Pinedale Working Group Wants More Funds to Monitor Oil/Gas Development

By Kristin Espeland

Laramie, WY – The advisory group charged with monitoring the effects of oil and gas development in the pinedale anticline recently sent the bureau of land management a list of recommendations. The B-L-M selected some but not all recommendations from that list and said it would put up 275 thousand dollars for the projects.which include monitoring air quality and analyzing wildlife data. BLM spokeswoman Prill Mecham says the agency will fund all of the group's priorities, but the working group's chair and environmental representative Linda baker says that so much development has taken place so fast there that more than just monitoring may be required. Baker says the B-L-M could consider limiting the number of permits it approves, but more practically, it could require drilling leaseholders to limit the number of well-pads and bus in employees to reduce the amount of truck traffic.