natural gas

Thumbnail image for Oil and gas lobby overstates job potential

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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Chesapeake blowout; State issues preliminary investigation results

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 10, 2012

Chesapeake blowout; State issues preliminary investigation results
A preliminary investigation of the April 24 blowout of a Chesapeake Energy oil well suggests the cause was a mechanical failure, or “improper engagement …

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Thumbnail image for Wyoming escapes ozone season, but not ozone problem

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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Thumbnail image for Utility wants to convert Wyoming coal unit to natural gas

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

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 …

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Thumbnail image for Sen. Enzi: China wants to own our energy

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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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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Thumbnail image for Mead to meet with Pavillion residents to talk water supply

Mead to meet with Pavillion residents to talk water supply

by Dustin Bleizeffer February 1, 2012

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead will meet with Pavillion area residents from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Monday to discuss strategies for a long-term drinking water supply. Residents in about two …

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

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.

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Thumbnail image for State warms to call for bigger OSHA role in stemming workplace fatalities

State warms to call for bigger OSHA role in stemming workplace fatalities

by Dustin Bleizeffer January 24, 2012

State officials are now considering a bigger role for the Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in addressing the state’s ongoing high workplace fatality rate.

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

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 …

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

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 …

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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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Thumbnail image for Keystone pipeline would benefit Wyo oil producers

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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Thumbnail image for EPA Finds Compound Used in Fracking in Wyoming Aquifer

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

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.

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Thumbnail image for ‘American energy independence’ advocates also want to export

‘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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Thumbnail image for State royalties go up in smoke with gas flares

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

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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Thumbnail image for Can technology turn drilling into sunshine?

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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Thumbnail image for Would you like fracked or non-fracked?

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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Natural gas pipeline ruptured in Campbell County

by Dustin Bleizeffer July 21, 2011

Natural gas pipeline ruptured in Campbell County
A natural gas pipeline that went into service in January is temporarily shut-down after a Wednesday evening explosion in Campbell County, according to local …

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Thumbnail image for Wyoming wind and coal need natural gas bridge

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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Industry decries regs as drilling nears all-time high

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 20, 2011

To be fair, the permitting process does take longer than it did 10-20 years ago. But companies have adjusted by planning for more lead-time, both in the coal and the …

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SAGE GROUSE: Mead extends ‘core area’ restrictions

by WyoFile June 14, 2011

Reprinted with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net. Not for republication.
Wyoming’s recently elected Republican governor will uphold a key wildlife conservation strategy initiated by his Democratic predecessor, …

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Thumbnail image for Gas industry pains over cost of coal

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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Royalty Uproar; Public meeting Friday to discuss state-owned oil and gas

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 8, 2011

There will be a public meeting Friday afternoon in Cheyenne to discuss proposed revisions to the standard lease form for state-owned oil and natural gas — the first such revision …

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Wyoming mined $15.5B in minerals

by Dustin Bleizeffer June 1, 2011

Wyoming mined $15.5B in minerals
The total value of minerals produced in Wyoming last year was $15.5 billion — the second highest valuation ever. This week Gov. Matt Mead announced that …

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State adds air quality monitoring station

by Dustin Bleizeffer May 17, 2011

The new station is located south of Rock Springs in the Hiawatha Gas Field, and will provide data to help DEQ assess ambient air quality — information that is currently …

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

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 …

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

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 …

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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 …

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Thumbnail image for Energy Quandaries

Energy Quandaries

by The Sage Grouse May 3, 2011

The legislature should repeal the exemption of wind energy from the right to use eminent domain and do whatever is needed to provide certainty in the market place, so that …

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Thumbnail image for Winter ozone problem confounds regulators, industry

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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Thumbnail image for One Man’s Mystery Leads to a Backlash Against Fracking

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 …

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Thumbnail image for Nuclear energy’s future unclear

Nuclear energy’s future unclear

by Dustin Bleizeffer December 31, 2010

Given Russia’s control over the vast natural gas resource in the region, turning off all of Germany’s nuclear power by 2034 sounded a bit drastic — or is it optimistic?

Later, …

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Thumbnail image for Group Says Coal-Bed Methane Plan Threatens Powder River Basin Elk Herd

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 …

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

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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Thumbnail image for Underused Drilling Practices Could Avoid Pollution

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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A Quick History Of American Severance Taxes

by WyoFile February 8, 2009

Severance tax collections evolve in stages that depend upon price, the amount of mineral left in the ground, and the shape of a state’s finances.
In America, severance taxes began in …

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