaders have failed to take the carnage of workplace fatalities seriously, and they’re urging the state to use …

Read the full article…

California company & Wyo legislator seek to delay well-plugging with hopes that microbes will rebuild production

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 20, 2011

The persistent low price of natural gas continues to push coal-bed methane gas operators in the Powder River Basin to the brink of bankruptcy, leaving some 8,000 to 9,000 wells …

Read the full article…

Drilling to Energy Independence: Can the West save us from foreign oil imports?

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 6, 2011

— This story was written in collaboration with the Rural West Initiative at the Bill Lane Center for the American West.
True to the frontier attitude still prevalent here, oil and …

Read the full article…

Feds attempt to speed complicated process of building power lines

by High Country News November 22, 2011

The Obama administration announced in October a new attempt to streamline power line permitting among dozens of federal and state agencies.

Read the full article…

Art & Energy: Coal’s reaction to ‘Carbon Sink’ sculpture reveals the power of art — and the essence of education

by Jeffrey Lockwood November 8, 2011

When British artist Chris Drury created the “Carbon Sink” sculpture on the University of Wyoming campus earlier this year, it’s message of coal’s spiraling environmental influence triggered some passionate response.

Read the full article…

Up In Smoke: How much state gas will be flared without taxation?

by Dustin Bleizeffer November 8, 2011

The Office of State Lands and Investment’s board is considering extending the amount of time an operator is allowed to flare state-owned minerals before severance taxes are applied.

Read the full article…

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.

Read the full article…

Pathfinder developers hope to offset impacts of energy development

by Gregory Nickerson August 30, 2011

Pathfinder Renewable Wind Energy LLC originally proposed to build a giant wind farm on the Pathfinder Ranch near the Oregon Trail in central Wyoming. Instead, the project will be moved …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

Deadly Workplaces – Wyoming’s workplace fatality rate still ranks among worst in nation

by Dustin Bleizeffer July 12, 2011

Despite being saddled with the worst-in-the-nation distinction for workplace fatalities, the decision to emphasize voluntary collaborative efforts rather than inspection and enforcement was emblematic of a pervasive attitude among industry …

Read the full article…

Are Feds Slowing Oil and Gas Permitting?

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 28, 2011

Of the seven major oil and gas EISs now in the works in Wyoming, none have gotten to the “draft” stage. Once a draft is issued, stakeholders can better predict …

Read the full article…

$Thumbnail image for Critics Find Gaps in State Laws to Disclose Hydrofracking Chemicals$

Critics Find Gaps in State Laws to Disclose Hydrofracking Chemicals

by ProPublica June 28, 2011

Wyoming’s rules are the strongest in place, although it’s unclear how thoroughly they are being enforced. The rules require public disclosure of all the chemicals except for trade secrets, which …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

‘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 …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

Pristine to Polluted: More drilling proposed near Pinedale despite ozone spikes

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 17, 2011

Despite significant reductions in the volume of emissions from the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah natural gas fields in recent years, the area remains prone to ozone spikes — a human …

Read the full article…

More Wells, Fewer Emissions — Industry counting on advances in technology for cleaner air amid increased production

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 17, 2011

Natural gas operators in the Upper Green River Basin say they’ve been able to drill more wells with fewer emissions in recent years, and they can continue to maintain that …

Read the full article…

Wyoming’s next wave of natural gas drilling

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 17, 2011

Wyoming’s next wave of natural gas drilling
Pristine to Polluted | More Wells, Fewer Emissions | Next Wave of Natural Gas
It may seem counter-intuitive to propose some 21,000 new wells in …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

Niobrara oil search brings seismic surveys

by Gregory Nickerson April 19, 2011

The search for oil in southeast Wyoming has set off a massive seismic survey effort. Last fall, three seismic surveys alone blanketed an area 1,500 square miles in Laramie and …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

Wyoming betting on coal-bed methane comeback despite industry bankruptcies

by Dustin Bleizeffer March 22, 2011

Over the past several years coal-bed methane gas operators in the Powder River Basin have idled thousands of wells due to low pricing, and a handful of operators struggle on …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

One Man’s Mystery Leads to a Backlash Against Fracking

by ProPublica March 1, 2011

Meeks used to have abundant water on his small alfalfa ranch, a 40-acre plot speckled with apple and plum trees northeast of the Wind River Mountains and about five miles …

Read the full article…

Wind tower manufacturer comes to Wyoming

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 15, 2011

The $40 million plant will manufacture about 300 wind towers annually and employ about 150 workers, according to the companies. The manufacturing plant may help reduce project development costs for …

Read the full article…

A Reluctant Move Away from Coal

by Allen Best February 8, 2011

Scores of new coal-fired power plants that were being planned across the nation six or seven years ago have mostly been shelved. Last year alone, utilities and power-generating companies dropped …

Read the full article…

Drilling Industry Says Diesel Use Was Legal

by ProPublica February 8, 2011

After three members of Congress reported this week that drilling companies have been injecting large amounts of diesel fuel underground to hydraulically fracture oil and gas wells, the industry is …

Read the full article…

Coal industry seeks exports to Asia while U.S. market falters

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 18, 2011

America’s No. 2 coal-producer, Arch Coal Inc., announced last week that it paid $25 million to acquire 38 percent interest in Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview, LLC, one of dozens of companies …

Read the full article…

Back on Track: Wyoming coal rebounds amid market, regulatory uncertainty

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 4, 2011

Wyoming coal producers fared well during a tumultuous year for the industry nationwide, increasing output by an estimated 2.6 percent in 2010. It’s a modest recovery in production, after slipping …

Read the full article…

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

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 …

Read the full article…

Environmental Concerns Trip Up California Renewable Energy Stance

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 10, 2010

California’s recent policy stance to give preference to instate renewable energy development over out-of-state sources (a move inspired by the need to spur job growth in the financially-strapped state) may …

Read the full article…

Oil and Gas Producers Seek New Water Solutions

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 7, 2010

Oil and natural gas wells within about a 100-mile radius of Rawlins produce more than 400 million barrels of water annually, according to industry estimates. Most all of that water …

Read the full article…

Let’s Talk Energy

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 2, 2010

A journalist acquires a heck of lot more information than ever appears in a traditional news article, and that’s what makes a blog so useful. I can quickly scratch out …

Read the full article…

Niobrara Confidential

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 2, 2010

Investors and royalty owners itching to see initial production results from exploratory Niobrara oil wells may see a logjam of information released after the first of the year.

Wyoming Oil and …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

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 …

Read the full article…

← Previous Entries