In a bit of encouraging news for Rocky Mountain oil and natural gas producers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to remove the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse from the federal threatened species list in Wyoming. However, the mouse for now will remain listed as threatened in Colorado. The FWS said the mouse may be delisted in Wyoming because testing has confirmed that the habitat is no longer at risk from over development. Many of the mice found through testing were located on farmland and ranchland that is not considered at risk for development. However, in Colorado, the FWS noted that development continues to threaten the mouse habitat. “Much of Preble’s riparian habitat in Colorado has been severely altered or destroyed by human activities,” said Steve Guertin, director of the FWS Mountain-Prairie Region. “Continued rapid development is expected along Colorado’s Front Range as the population continues to grow. Without the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act, much of Preble’s habitat would be lost.” The nocturnal mammal, which has a tail twice the length of its three-inch body, mostly lives in streamside habitats near thick vegetation in the foothills of southeastern Wyoming and along the Front Range in Colorado, according to FWS. The mouse is able to jump up to three feet to escape predators. The mouse has been listed as a threatened species since 1998. In Colorado the FWS is expected to use a team made up of state and federal wildlife officials, agricultural and business interests to work on a recovery plan for the Preble’s mouse.

Quantum Energy Partners IV LP, Larry Bickle and Larry Lawyer have formed Triton Energy Partners LLC to develop and acquire high-deliverability, multi-cycle natural gas storage capacity in the United States. Triton will initially focus on identifying strategic supply and market locations where it can develop greenfield storage facilities from the concept stage to commercial operation. The company will also evaluate the acquisition of in-process greenfield storage projects and operating storage facilities that have significant expansion potential or can be operationally improved by Triton’s management team. Triton will be led by Lawyer and Bickle, a managing director at Haddington Ventures. Quantum Energy Partners, founded in 1998, is an investment firm specializing in the energy industry with more than $3.2 billion in capital under management.

©Copyright 2008Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news reportmay not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in anyform, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.