NEWS RELEASE FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR: ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host a forum entitled Natural Gas Hydraulic Fracturing on Public Lands: A Forum Hosted by the Department of the Interior. As recently as November 3, 2010, President Barack Obama reiterated his commitment to the […]
FIELD NOTES
Pittsburgh Bans Natural Gas Drilling: City Council Gets Standing Ovation
by Marie C. Baca ProPublica Citing health and environmental concerns, the Pittsburgh, Pa., city council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban natural gas drilling within the city limits. It is the first such ban in a Pennsylvania city. The 9-0 vote received a standing ovation, according to the Associated Press. Pittsburgh sits on the Marcellus Shale, […]
136 new gas wells coming to the Bridger-Teton National Forest
Can we do anything about it? By Lisa McGee MANY PEOPLE ASSUME THE WYOMING RANGE in the Bridger-Teton National Forest is protected by law. That this locally and nationally cherished mountain range is one place where we don’t have to worry about oil and gas development. This is unfortunately not the case—as demonstrated by a […]
Two Companies Seek Trade Secret Status for Fracking Fluids in Wyoming
Drilling rig on the Pinedale Anticline (Linda Baker) by Marie C. Baca ProPublica, Nov. 2, 2010, 11:03 a.m. TWO CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS are seeking an exemption from new rules in Wyoming that require public disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, a controversial natural gas drilling process suspected of polluting groundwater. ChemEOR, based in Covina, […]
Colorado water official blasts entrepreneur’s pipeline proposal
‘[W]e think this is a bad project.’ FROM THE CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE: By Jeff Gearino, Southwest Wyoming bureau ROCK SPRINGS — Historically, the 62 documented, high-alpine glaciers in western Wyoming’s Wind River Range pour about 1.18 million acre feet of some of the purest water in the country into the Flaming Gorge Reservoir each year, via […]
Pinedale Mesa mule deer population drops 60 percent
FROM THE CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE: By Cat Urbigkit, Star-Tribune correspondent PINEDALE — Mule deer on the Mesa near Pinedale have declined 60 percent in 2009 compared to 2001, and the animals’ numbers are 28 percent lower in 2009 than in 2005, according to the most recent research on the matter. The Mesa hosts the Pinedale Anticline […]
Public Lands, Personal Visions: A Big Horn Basin Juried Art Exhibit
By Jamie Wolf IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE that I invite everyone to the opening reception for Public Lands, Personal Visions: A Big Horn Basin Juried Art Exhibit, 7:30-9 p.m., Wednesday, October 13, at the Northwest Gallery in Powell. For those of you who cannot make the opening reception, please take advantage of the opportunity […]
Commentary: We have an unexpected opportunity to step into a cleaner energy future
By Richard Garrett, Jr. A MAJOR UTILITY COMPANY TOOK A LOT OF PEOPLE BY SURPRISE on Tuesday when one of its representatives encouraged Wyoming to take the lead in regulating and permitting greenhouse gas emissions. In a presentation in Jackson to the Wyoming legislature’s joint interim Minerals, Business and Economic Development committee, Cathy Woollums, senior […]
UW, GE: Lack of climate legislation hurts Wyoming coal
FROM THE CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE: By DUSTIN BLEIZEFFER Star-Tribune energy reporter JACKSON — If the U.S. Senate hadn’t failed to pass energy and climate legislation that came out of the U.S. House of Representatives this year, Wyoming might have seen utilities move forward with “advanced coal” facilities that cut emissions of carbon dioxide. If the U.S. […]
Wyo’s representatives should protect Rock Creek
By Lisa McGee THE ROCK CREEK AREA OF THE BIGHORN NATIONAL FOREST is a treasured landscape. Adjacent to the Cloud Peak Wilderness and encompassing a full spectrum of mountain habitats—from low-elevation forests and canyons to high-alpine lakes—the area is unique for its jagged rock spires, pristine streams, and old-growth aspen groves. The U.S. Forest Service […]