Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
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CASPER – Sen. John Barrasso cast a vote against President Joe Biden’s pick for energy secretary Thursday over concerns former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s leadership would “crush” Wyoming’s economy built on fossil fuels. “I can’t support an administration that throws my constituents out of work and hurts the schools and the hospitals in the communities, and the teachers who teach the children,” Barrasso said during testimony Thursday, referring to the Biden administration’s recent actions pausing federal leasing of minerals for fossil...
CASPER — A bill introduced by Wyoming’s Legislature on Tuesday proposes to exact an additional tax on utility-scale solar power facilities. House Bill 94 would levy a $1 tax on each megawatt hour of electricity produced from larger solar energy facilities in the Equality State. If passed into law, the tax would mirror one already exacted on wind energy facilities. Rep. Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, sponsored the proposed legislation, with Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, signing on as a co-sponsor. “It would create parity within the renewable resou...
CASPER — The Department of Interior on Wednesday temporarily suspended issuing new federal oil and gas permits or leases for 60 days unless approved by new appointees, to give the agency time to review existing policies. The order, signed by Acting Interior Secretary Scott de la Vega, will momentarily pause the authorization of new drilling on federal land until new personnel assume positions and have time to evaluate the program. Before extending new leases or permits to oil and gas companies, the agency will need to obtain approval from c...
CASPER — The ubiquitous heads of pumpjacks, usually faithfully bobbing up and down across Wyoming’s landscapes, largely came to a standstill this year. A series of events devastated the U.S. oil and gas business, and the Equality State was not immune to the damage. This past year, Wyoming oil and gas developers have been slammed by depressed market conditions caused by a glut in oil supply worldwide and a global economic recession. Price volatility has long been a normal fixture in oil and gas global markets. Oil and gas operators said Wyo...
CASPER — A firefighter injured while battling the Mullen Fire in southeastern Wyoming on Wednesday is out of the hospital and recovering, according to Russ Bacon, the forest supervisor of the Medicine Bow-Routt national forests. “I’m happy to report that that firefighter is doing OK,” Bacon said during a virtual conference held on Wednesday evening. The wildland firefighter “did not need to spend a night in the hospital.” The Mullen Fire, which began nearly three weeks ago in the Medicine Bow National Forest, has burned 170,996 acres and r...
CASPER – Changes made to a federal lending program last week could open up loans to Wyoming oil and gas firms left reeling from volatile oil prices and low fuel demand during the pandemic. The Federal Reserve released new guidelines Thursday for its Main Street Lending Program, geared to provide an additional layer of financial relief to small to midsize companies, including some heavily indebted firms with low credit ratings, during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Wyoming’s oil and natural gas industry is overwhelmingly comprised of small and midsi...
CASPER — In the midst of unprecedented volatility in the global oil market, shale producers in Wyoming received a small boost Friday in the form of tax relief. Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law a bill providing reductions in state mineral taxes amidst certain price environments. The tax break would kick in if the 12-month rolling average of oil prices falls below $50 per barrel. For natural gas, the 12-month rolling average would need to be less than $2.95 per thousand cubic feet. In these scenarios, the state’s mineral production tax — know...
CASPER — One of the newest companies to take over coal mines in the Powder River Basin has defaulted on its tax payments. Eagle Specialty Materials LLC — the new owner of the former Blackjewel coal mines in Campbell County — missed its first production tax payment late last month, Campbell County Administrative Director Carol Seeger confirmed. In the past 10 years, the amount of county tax delinquencies for energy production increased over 1,700 percent in the state — rising from just over $2 million in 2009 to $39.2 million in 2019. Over 59...
CASPER — A state investigation released Monday found no evidence linking fracking to contaminated groundwater east of Pavillion, confirming conclusions published in a previous water quality study. The report, conducted by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, concluded pollution in drinking water likely occurred naturally due to the permeable and shallow geology of the area. This year’s report builds on a nearly decade-long investigation into water quality issues in the tiny, central Wyoming town. The latest phase of the inv...
CASPER — Wyoming’s economic growth has started to show subtle signs of slowing, a new quarterly report published by the state’s Economic Analysis Division shows. Though statewide employment rates have remained strong, increasing by 1.3 percent compared to last August, coal and natural gas production continue to falter. Despite enduring positive signs in the overall economy, Jim Robinson, principal economist for Wyoming’s Economic Analysis Division, is keeping a close eye on the limited aspects of the boom in some counties. A majority of econ...
CASPER — The sale of two Powder River Basin coal mines owned by bankrupt operator Blackjewel closed Friday, leading the new owner to begin mobilizing furloughed employees after nearly four months of limited communication. The closure of the sale comes after the takeover firm secured surety bonds required to operate the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines, according to a statement released Monday morning by permit holder Contura Energy. The finalization of the sale brings the nation’s fourth- and sixth-largest coal mines one step closer to ret...
CASPER — A protracted fight to return two Powder River Basin coal mines to full operation after its owner Blackjewel filed for bankruptcy hit another snag in court Wednesday. The required transfer of mining permits and associated cleanup liabilities to the new owner, Eagle Specialty Materials, could delay the official closing of the sale by at least three weeks, according to court proceedings that concluded Wednesday morning. Eagle Specialty Materials, an affiliate of Alabama-based company FM Coal, must have sufficient reclamation, or c...
CASPER — With a month until his administration releases its first budget, Gov. Mark Gordon said all ideas to trim spending are on the table in 2020, explaining that Wyoming appears to be entering “a new period” in its history as the outlook for fossil fuels as the state’s primary economic driver grows increasingly grim. In a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Gordon said that he anticipates a number of cuts to be included in his proposed budget, setting the stage for a major funding debate in a Legislature still smarting from ma...
CASPER — The unprecedented bankruptcy case involving coal operator Blackjewel showed signs of resolution last week when a federal judge approved the sale of two Wyoming coal mines to a new company called Eagle Specialty Materials. But a court document filed Saturday revealed the federal government has been investigating Blackjewel for potential fraud since before the company filed for bankruptcy, adding another possible wrinkle to a case that has rattled Wyoming’s coal country for over three months. “The United States was investigating poten...
CASPER — The Trump administration forged ahead on its 2017 promise to rollback regulations under the Clean Water Act this month, stripping away a rule that expanded federal protections to smaller streams and wetlands. The announcement was met with cheers from Wyoming farmers and ranchers who considered the 2015 rules cumbersome to economic development. The Obama-era rule, known as the Waters of the United States rule, or WOTUS, broadened the types of water that fall under the federal Clean Water Act. Placing stricter regulatory requirements o...
CASPER — The country’s energy data center tempered forecasts for Western coal production as demand for the mineral declines nationwide and market uncertainty persists, according to a new report released last week by the Energy Information Administration. Just one month ago, the agency expected the Western coal supply to total 369 million tons this year and drop to 356 million in tons in 2020. But the most recent report cut supplies projections for next year by 5 percent, or nearly 18 million tons, a sign that coal market instability could be...
CASPER — Hundreds of out-of-work coal miners across the country lost their health care Saturday, after bankrupt coal operator Blackjewel received court approval to terminate its health insurance program. The employment-based insurance covered some 1,700 workers at 32 mines, including two coal mines in Wyoming. The insolvent company is no longer obligated to cover the premiums or claims of employees, according to court documents. Wyoming’s Department of Workforce Services has continued to extend support to workers seeking unemployment res...
CASPER — Oil and gas development throughout Wyoming’s sagebrush habitats may be affecting mule deer well beyond the perimeters of a well pad, a new study by University of Wyoming researchers found. For each acre of mule deer habitat overtaken by energy-related infrastructure, nearly five additional acres are also compromised, the study concluded. Scientists have been aware of mule deer’s skittishness around oil and gas sites for some time. The sounds, smells and sights of drilling, along with associated human activity, often deter the sensi...
CASPER (WNE) — A rule requiring energy companies to pay full royalties on minerals extracted from public land will come under scrutiny again in Wyoming courts, after industry groups filed a lawsuit last month against the Interior Department over the policy, saying it hinders energy development. On July 25, several conservation groups responded to the federal lawsuit filed by coal giant Cloud Peak Energy and other companies. As it stands, the Valuation Rule ensures industries pay their proper dues after extracting publicly owned minerals, enviro...
CASPER — As coal operator Blackjewel LLC went to battle in bankruptcy court last week, another Powder River Basin company quietly contended with its own financial troubles. Cloud Peak Energy filed for bankruptcy in May and is one of six coal companies enmeshed in bankruptcy proceedings in Wyoming. The coal operator owns three mines — Antelope and Cordero Rojo in Wyoming and Spring Creek in Montana — and owes $400 million in outstanding debt. Even so, the company reportedly hired a number of workers from the closed Blackjewel mines. In the l...
CASPER — Bankrupt coal operator Blackjewel continues to seek additional funding to reopen its two shuttered coal mines in Campbell County, company lawyers said during a weekend bankruptcy hearing. The company will present a new financial package to the court by Friday, or sooner. U.S. District Judge Frank Volk, who must approve any new loan, said he will expedite the emergency hearing if Blackjewel secures additional money before that date. If Blackjewel’s new financial proposal receives a green light, it plans to reopen its mines and employ at...