epa

EPA hesitates to allow waste water disposal in Madison Aquifer

Irina Zhorov — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:56:55 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency is asking for more information from Encana before it okays an aquifer exemption allowing the company to pump waste water into the Madison aquifer near Casper.

Wyo. Lawmakers Tangle with Obama Over EPA

Matt Laslo — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:10:29 +0000

Wyoming Republican lawmakers are up in arms over efforts by the Obama Administration to regulate carbon emissions through the Executive Branch. Matt Laslo reports from Washington on the energy debate that’s boiling on Capitol Hill.

Torrington ethanol plant pays $49K in environmental fines

Willow Belden — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 01:33:39 +0000

An ethanol plant in Torrington has agreed to pay $49,000 in fines for violations regarding hazardous chemicals.

David Cobb with the Environmental Protection Agency says Wyoming Ethanol did not tell the public it was using large quantities of ammonia, and did not have adequate risk management plans for handling flammable mixtures. Both are violations of federal law.

Cobb says the chemicals in question are dangerous.

Sen. Barrasso to take a close look at Obama's nomination for EPA head

Irina Zhorov — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:13:38 +0000

President Obama today announced his nomination for an Environmental Protection Agency administrator. President Obama’s pick, Gina McCarthy, is currently an assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

McCarthy has been said to work well with industry while being an aggressive regulator. She helped create rules to curb mercury and soot emissions from power plants during President Obama’s first term.

Analysis: Coal is weakening without help from the EPA

Irina Zhorov — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:38:51 +0000

Coal is weakening its dominion over the energy market, and according to a presentation at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, new EPA regulations are not to blame.

Wyoming lawmakers including Sen. John Barrasso and Rep. Cynthia Lummis have pointed to what they call President Obama’s war on coal as the reason for declining coal production.

But David Schlissel of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis -- who led the presentation -- says other factors are responsible.

EPA urges Carbon Monoxide awareness

Sara Hossaini — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 01:43:40 +0000

As winter approaches and temperatures dip, the Environmental Protection Agency is urging people to protect themselves against carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and tricky to detect. But 400 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year, and 20,000 more are hospitalized.

Surface discharge of water used in oil recovery common throughout Wyoming

Irina Zhorov — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:11:47 +0000

The EPA issues water discharge permits on the Wind River Indian Reservation to oil and gas companies bringing up water with their oil.

That water, called produced water, is dirty and often warm even in winter. The permits are issued through an EPA waiver that allows such water to be discharged in the arid West if it’s being used beneficially. In the drier parts of Wyoming it is sometimes the only source of water for livestock and wildlife.

EPA fines Sinclair again, for Clean Air Act violations

Willow Belden — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:56:55 +0000

Once again, Sinclair Oil has agreed to pay a penalty for violating the Clean Air Act at its refinery near Rawlins. The latest fine is for $378,000.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s David Cobb says the company didn’t have proper procedures in place to prevent the release of hazardous chemicals, and that chemicals were released on several occasions in the past few years. Cobb says violations like this can be dangerous.

Pavillion Working Group Has New Issue To Address

Joshua Scheer — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:34:08 +0000

A working group looking into groundwater contamination near Pavillion is still debating findings of contamination of water wells near the town.

State officials are still studying the results of a U.S. Geological Survey test and some possible conflicting information with an Environmental Protection Agency study.

USGS releases raw data, but no analysis, about Pavillion groundwater

Willow Belden — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:28:03 +0000

The U.S. Geological Survey has released new data about groundwater testing near Pavillion. The testing was meant to provide additional information about whether hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, caused water contamination there.

Keith Guille with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality says no one quite knows what the results mean yet, because the USGS only provided raw numbers, not analysis.

Kinder Morgan to pay $316,000 for Clean Air Act violations

Willow Belden — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:23:49 +0000

The energy company Kinder Morgan is paying a $316,000 penalty for violating Clean Air Act regulations at natural gas plants in Casper and Douglas.

The Environmental Protection Agency says the violations centered around improper handling of chemicals. The agency’s David Cobb says the company wasnot adequately testing its equipment and didn’t have proper operating procedures in place to prevent releases of chemicals. He says those violations had the potential to cause problems.

Republican governors recommend measures to encourage energy development

Willow Belden — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:01:59 +0000

The Republican Governors Association has released an “Energy Blueprint for America,” which outlines recommendations for a federal energy policy.

The document calls for developing new energy partnerships with Canada and Mexico, approving the Keystone XL oil Pipeline, reducing EPA regulations regarding oil and gas production, and making it easier to use public lands for energy development.

Gov. Matt Mead says those measures would help encourage energy production of all kinds.

Sinclair Oil to pay $3.8 million penalty for air pollution

Willow Belden — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 22:40:47 +0000

Sinclair Oil has agreed to pay a fine of $3.8 million and install pollution controls at its refineries in Casper and Rawlins, to settle a lawsuit that the Environmental Protection Agency filed.

The EPA says the refineries exceeded federal limits on various emissions.

Sheldon Muller, a lawyer with the EPA, says the Casper refinery will have to install equipment to reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 50 percent, and the Rawlins plant has make changes to its flare gas recovery system, in order to limit sulfur dioxide emissions.

Former Bush Administration official says EPA is improperly affecting energy market

Bob Beck — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 23:20:53 +0000

A Bush administration official has been speaking to members of the media this week about his concerns that the Environmental Protection Agency is overstepping its bounds. Bud Albright is the former undersecretary for the Department of Energy. Albright’s main point is that the EPA is unfairly making it difficult for energy companies to operate. He says they are unfairly impacting the energy market. He speaks with Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck.

Former Bush energy official is critical of the EPA

Bob Beck — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 00:43:57 +0000

The former Undersecretary at the Department of Energy says new environmental guidelines are undermining jobs and the country’s energy security.

Bud Albright served under the George W. Bush administration and is speaking out against the Environmental Protection Agency, which he says is unfairly driving the energy marketplace by over regulating.

Environmental attorney disappointed by attempts to overturn EPA regulations

Bob Beck — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:33:57 +0000

An attorney with the Wyoming Outdoor Council is disappointed that a number of states and industry officials are working hard to overturn the new Environmental Protection Agency standards dealing with air pollution from power plants.

Bruce Pendry is reacting to reports that more than 130 coal companies, electric utilities, trade associations and states are suing the EPA in federal court to remove the health standards.

Wyoming Senators join attempt to overturn EPA rules

Bob Beck — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:27:40 +0000

Wyoming Republican Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso are disappointed after a failed attempt to block the Environmental Protection Agency from setting the first federal standards to reduce toxic air pollution from power plants.

The Democrat-controlled Senate defeated the Republican effort today/Wednesday to overturn a regulation to slash mercury and other toxic emissions from the oldest and most polluting oil- and coal-fired power plants in the country.

Minimal upgrades will be required of Wyoming's coal fired power plants

Bob Beck — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:47:47 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency will require pollution controls be improved at the Jim Bridger plant near Rock Springs and the Dave Johnson plant near Glenrock, but some don’t think the requirements go far enough. The changes are part of the E-P-A’s regional haze plan for Wyoming.

Pavillion residents feel betrayed by EPA report delay

Rebecca Martinez — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:56:52 +0000

A group of Pavillion residents says Wyoming officials betrayed them by delaying the release of information tentatively connecting hydraulic fracturing with groundwater pollution in the area.

An Associated Press investigation shows that Gov. Matt Mead convinced the Environmental Protection Agency to delay its draft report on the contamination by a full month. Mead and other state officials used the extra time to try and debunk the findings before they could harm the oil and gas industries.

EPA Announces Air Pollution Regulations For Hydraulic Fracking

Irina Zhorov — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:41:54 +0000

This morning, the Environmental Protection Agency released federal standards under the Clean Air Act that will control air pollution from hydraulically fractured natural gas and oil wells.

This is the first set of federal standards to control air pollution from fracking.

The regulations aim to decrease air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds and other chemicals… and will also reduce the amount of methane, which is a greenhouse gas, released into the air.

Earthjustice wants federal regs like Wyoming's

Bob Beck — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:18:29 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release some new air pollution regulations surrounding natural gas development. Earthjustice Attorney Robin Cooley saysit’s been 25 years since the E-P-A last evaluated standards and the new ones are overdue. She says the industry is much different than it used to be.

"We know that the current rules are inadequate. They don't protect public health. The pollution problems are mounting by the day and expanding into new areas."

New Carbon Regulations Could Be Boom or Bust For Wyoming

Sara Hossaini — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:43:51 +0000

This week, the Obama administration announced new regulations for carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants.

When the Environmental Protection Agency determined that carbon dioxide emissions were endangering the public in 2009, Ron Surdam, Director of the Carbon Management Institute at the University of Wyoming, says he saw the writing on the wall: there would be a cap on new power plant emissions, which is exactly what the EPA announced this week.

Federal, State, And Tribal Officials Push Back Final Report On Pavillion

Tristan Ahtone — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:10:57 +0000

State, tribal and federal officials have agreed to work collaboratively in Pavillion to do further sampling and collect more data in their water monitoring wells. The move is expected to push back a final report on a possible link between water contamination and hydraulic fracturing in the area until later this year.

Tribes seek greater role in Pavillion investigation

Tristan Ahtone — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:55:48 +0000

In the wake of a congressional hearing over a draft report by the Environmental Protection Agency that links hydraulic fracturing with water contamination in the town of Pavillion, the Wind River Tribes are pushing to take a bigger role in the investigation.

EPA's Pavillion Report Slammed During House Subcommittee Hearing

Tristan Ahtone — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:20:51 +0000

Members of the U.S. House Energy and Environment Subcommittee slammed the Environmental Protection Agency during a hearing about the agency’s ground water research in the town of Pavillion.

The Energy and Environment Subcommittee hearing got off to a late start after “Gasland” filmmaker Josh Fox was arrested for trying to film the proceedings. Fox has spent considerable time in Pavillion documenting water contamination that may be associated with hydraulic fracturing. An ABC News crew was denied entrance to the hearing.

Pavillion Residents Urge Support For EPA Ahead Of Subcommittee Hearing

Tristan Ahtone — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:50:15 +0000

Tomorrow, the U-S House of Representatives’ Energy and Environment Subcommittee will hear about the Environmental Protection Agency’s ongoing investigation of groundwater contamination in the town of Pavillion. However, Pavillion residents say they were not invited to testify.

In December the EPA released a draft report on its three-year water contamination investigation. It indicated that ground water in Pavillion’s aquifer contains compounds that are “likely associated with gas production practices, including hydraulic fracturing.”

Public comment period extended on EPA Pavillion report

Tristan Ahtone — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:54:21 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency announced it is extending the public comment period on the draft Pavillion ground water investigation to March 12.

Encana Asks EPA To Suspend Public Comment

Tristan Ahtone — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:38:22 +0000

Encana Oil and Gas says the Environmental Protection Agency is moving too fast with its draft analysis of ground water contamination in the town of Pavillion, and has asked the EPA to suspend the public comment period.

In a letter dated January 6^th, Encana oil and gas asked the EPA to suspend the public comment period until the agency’s plans were better explained and additional critical data could be disseminated.

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.

EPA ready to declare Pinedale area non-attainment for ozone

The Associated Press — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:31:51 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
is moving ahead with a proposed regulatory designation that could
increase pressure on the gas industry to limit emissions that have
led to severe wintertime ozone pollution in western Wyoming.
The EPA is doing so while it settles a nationwide lawsuit over
ozone filed by an environmental group, WildEarth Guardians.
In 2009, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal recommended that the EPA
enact what's known as "nonattainment status" for ozone in the