House panel bars filmmaker from Wyo. pollution hearing

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 Capitol Police... Read the full article...
A mom-and-pop oil company prospects for gas in central Wyoming

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

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 particular... Read the full article...
State warms to call for bigger OSHA role in stemming workplace fatalities

After resisting more workplace inspections and increased enforcement of safety regulations, some state officials are now considering a bigger role for the Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Administration in addressing the state’s high workplace fatality rate... Read the full article...
Wyoming Billionaire Backs Santorum

Friess has made national headlines in recent weeks thanks to his contributions to a super PAC that supports Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. Friess is the main benefactor of the Red White and Blue Fund, which spent $537,000 on ads to help Santorum win the Iowa caucuses... Read the full article...
Wyoming cautiously reviews insurance exchanges

There are approximately 83,000 uninsured people in Wyoming — a situation that puts families at risk of illness, bankruptcy and death — and an insurance exchange could make insurance more affordable for both small employers and their workers... Read the full article...

Environment

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

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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The Big Drain: Million pipeline proposal may be on the rocks, but the thirst for Green River water is unquenched

by Allen Best November 22, 2011

Flaming Gorge Reservoir has capacity to hold 3.5 million acre-feet altogether. That’s a big bucket, exceeded in the Colorado River Basin by only two others: Lake Mead, near Las Vegas, …

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Water Pipeline Permitting is no Easy Task

by Allen Best November 22, 2011

Experts say Aaron Million’s pipeline project won’t begin construction any time soon, not before weaving through a wealth of legal obstacles and obtaining permission from a slew of different agencies.

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From hay fields to fish flows: Pinedale irrigator first in Wyoming to convert water right for fish

by Anne MacKinnon November 15, 2011

The concept of protecting water to stay flowing in-stream for fish was once fiercely-fought by the agriculture community, but many things have changed over the years that make a conversion …

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EPA Finds Compound Used in Fracking in Wyoming Aquifer

by ProPublica November 15, 2011

Reprinted with permission from ProPublica. Not for republication by Wyoming media.
As the country awaits results from a nationwide safety study on the natural gas drilling process of fracking, a separate …

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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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Wyoming governor, industry won’t promise an ozone-free Pinedale

by Dustin Bleizeffer September 13, 2011

Earlier this year, the ozone level in Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin spiked beyond Los Angeles’ worst smog day. But neither the governor nor the industry can guarantee enough emissions …

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Despite regulatory reprieve, Wyoming still has an ozone problem

by Dustin Bleizeffer September 6, 2011

President Barack Obama’s decision last week to back off from a more stringent ozone standard is intended to avoid an estimated $90 billion cost to implement…

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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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Wyoming’s sage grouse strategy sets bar for rest of the West

by Emilene Ostlind August 9, 2011

Doug Cooper stands on a ridge looking east across the grassy swales of the 7 L Livestock Company ranch just north of Casper. One hundred and fifty years ago, his …

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Clock ticking on sage grouse listing

by Emilene Ostlind August 9, 2011

Related Story: Wyoming's sage grouse strategy sets bar for rest of the West

In hopes of keeping the greater sage grouse off the endangered species list, Wyoming has created a new …

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Sweet Beets

by Patrick Dawson July 26, 2011

The company that bottles Pepsi’s line of soft drinks in Worland is once again using sugar — from Big Horn Basin sugar beets — in some of its products. …

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Plant Politics

by Patrick Dawson July 26, 2011

Both corn and beets have been used to sweeten the billions of soft drinks Americans have consumed for decades. And both crops have shaped and been influenced by the politics, …

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High Plains Showdown: Land planning seen as threat to property rights

by Gregory Nickerson June 14, 2011

Murmurs of controversy began last October at a public meeting of HPI. During a mapping exercise, participants were asked to share ideas for how they would like the region to …

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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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Shoshone Forest Eyes New Rec Permits

by Ruffin Prevost April 4, 2011

THERMOPOLIS — In April 2001, Absaroka Bicycles owner Rick Roach submitted a proposal to the U.S. Forest Service to provide guided mountain bike trips into the Shoshone National Forest.
Last week, …

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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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Fuel Factories: Communities at Risk

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 24, 2011

CASPER — Wyoming Refining Co.’s oil refinery is situated literally on Main Street in Newcastle and a mere half-mile away from Newcastle High School. The school is equipped with …

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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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BLM’s Conservation Experiment

by High Country News January 4, 2011

Under the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s mandate to manage for “multiple use and sustained yield,” grazing, mining and drilling have historically trumped conservation, while lands with significant scenic, biological …

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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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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 …

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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 …

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Hauling Gold on the Chief Joe: Montana Officials ‘Take Step Back’ to Review Transport Plan

by Ruffin Prevost November 17, 2010

Montana officials have pledged to “take a step back” and re-evaluate a plan to haul tens of thousands of tons of contaminated mine tailings next summer from Cooke City, Mont., …

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Dam The Green River: Irrigators Say Wyoming Needs to Capture More Water

by Dustin Bleizeffer November 9, 2010

The dual pressures of climate change and ever-increasing demand for water has brought a new sense of urgency to a decades-old idea: to dam the Green River just upstream of …

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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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Before Deepwater Horizon Disaster – Wyomingites Had Key Roles in MMS

by Rone Tempest June 2, 2010

The federal agency cited for an overly “cozy relationship” with the energy industry, which may have contributed to the Deepwater Horizon drilling disaster, has enjoyed extensive Wyoming political and economic …

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Subdividing the West: Wyoming at Planning Crossroads

by Gregory Nickerson March 22, 2010

Property owners like the Banburys are at the center of an ongoing debate over land use and planning in Wyoming, a state protective of private property and the rights of …

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Green Fees: Cheyenne Lawyer’s Crusade on US Legal Payments

by Philip White February 16, 2010

Cheyenne attorney Karen Budd-Falen has raised a furor among ranching communities in Wyoming and elsewhere in the West by claiming that environmental groups are abusing federal statutes and collecting billions …

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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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State Oil and Gas Regulators Are Spread Too Thin to Do Their Jobs

by ProPublica January 7, 2010

by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica – December 30, 2009 12:38 pm EST

Larry Parrish knew something was wrong as soon as he wheeled his state-owned pickup off the West Virginia highway …

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Underused Drilling Practices Could Avoid Pollution

by ProPublica December 14, 2009

As environmental concerns threaten to derail natural gas drilling projects across the country, the energy industry has developed innovative ways to make it easier to exploit the nation’s reserves without …

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Wyoming’s “Roadless Rule” Warrior US District Judge Clarence Brimmer

by WyoFile November 10, 2009

The environmentalists’ boogeyman walks with tiny, uncertain steps. He’s 87 years old, suffers from an arthritic knee and worries about stumbling and falling down. He’s also slowly shrinking — he …

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The Sage Grouse Report – Wyoming Ground Zero of Three Year Study

by WyoFile October 26, 2009

We project that future oil and gas development will cause a 7–19 percent decline from 2007 sage-grouse lek population counts and impact 3.7 million ha of sagebrush shrublands and 1.1 …

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New Johnson County Land Wars

by Samuel Western September 23, 2009

118 years after that famous massacre, the county again finds itself in the middle of a fight. It’s a quieter battle this time, waged in courts and county offices…

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EPA: Chemicals Found in Wyo. Drinking Water Might Be From Fracking

by ProPublica August 26, 2009

Federal environment officials investigating drinking water contamination near Pavillion, Wyo., have found…

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Wyoming News Reader

by WyoFile July 15, 2009

NEW: For the best, hand-picked, eclectic selection of current news about Wyoming from newspapers, magazines and websites…

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Green River Diversion Plan A Big Rip-Off Of Wyoming

by Bill Sniffin April 20, 2009

In dry Wyoming, it has been said that water is more precious than gold.
If this is true, recent efforts by a Fort Collins entrepreneur to suck water from Wyoming’s Green …

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Annie Proulx’s new Red Desert book

by Annie Proulx April 20, 2009

Author Annie Proulx

Photographer Martin Stupich

This book is not intended as another plea to save the greater Red Desert. Many tries for conservation by people who love the place have come …

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Barstool Mountain Myths: Wolves & Elk Numbers Strong Despite Dire Predictions

by WyoFile April 6, 2009

While some Wyoming legislators, hunters, and ranchers claim that wolves are decimating the state’s elk herds, analysis of the facts tells a different story. Prior to the reintroduction of wolves …

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The View from the Divide: Four Decades in Wyoming Wilderness

by WyoFile February 16, 2009

Nestled on the downwind side of the Rocky Mountains, Dubois, Wyoming is in the southeast arm of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. This small mountain town has been our home for …

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Bears by the Numbers, Keeping Tabs on Our Bruins

by Brodie Farquhar December 1, 2008

Casper — Ever since that day in 1961 that the Craighead brothers, Frank and John, placed a radio collar around the neck of Marian, a female grizzly bear, bear biologists …

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Wyoming Ruling Complicates Snowmobile Scene, Pro-Snowmobile Group Declares Victory

by Brodie Farquhar November 17, 2008

CASPER – U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer said in a Friday ruling that, while he didn’t like another federal judge’s decision to throw out Yellowstone National Park snowmobile rules, he …

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