Powder River Breaks Newsletter – July – August 2023
July – August 2023, Volume 51, Number 4 After more than half a century of waiting, Powder River, the Western Organization of Resource Councils, and allies applaud the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for releasing new rules for federal oil and gas wells. The proposed rules will help ensure that federal wells are plugged and […]
Western Ranchers and Communities Welcome New Rules for Federal Oil and Gas
Increased Reclamation Bonds Will Help Ensure Taxpayers No Longer Have to Fund Cleanup BILLINGS, Mont: After more than half a century of waiting, members of the Western Organization of Resource Councils applaud the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for releasing new rules for federal oil and gas wells. The proposed rules will help ensure that […]
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) […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter September – October 2022
September – October 2022, Volume 50, Number 5 Powder River turns a half century old this year! Our founding members joined together in 1973 for the organization’s first annual meeting of the membership, and on Nov. 5 in Sheridan we’ll celebrate the golden anniversary of our annual meetings. The staff and board are excited to […]
Groups challenge massive Wyoming drilling, fracking project on behalf of wildlife and communities
Conservation groups have filed a legal challenge targeting the Converse County Oil & Gas Project in the southern Powder River Basin of Wyoming. The massive 5,000 oil well project , approved under the Trump administration, is projected to have a major impact in air quality locally and regionally, including in treasured landscapes of neighboring national […]
Court rejects Wyoming, industry challenge to postponement of oil, gas lease sales
A federal judge in Wyoming affirmed the Biden administration’s decisions to postpone oil and gas lease sales in early 2021, holding that the federal government has broad authority to postpone sales to address environmental concerns. In his ruling Friday, U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl rejected arguments by industry and Wyoming and found that the Bureau […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter May – June 2022
May – June 2022, Volume 50, Number 3 On June 13, energy experts from Crossborder Energy released a new report analyzing the benefits and costs of rooftop solar in Wyoming, from the perspective of utilities and their customers. Powder River hosted the experts to present their findings in a webinar, Rooftop Solar in Wyoming: Analyzing […]
Powder River Statement on Federal Oil & Gas Leasing Reform Announcement
“We appreciate Interior’s efforts to adjust the federal oil and gas leasing program, as reflected in their recent announcement of resumed lease sales. The agency, in light of the recent rapid rise in oil prices, is finally beginning to modernize policies of great importance to our economic and social future. It’s high time to halt […]
