Wyoming

A federal circuit panel has ruled that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) did not break any laws when it approved Jonah Energy LLC’s natural gas drilling project in Wyoming on land that includes sage grouse populations as well as migration paths for pronghorns. “We conclude that BLM adequately collected and considered information on the…

The lack of federal oil and gas lease sales has put pressure on exploration and production (E&P) and state revenues, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said as he’s working to advance more carbon capture projects and advance the state’s opportunities.  In an interview with NGI, the Republican governor said the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of…

A proposed rule by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to increase bonding requirements, royalty rates and minimum bids for natural gas and oil producers was met with criticism from the industry.  The draft rule would increase economic returns for the country while ensuring oil and natural gas companies are environmentally responsible…

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Wyoming officials have proposed updating the state’s sage grouse core area protection map as the bird’s population has steadily improved. The protection areas were initially developed in 2008 and revised in 2015 and 2019. The updated map includes additional protection areas that cover a total of 15 million…

U.S. natural gas and oil drilling permit activity ended the year surpassing expectations, climbing 13% in December or up by 389 permits from November, according to Evercore ISI. The energy analyst team led by James West compiles domestic permitting figures using state and federal data. Lower 48 permits often are issued three to six months…

The Biden administration’s pause in conducting oil and natural gas lease sales on federal land is drawing more legal challenges, as plaintiffs argue that the lack of third quarter auctions was illegal. The Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) and the Western Energy Alliance (WEA) this week filed a lawsuit against the Department of Interior (DOI)…

Against the backdrop of rising renewable electric generation and the need for more balancing mechanisms, Spire Energy Inc. is close to completing the first phase of a planned natural gas storage expansion near the Opal Hub in Wyoming. Spire Storage is working to expand capacity to 39 Bcf from 23 Bcf to meet growing demand…

Climate technology company CarbonCapture Inc., which develops direct air capture (DAC) systems, has set a goal with carbon storage developer Frontier Carbon Solutions to permanently remove 5 million metric tons/year of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from Wyoming by 2030. The state was selected for the carbon sequestration project because of the “broad availability of renewable…

The Biden administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has broad authority to postpone oil and gas lease sales to address environmental concerns, a federal judge ruled in tossing one of several lawsuits filed by industry groups and GOP-led states. U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl of the District of Wyoming last Friday (Sept. 2) ruled…