May – June 2023, Volume 51, Number 3 In May, Powder River joined with Western Colorado Alliance (WCA) and Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) to advocate for stronger federal onshore oil and gas bonding requirements. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is considering a rule that would update onshore oil and gas lease sales. […]
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New EPA Rule Targets Leaks at Inactive Coal Ash Landfills
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a revised Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule that no longer exempts inactive impoundments at inactive facilities, also known as “legacy units”. The proposed new rule would address the over half billion tons of coal ash and the decades-old ash ponds that have escaped inspections and leaked toxic chemicals […]
Powder River Basin Resource Council Statement new EPA Power Plant Rules
“While we appreciate the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to curb pollution from power plants, we believe they are on the wrong track by encouraging further subsidies and investments in carbon capture (CCS) technology. Carbon capture on coal-fired power plants has proven to be expensive to install and has fallen short in reaching its goals. “There […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter, March – April 2023
At the end of March, PacifiCorp (which does business as Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming) released its new 20-year energy plan, detailing what new electricity generation resources the company expects to build and what generation resources it will retire during that timeframe. The plan should largely not be surprising to most who have been following […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter, January – February 2023
January – February 2023, Volume 51, Number 1 A Jan. 31 Bloomberg article by journalist Aaron Clark revealed significant shortcomings in emissions reporting at the Douglas Gas Plant, operated by Tallgrass Midstream, LLC. Following a routine maintenance project, oxygen levels at the facility rose to a hazardous level, prompting operators to conduct a safety release […]
Leadership & Action Workshop Scheduled for April 18-19 in Rock Springs
Learn how to take action and organize around important issues in your community at the Leadership & Action Workshop April 18 – 19 in Rock Springs. Join Powder River Basin Resource Council for a lively, hands-on training that will enhance your ability to participate in your community’s civic life. If you have ever felt like […]
Westerners call on BLM to update federal oil & gas bond amounts
This week, 30 western grassroots and advocacy groups sent a letter to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning urging her agency to update the Bureau’s federal onshore oil and gas bonding program. Impacted communities and split-estate landowners throughout the West are ready to see BLM take expedient action to update the program, which […]
Conservation Groups to Defend Administration’s Postponement of Oil & Gas Lease Sales
Casper, WY – Seventeen groups represented by Earthjustice and the Western Environmental Law Center moved to intervene today to defend the Biden administration’s postponement of several oil and gas lease sales. A September ruling in U.S. District Court in Wyoming affirmed the administration’s ability to postpone lease sales, but the state of Wyoming and industry […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter, November – December 2022
November – December 2022, Volume 50, Number 6 After two years of online annual meetings, we were able to hold our milestone 50th Annual Meeting in person, taking the opportunity to reconnect after two years of COVID and celebrate Powder River’s accomplishments over the last half-century. Rather than an issue-focused meeting, we decided to hold […]
Advocates Urge DOI & BLM: Protect Taxpayers & Fix the Broken Oil & Gas Bonding System
Three Groups Submit Formal Petition Urging Agencies to Modernize Bonding Requirements Before Taxpayers Lose Another Dime SEE THE PETITION This morning, the Western Organization of Resource Councils, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and the Natural Resources Defense Council submitted a formal petition to the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) […]
