oil

Mead trip spurs Saudi interest in UW research

The Associated Press — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:02:17 +0000

Gov. Matt Mead's weeklong trip to Saudi Arabia last week has succeeded in drawing interest to energy research going on at the University of Wyoming.

As a result of the trip, officials from Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant will be visiting UW soon to get a closer look at the research.

UW has been doing specialized research that could have application to extracting oil from underground formations that are tough to tap.

Air quality research to begin in Sublette and Converse Counties

Willow Belden — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:57:26 +0000

Researchers at the University of Wyoming are planning to map out the emissions coming from natural gas fields in Sublette County.

The area violates federal air quality standards because emissions from the energy industry have caused high levels of ozone, which is a type of smog, to form.

Rob Field is leading the project. He says they’ll use high-tech mobile monitors to measure air quality.

Environmental group calls for groundwater protection measures

Willow Belden — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:57:00 +0000

The Powder River Basin Resource Council has drawn up a list of recommendations to protect groundwater resources during energy production.

The group’s Jill Morrison says they want the state to document how much water is available in aquifers, and to limit how much water can be used for oil and gas production in certain areas where water resources are scarce.

“Because we know, for example, in the Powder River Basin, we’ve really drawn down our main aquifer that supplies domestic use … through the coalbed methane development,” Morrison said.

Chesapeake to discuss Converse County oil plans with community

Willow Belden — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:33:46 +0000

Chesapeake Energy is hosting a community meeting tomorrow about its future energy development plans in Converse County.

Chesapeake has drilled several oil wells around a residential subdivision just outside of Douglas, and one well blew out in the spring, spewing gas into the air.

OSHA proposes flame-resistant clothing requirement near rigs

The Associated Press — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:54:00 +0000

The Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing a rule that would require workers to wear flame-resistant clothing within 75 feet of an oil and gas well bore.

The agency is taking public comments on the proposal and will hold a public hearing on Oct. 5 in Casper.

John Robitaille, of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, says industry would welcome the rule since many already follow it now.

But Robitaille says some companies would rather use the special clothing on an as-needed basis.

Work underway to plug gas leak near Douglas

Irina Zhorov — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:07:49 +0000

The Wyoming Oil and Gas Commission says that workers from Chesapeake energy are making progress in trying to control a gas leak near Douglas. Commission Supervisor Tom Doll says that efforts will continue through the weekend.

Report tracks oil, gas drilling in Rockies

Willow Belden — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:26:26 +0000

A new report tracks the amount of oil and gas drilling that’s gone on over the past 10 years in different counties across the Rocky Mountains.

Julia Haggerty, one of the authors of the report, says the pace and scale of drilling has a profound effect on local communities – not only during the height of a boom, but in the time right before and after. Haggerty says more research needs to be done on how counties rebound after a bust.

South African syngas allays oil supply worries, but at an environmental cost

Diana Neille — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:01:57 +0000

Listen to the Story

Still hope for Niobrara oil plan despite EPA report

The Associated Press — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:54:01 +0000

A federal report possibly linking groundwater pollution to hydraulic fracturing in central Wyoming is not discouraging hopes for the Niobrara oil play in the southeast part of the state.

Many are questioning the scientific conclusions of the Environmental Protection Agency findings on the technique to extract oil and gas.

But both EPA and industry representatives say the specific concerns raised in the report are not applicable to southeast Wyoming. That is because the Niobrara formation is geologically much different than the Pavillion area.

Oil and gas jobs up in 2011

Rebecca Martinez — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:16:01 +0000

Oil and gas jobs in Wyoming rose sharply in 2011, according to the state Economic Analysis Division.

There were more than 18,000 drilling, mining and support jobs in Wyoming as of November. That’s almost 3,000 more than a year before.

State Senior Economist Jim Robinson says these jobs are a subsector of the mining industry, and this growth is a sign of a thriving energy industry.

BLM oil and gas land lease sale nets $49 million in revenue

Rebecca Martinez — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:40:42 +0000

This week’s Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease auction in Cheyenne made a record amount of revenue.

The Wyoming BLM generated more than 49 million dollars from lease sales on 74 parcels of land, and an unheard-of 8 million dollars came from a single parcel.

An agency spokeswoman says the number of parcels auction off is determined by the number of nominations submitted from energy companies. In February, BLM auctioned off 31 parcels and in May, only 14.