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

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…

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.

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Wyoming’s AML revenue stream slowing to a trickle

by Samuel Western April 17, 2012

Wyoming has been successful in mitigating abandoned coal mine problems, but it continues to receive large amounts of funding from the Abandoned Mine Lands Fund. That money has been spent …

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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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Planners discuss snowmobiles, ‘sound events’ at Yellowstone winter use meetings

by Ruffin Prevost February 21, 2012

More than a decade of public debate and court challenges have complicated efforts to complete a long-term winter use plan for Yellowstone National Park. Yet, a final version of the …

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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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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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