Pinedale Online!
Pinedale, Wyoming  •  www.PinedaleOnline.com
Calendar of Events | Photo Gallery | Pinedale Local | Businesses | Big Piney

Letter from the Editor (posted 5/8/08)
CLOUD ozone letters
Dawn Ballou, Editor, Pinedale Online!
Recently, a number of people related to the CLOUD group(Citizens Learning about Ozone’s Unhealthy Destruction) \ have been working together to compose and ultimately send out a six-page letter on April 30, 2008 to state and federal government officials, and local media, making strong statements and demands regarding the ozone situation in Sublette County. This letter was sent purportedly in the name of the CLOUD group, and listed 38 people at the end as signers, including my name.

It appears there may also have been a second letter, dated May 4, 2008, which was sent to EnCana purportedly in the name of CLOUD to which someone again signed my name.

I had no knowledge of either of these letters, and I was not a part of any of the discussions about the content of either of these letters.

I strongly object to my name being used without my knowledge or consent. These letters do NOT represent my viewpoints or those of Pinedale Online!

I do support, and will continue to work on, the CLOUD efforts to hold an educational panel forum on Tuesday, May 13th in Pinedale, for public information on the impacts and health effects of air pollution and high ozone levels.

Dawn Ballou, Editor, Pinedale Online!
dawn@pinedaleonline.com
Phone: 307-276-5699
Cell: 307-360-7689

Related Links:
CLOUD sends letter to BLM, DEQ, governor By Alecia Warren, Pinedale Roundup, May 8, 2008
CLOUD Seeks ‘Aggressive’ State Stance Toward Industry By Joy Ufford, Sublette Examiner, May 8, 2008

Front page of the Drudge Report website, www.drudgereport.com, on Thursday, May 8th.

Sublette Co air pollution story makes Drudge Report (and CNNMoney.com) (posted 5/8/08)
A story about air pollution in Boulder/Sublette County, Wyoming was linked to from the front page of the Drudge Report on Thursday, May 8th. The Drudge Report is a U.S.-based website with an aggregation of news stories highlights for the day. It is run by Matt Drudge. The site consists mainly of links to stories from the US and international mainstream media about politics, entertainment, and current events as well as links to many columnists. In March, 2008, the Newspaper Association of America listed The Drudge Report as having a readership of about 3.5 million, and as one of the most frequently revisited news sites, with up to 19 visits per person per day.

The story about Sublette County air pollution was written by Bob Moen and appeared on My Way News (http://apnews.myway.com). It has quotes and comments by Craig Jensen (Boulder-resident), Linda Baker (Upper Green River Valley Coalition), Jeremy Nichols (director of the Denver-based Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action), David Finley (Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality), Jim Sewell (Environmental project manager with Shell Exploration and Production).

Click on this link for the story: Air pollution in Wyo. community rivals that of big cities By Bob Moen, May 8, 7:18 AM (ET), My Way News

If the link above no longer works, click on this link for a PDF version: Air pollution in Wyo... My Way News-By Bob Moen, May 8, 2008 (3 page PDF, 83K)
_______________________________

Thursday, May 8, 1:25PM Update: This AP story has now been posted on CNNMoney.com Air pollution in Wyo. community rivals that of big cities

Wolf injunction hearing set (posted 5/8/08)
Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
The lawsuit filed in federal district court in Montana over wolf delisting is moving forward. The environmental and animal rights groups filing the suit have requested the court issue a preliminary injunction to stop wolves from being killed as has happened in Wyoming's predator zone. The court has set the date for the injunction hearing for May 29.

The federal government requested an extension of time to file its brief opposing the injunction, but the court rejected that request. Some of the wording in the order rejecting the request may be an indication of what is to come.

The court noted: "Federal Defendants also observe Plaintiffs will not be prejudiced if the Court grants an extension of time because the majority of wolves that have been killed since delisting would have died even if the grey wolf remained a listed species. This assertion is neither compelling nor comforting. As an initial matter, Plaintiffs dispute Federal Defendants’ assertion.

"Additionally, Federal Defendants appear to agree that ten wolves have been killed in the month since delisting that probably would not have been killed absent delisting. The Court is unwilling to risk more deaths by delaying its decision on Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction beyond what is necessary."

The order was issued by Federal Judge Donald W. Molloy.

Related Links:
Wolf Watch - By Cat Urbigkit

U.S. Senator John Barrasso.

Barrasso’s Wyoming Range Bill moves forward (posted 5/8/08)
U.S. Senator John Barrasso media release
(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo., has secured a significant victory for one Wyoming’s most pristine natural heritages: the Wyoming Range.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to pass Barrasso’s “Wyoming Range Legacy Act of 2008,” S. 2229, during a business meeting. The bill now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

“I made a promise to the people of Wyoming to continue the work of our friend Craig Thomas by preserving the Wyoming Range as a key part of our natural heritage,” Barrasso said. “Today’s vote brings us one step closer to enhancing the tourism, recreation, grazing, hunting and sportsmen economy of the Wyoming Range.”

“Wyoming has a proud tradition of supporting the nation’s energy needs and will continue to do so. I strongly support oil and gas development in our state, but I also believe some places are simply too special to develop.”

Barrasso’s bill is supported by Senator Mike Enzi, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, and a broad coalition of Wyoming residents.

S. 2229 will protect more than 1.2 million acres of the Wyoming Range and Bridger-Teton National Forest by prohibiting future oil and gas leasing, while allowing a buy-out process that respects the property rights of current leaseholders.

The bill allows the remaining leases to be voluntarily purchased, presumably by conservation groups, in order to retire the leases.

The bill provides protection for property rights of existing and valid leases. It does not cancel any existing leases from future production.

There are approximately 4,300 producing oil and gas wells in the three counties covered by the legislation, and a proposal for up to 4,399 additional wells. These wells will not be affected by the bill.

Wyo Delegation reacts to decision on AML funds (posted 5/8/08)
Wyoming Delegation
(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Senators Mike Enzi, John Barrasso and Representative Barbara Cubin, all R-Wyo., today issued the following statements regarding the Office of Surface Mining’s (OSM) decision that $51 million in abandoned mine land funding will be available for projects approved by the Wyoming Legislature:

“I am pleased Wyoming will get more money from the federal government than ever before. The $51 million was Wyoming’s money to begin with and should never have been held captive for this long. I worked long and hard for its release,” Enzi said. “The hoops the feds have forced Wyoming to jump through are uncalled for, however. The Wyoming delegation is continuing work to stop the bureaucratic madness and get Wyoming’s future money without all the red tape.”

“Wyoming is finally set to receive the $51 million in AML funds we’re rightfully owed,” Barrasso said. “We shouldn’t have to justify our expenditures to bureaucratic bean counters in Washington. It is unfortunate that we had to jump through so many hoops.”

“These funds belonged in Wyoming’s hands a long time ago. When I first pulled together the many and varied stakeholders on this issue in July of 2005, I knew we were finally moving toward the goal line. It is gratifying to know that after all those years of my hard work and bi-partisan negotiation these dollars can now be spent for the betterment of Wyoming and her citizens. AML is no longer a four letter word in our state,” Cubin said.

Lynx habitat proposal extended (posted 5/8/08)
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service media release
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to release by July 2008 a draft economic analysis that will estimate the potential costs for conservation actions associated with the proposal to revise the amount of critical habitat designated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the federally threatened Canada lynx. At that time, the Service will also reopen the public comment period on the proposed revised critical habitat rule. The new 30-day comment period will give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the draft economic analysis as well as provide information pertinent to the critical habitat proposal.

Public hearings requested during the initial public comment period will be conducted during the reopened public comment period. The dates, times, and places of those hearings will be announced in the Federal Register and local newspapers at least 15 days before the first hearing.

In total, the Service is proposing to designate approximately 42,753 square miles of habitat in portions of northern Maine, northeastern Minnesota, the Northern Rocky Mountains (northwestern Montana and northeastern Idaho), the Northern Cascades (north-central Washington), and the Greater Yellowstone Area (southwestern Montana and northwestern Wyoming).

Critical habitat, under the ESA includes the specific areas within the range of the species that contain physical or biological features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management or protection. The designation of critical habitat does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve, or other conservation area. It does not allow government or public access to private lands. Federal agencies are required to consult with the Service on actions they carry out, fund or authorize that might affect critical habitat.

The Service listed the contiguous United States Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Canada lynx in 2000 as a threatened species under the ESA. The DPS includes forested portions of 14 States. Critical habitat for the Canada lynx was initially designated on November 8, 2006, and the proposed revision to that critical habitat designation was published on February 28, 2008.

Photo courtesy Steve Duerr.

Steve Duerr announces candidacy for HD#22 (posted 5/7/08)
Republican candidate
Upper Green River Valley resident, Steve Duerr, announced his intention to file as a Republican candidate for Wyoming HD #22. The position is currently held by Daniel resident Monte Olsen, who decided not to run for re-election. Duerr, an attorney, made an unsuccessful bid for Senate District #16 in 2004. “Through family and marriage, I have a rural, agriculture and ranch background. I have worked in all aspects of the farm, ranch, cattle and beef packing business, “ Duerr said.

He has served as the former General Counsel and EVP for the Jackson Hole Ski Corporation. He served as Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, and was General Counsel for Lower Valley Energy for 18 years. He was appointed to the Pinedale Anticline Working Group and would like to create a Joint Powers Board.

“The purpose of the JPB would be to increase public trust that the right local people were in right places at the right times in the right way, to consistently understand and keep track of all of the impacts of the Gas Boom, good and bad. The JPB might have 9 to 11 board members: appointed representatives of Sublette County, the towns, the PAWG, the general public and the gas industry. The JPB would meet regularly in public consistent with open meeting laws. After seeking public input the JPB would pursue a relatively narrow set of goals, reviewed and approved by local elected officials, including continuing the initiatives of the PAWG working groups (set free of BLM inertia and interacting on their say so). Enhancing public trust through increased local control, JPB leadership could line out a road map to a desired Sublette County future and a long term vision founded on continuing trust, collaborative communication and cooperation,” Duerr said.

“I am running because I love the land,” he said. “Humility and truth telling will be my trademark, with a theme of “Conservation First”,” he wrote in his candidacy announcement.

Prairie Dog. Photo by Cat Urbigkit.

Federal protection for prairie dogs? (posted 5/6/08)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the white-tailed prairie dog will receive additional review to determine if the species warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). FWS is also requesting information from the public regarding the status of the species.

Comments and information will be accepted until July 7, 2008, and can be submitted electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at: http://www.regulations.gov, or can be mailed to Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R6-ES-2008-0053; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203.

FWS will evaluate all information regarding the status and distribution of the white-tailed prairie dog, including the impacts or potential impacts of threats to the species resulting from either human activities or natural causes.

White-tailed prairie dogs are found across the western half of Wyoming, western Colorado, the eastern portion of Utah, and a small portion of southern Montana.

In 2004, the Service determined that a petition submitted by the Center for Native Ecosystems and others did not present substantial biological information indicating that listing may be warranted. In 2007, after questions were raised regarding whether the petition decision was based on the best science, the Service announced the decision would be reconsidered. Subsequently, the Center for Native Ecosystems filed a lawsuit regarding the petition finding. In a stipulated settlement, the Service agreed to submit to the Federal Register by May 1, 2008 a notice initiating a status review for the white-tailed prairie dog and submit the results of that status review to the Federal Register by June 1, 2010.

Notice of this initiation is published in today’s (May 6, 2008) Federal Register.

The white-tailed prairie dog is approximately 13 to 15 inches long and weighs around one to three pounds. It is a small, stout rodent with a short, white-tipped tail, large eyes, a blackish brown cheek patch above and below each eye, and a tan-brown pelt.

White-tailed and black-tailed prairie dogs are genetically two distinctive species. The white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus) has a dark eye patch and a short, white-tipped tail. The black-tailed prairie dog has a black-tipped tail.

White-tailed prairie dogs have a looser social structure and occur at a lower density than black-tailed prairie dogs. White-tailed prairie dogs are generally found at altitudes ranging between 5,000 and 10,000 feet in desert grasslands and shrub grasslands. Conversely, black-tailed prairie dogs are found at altitudes below 6,000 feet in grasslands associated with the Great Plains and are not tolerant of shrubs within their colony.

For more information, click on the link below.

Related Link:
FWS website - Learn about the white-tailed prairie dog.

ExxonMobil plans CO2 separation plant near LaBarge (posted 5/5/08)
Technology could enable commercialization of higher Carbon Dioxide content Natural Gas
ExxonMobil media release
(IRVING, Texas) ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) announced today (May 5, 2008) it is committing more than $100 million to complete development and testing of an improved natural gas treating technology which could make carbon capture and storage more affordable and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The company plans to build a commercial demonstration plant near LaBarge, Wyoming, where it will use ExxonMobil’s Controlled Freeze ZoneTM technology, known as CFZTM. CFZTM is a single-step cryogenic separation process that freezes out and then melts the carbon dioxide and removes other components including hydrogen sulfide, which is found in so-called sour gas. If successful, the process will reduce the cost of carbon dioxide removal from produced natural gas.

“This technology will assist in the development of additional gas resources to meet the world’s growing demand for energy and facilitate the application of carbon capture and storage, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mark Albers, senior vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM).

Using the CFZ™ process, the carbon dioxide and other components are discharged as a high-pressure liquid stream for injection into underground storage or for use in reservoir management to enhance oil recovery. Besides reducing the cost of separation, transportation and reinjection, the CFZ™ process can eliminate the use of solvents, sulfur plants and carbon dioxide venting in processing of the natural gas.

The new demonstration plant will advance the CFZ™ technology to commercial application, and be located at ExxonMobil’s Shute Creek Treating Facility. It will process about 14 million cubic feet of gas per day for injection and test a wide range of gas compositions to evaluate the extent of its applicability to the world’s undeveloped gas resources.

Construction will commence this summer for operational startup in late 2009. Testing is expected to occur over one to two years. The detailed engineering, procurement, and construction management will be provided by URS Washington Division.

CFZ™ was developed by ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company and has undergone significant improvements since the 1980s, when, in an industry first, it proved the concept of freezing carbon dioxide in natural gas separation with a CFZ™ pilot plant.

ExxonMobil has more than 50 years of large-scale sour gas production experience, which includes design and operation of the two largest carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide injection projects in the world. The company has developed industry-leading expertise in managing safety, reliability and technical challenges associated with highly sour oil and gas developments.

ExxonMobil is a world leader in carbon management technologies and has researched and developed carbon-handling technologies for more than 30 years. In addition to our in-house research programs, ExxonMobil supports carbon capture and storage research at the International Energy Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Research & Development Program, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech, the University of Texas and Stanford University. The company participates in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership and is working with the European Commission and other companies on the CO2ReMoVe project to evaluate a range of carbon injection and storage technologies in Norway, Algeria and Germany.

The resulting technologies, including CFZ™, could play an important role in future widespread use of carbon capture and storage to significantly reduce the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Plans and projections in this release are forward-looking statements. Actual future results, including the impact of new technologies, could differ materially due to factors including changes in long-term oil or gas prices or other market conditions affecting the oil and gas industries; changes in law or government regulation; technical difficulties; future technological developments by ExxonMobil or others; and other factors discussed under the heading "Factors Affecting Future Results" in the “Investors” section of our website at www.exxonmobil.com.

Related Links:
ExxonMobil to Build Commercial Demonstration Plant to Remove Carbon Dioxide from Natural Gas (May 5, 2008, ExxonMobil media release)

Business Directory

www.pinedaleonline.com       www.pinedalewyoming.com
www.pinedale.com
Pinedale Online! PO Box 2250, Pinedale, WY 82941
Phone: 307-360-7689
For Big Piney and Marbleton areas call 307-276-5699
Fax: 307-276-5414
We are located in Office Outlet in Pinedale, 43 S. Sublette
E-mail:support@pinedaleonline.com

For more information about Sublette County and towns near Pinedale,
visit our local Sublette.com or the BigPiney.com community web site.

Pinedale Online! is designed and maintained by Wind River Web Services LLC in Pinedale, Wyoming. Webmaster for this site is Dawn Ballou. Member of the Online News Association and the Sublette County Chamber of Commerce. Although we try to cover as many local events as possible, we have a very limited staff and much of this site is done in our volunteer time. We welcome community volunteers who can provide pictures or event information. Photos by Pinedale Online unless otherwise credited. The "Wyoming Cowgirl" web site by Cris Paravicini, "Off the Paved Road" by James Rogers, and Mike Kaul's "Fly Fishing Hatch Reports" are sponsored and maintained by Pinedale Online. News articles and opinion pieces from the Sublette Examiner and Pinedale Roundup newspapers are written by the staff of the newspapers and are supplied to Pinedale Online for online publication, and do not necessarily represent the views of Pinedale Online. Please see our companion site Pinedale OFFline, www.PinedaleOFFline.com, updated annually on April Fool's Day. All site content is copyright 2008. No photos, stories or content may be used or reproduced without permission for commercial or non-commerical purposes. Please contact Pinedale Online for more information or permission about using pictures or content found on our site, or advertising in our business directory. If you find any broken links on our site, please let us know. Privacy Policy: E-mail inquiries may be forwarded to the local Chamber of Commerce, businesses or others who can best respond to questions asked. We use website server visitation statistics to compile web traffic analysis to refine our site content to better serve our visitors. Server statistics do not gather e-mail addresses or personally-identifiable information. Pinedale Online does not sell, trade or rent our subscriber lists or any personally-identifiable information to third parties. Thanks for visiting Pinedale on the web!