Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/author/leighp/page/2/)
Colorado’s vast network of flowlines was largely invisible to the public until a leaking line caused a home to explode in April. Using GPS data from oil and gas companies, Inside Energy has compiled a map showing thousands of flowlines.
A home went up in flames in April on Twilight Avenue north of Denver, killing two people. Now, the investigation into what happened is underway, clean-up is ongoing, lawsuits are being filed and people who live in that small community are worried- not only about their safety but about the value of their homes. The explosion was caused by a small pipeline leaking gas into the home, owned by oil and gas giant Anadarko.
Back-to-back oil and gas explosions and three deaths, have Front Range communities on edge. This timeline lays out the many years of events leading up to these accidents.
In 2016, the collapse of the coal industry finally hit the epicenter of U.S. production: Wyoming’s mineral-rich Powder River Basin. Two out of the four largest coal companies in the U.S. declared bankruptcy. They shed hundreds of their Wyoming miners all at once. Now, in northeastern Wyoming, a recent boost in coal prices and production, and a pro-coal president, have hopes rising.
Peabody Energy paid nearly one point eight million dollars in overdue taxes this week to a rural county in western Colorado, resolving, for now, a serious funding concern for a tiny school district there. Communities all over the country count on revenue from fossil fuel extraction to pay for basics like schools and roads. But with the downturn in coal, oil and gas, that steady stream of energy dollars is no longer assured.
What to do about coal jobs has been a major theme this election season, with each side pointing fingers at the other, from the presidential debate stage to local town halls. On Colorado’s western slope, two candidates running for Congress are divided on the issue and are nearly matched in campaign contributions as election day approaches.
Consultation, the formal process of communication between tribes and the federal government, has become a central issue in the fight over the Dakota Access Pipeline. But this is not the first time tribes have sued over consultation violations. These lawsuits are becoming more and more common thanks, in part, to actions taken by the Obama Administration.
Moody’s analyzed the impact of low energy prices on fossil fuel producing states. The credit ratings agency found that some states are better positioned than others to weather the downturn.
Opposition to the Dakota Access pipeline continues to grow beyond its North Dakota roots, with solidarity protests Tuesday in dozens of cities across the country and the world. People are protesting for many different reasons but with one goal—stopping the pipeline.
