Powder River Breaks Newsletter, May – June 2024

May – June 2024, Volume 52, Number 3 In May, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced it will end federal coal leasing in the Powder River Basin – the largest coal-producing region in the United States. The decision represents a historic shift in federal management of coal in the region, recognizing environmental and health […]

Buffalo Wyoming BLM to End Coal Leasing in Powder River Basin

This morning, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that it will end federal coal leasing in the Powder River Basin – the largest coal-producing region in the United States. The decision represents a historic shift in federal management of coal in the region, recognizing the environmental and health impacts on coalfield communities and acknowledging […]

Powder River Breaks Newsletter, March – April 2024

March – April 2024, Volume 52, Number 2 On February 12, the Department of the Interior announced a finalized rule reforming the Bureau of Land Management’s onshore oil and gas leasing program. Readers may recall this rule was proposed last spring. Powder River members engaged diligently throughout the rulemaking process to ensure quick passage and […]

Powder River Breaks Newsletter – September-October 2023

September – October 2023, Volume 51, Number 5 Powder River staff and members traveled to Denver, CO in late August to show support for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule. Readers may recall from our previous issue that the rule makes long overdue changes to the onshore […]

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 […]