Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/category/inside-energy-news/page/6/)
A new coal mine may be opening in the Powder River Basin — if it does, it would be the first to open in Wyoming in 50 years. Before that can happen, they have to obtain a permit. Local groups are arguing against one. They say the mine’s proposed permit is lacking and worry about the environmental impacts of a new mine.
The wind energy industry is growing worldwide, and so is the global competition between turbine-makers. That battle is now playing out in Wyoming, a state with some of the best wind potential in the nation. To get an edge, a Chinese company is trying to win over some of the state’s scant pool of workers through free training to become a wind turbine technician.
After a big downturn since mid-2014, oil prices have been better the last year for drillers. Not great, but better, and high enough that oil companies are expanding their operations here in the US. Of all the problems to have, though, companies aren’t getting as much oil out of the ground as they want because they can’t find enough workers for their highly paid jobs.
Coal used to be the dominant resource to feed power generation, but it’s fallen to natural gas and renewable energies. With a drop in coal demand, a Kentucky-based company is looking for a new way to use the resource. They’re hoping to find a way to make coal as versatile as oil, creating new products like car parts, building material, and much more.
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.
The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument includes important Native American sites, Old West settlements, and stunning landscapes described by explorers Lewis and Clark in their journals. It also includes tens of thousands of acres of privately owned land.
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.
As coal continues to lose out to natural gas and renewables, the industry is banking on research into new technologies to stay afloat. Both North Dakota and Wyoming are working to hone these technologies, working on everything from carbon capture to carbon products.
You asked? We answered! Lisa Gardiner of the UCAR Center for Science Education and AirWaterGas helped us answer an audience question: What happens to all the water that comes up after a well is hydraulically fractured?
