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Map showing the oil shale basin and tar sands areas in the states of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Colorado.

BLM identifies lands for potential development of significant oil shale resources (posted 9/5/08)
Includes public land around Daniel, Cora, Bondurant, Big Sandy
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management today (Thursday, September 4 2008) finalized a plan to guide the use of public lands containing oil shale and tar sands. In its Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) published in today’s Federal Register, the BLM amends 12 land-use plans in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming to set aside approximately 1.9 million acres of public lands for potential commercial oil shale development.

"The goal of the BLM’s oil shale program is to promote economically viable and environmentally sound production of oil shale on Western lands, where we estimate deposits hold the equivalent of 800 billion barrels of oil – enough to meet U.S. demand for imported oil at current levels for 110 years," said BLM Director Jim Caswell.

The Final PEIS is one in a number of steps required before commercial leasing would begin. This document summarizes information on oil shale and tar sands technologies and their potential environmental and socio-economic impacts, along with potential mitigating measures that would be evaluated and applied when subsequent site-specific National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis is undertaken for lease issuance or project approval.

Congress directed the BLM to develop the PEIS under Section 369(d) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Act declares oil shale and other unconventional fuels to be strategically important domestic energy sources that should be developed to reduce the nation’s growing dependence on imported oil.

One of the next steps required would be completing rules that govern the procedures for issuing leases for development of oil shale and tar sands. However, Congress placed a moratorium in the fiscal year 2008 federal appropriations bill directing the BLM not to finalize such regulations.

"The President has urged Congress to lift its moratorium that prevents our agency from preparing final regulations that would move this program forward so that our nation can be more energy self-reliant," Caswell said.

Most U.S. oil shale resources are found in the Green River Formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. The PEIS identifies the most geologically promising oil shale areas in the three states that will be open to applications for commercial leasing.

The Draft PEIS was published in the Federal Register on December 21, 2007, for a 90-day public review and comment period. The BLM received more than 105,000 comments on the draft, resulting in the addition of clarifying text to the Final PEIS, but without significant changes to the land-use plan decisions proposed in the draft. The BLM will wait at least 60 days after the publication of the Final PEIS before signing and issuing a Record of Decision approving the land-use plan amendments.

Under the preferred management alternative in the Final PEIS, 305,000 acres of BLM-managed lands in the potential development area would be excluded from oil shale leasing. No leasing would be allowed in Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, other units of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System, and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern closed to mineral development, along with other areas.

The Final PEIS is just one of several steps designed to harness these vast energy resources. The BLM has issued research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) leases for five oil shale projects in Colorado’s Piceance Basin and one in Utah. In July, the BLM also proposed regulations to set out the policies and procedures of a commercial program for oil shale resources on Federal lands.

For additional information on the BLM’s efforts to develop Federal oil shale and tar sands resources, visit http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/oilshale_2.html.

For more information on this article contact: Matt Spangler, 202-452-5130.
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Editor’s Note: Click on this link (Oil Shale Map, 986K) for a map showing the oil shales and tar sands areas in the states of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Colorado. Areas shown as public lands containing oil shale basin being looked at for future development include land north, west and south of Pinedale; west and southwest of Daniel; between Daniel north to Bondurant; and in the Big Sandy area of the western front of the Wind River Range east of US 191 and southeast of Boulder and south to Farson and beyond, east into the Great Divide Basin.

10 Million Dollar Seizure of Heroin made by Wyoming Highway Patrol (posted 9/5/08)
Wyoming Highway Patrol
(Elk Mountain, Wyoming) – The largest seizure of heroin in recent history, possibly ever by the Wyoming Highway Patrol was made on Interstate 80 on Friday, August 26th. Approximately 11.3 pounds of heroin in powder form, known as "China White" because of its pure white color, was seized during a traffic stop 2 miles east of Elk Mountain in the early afternoon.

The eastbound 2005 Nissan Altima was stopped by a Trooper for speeding 85 mph in a 75 mph zone. During the traffic contact, the Trooper’s K-9 alerted to the presence of the odor of illegal drugs.

Troopers searched the vehicle and found a secret hidden compartment between the back seat and the trunk area of the vehicle. The compartment was designed to be opened electronically via a hidden switch.

The driver of the Altima, 32 year-old Sergei P. Ludwig has been arrested and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance. Ludwig is from Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Street value of the illegal drug is dependent upon the amount that the heroin is diluted and the production method. White heroin is generally considered the most refined and most potent. Due to the purity of this particular load of "China White" heroin it is estimated that the street value, at a minimum, is approximately $10,000,000.00 and could be worth substantially more.

As is standard practice in drug cases of this magnitude, the Wyoming Highway Patrol requested assistance from Special Agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. Special Agents from DCI’s Southwest Enforcement Team continue to investigate this drug trafficking case. It is believed that the load originated in the State of California and was destined for an unknown location in the State New Jersey.

Wyoming DEQ Public Hearing in Pinedale Sept. 23 (posted 9/5/08)
For oil & gas operation modification requests in Sublette County
The Wyoming Department of Air Quality will hold a Public Hearing In Pinedale on Tuesday, September 23, at the Sublette County Library, Lovatt Room at 6:00 PM.

The purpose is to gather information concerning the emissions of air pollutants into the atmosphere and the impact of such pollutants on the ambient air quality. The scope of the hearing will be limited to such issues in order for the DEQ to determine whether or not the applicable Air Quality Standards and Regulations will be violated as a result of the modification and/or operations of the facilities. Applications in question include applications requests to modify existing sources by Nielson & Associates Inc, Ultra Resources, EnCana Oil & Gas.

Anyone who wishes to be heard on this matter will be given the opportunity to address DEQ. Oral and written statements will be accepted at the time of the hearing.

For accuracy of the record, written statements are encouraged and will be accepted at the time of the hearing. Written comments should be directed to David A. Finley, Administrator, Division of Air Quality, Department of Environmental Quality, 122 W. 25th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002. Please reference AP-7239, AP-7140, A7-141. All comments received during the public hearing or received in the Cheyenne office by 5:00 PM, September 23, 2008, will be considered in the final determination on these applications.

Related Links:
Wyoming DEQ Interim Permitting Policy for Oil & Gas in Sublette County Pinedale Online, 9/5/08
Air/Water Quality meeting in Pinedale Pinedale Online, August 8, 2008

Wyoming DEQ Interim Permitting Policy for Oil & Gas in Sublette County (posted 9/5/08)
In response to public outcry over recent ozone air pollution alerts in Sublette County, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality has begun tightening requirements on natural gas operators to make their operations cleaner to improve local air quality.

On July 21, 2008, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality sent out a letter to oil and gas operators in Sublette County with their interim policy for new or modified emissions sources of air pollution.

Click on this link for the letter and Interim Policy: Wyoming DEQ Interim Permitting Policy (5 page 317K PDF)

Related Links:
Air/Water Quality meeting in Pinedale Pinedale Online, August 8, 2008
DEQ Air and Water Quality meeting in Pinedale Pinedale Online, April 22, 2008
Ozone levels in Sublette County again on the rise Pinedale Online, March 18, 2008
Ozone Advisory for Tuesday, March 11 for Upper Green Pinedale Online, March 10, 2008

Montana's brucellosis status downgraded (posted 9/4/08)
Will Wyoming soon follow?
Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
Montana's brucellosis-free market status has now been officially downgraded by federal animal health officials. According to a release from the Montana Department of Livestock, Montana is now Class A.

Dr. Marty Zaluski, state veterinarian for the Montana Department of Livestock, said the downgrade comes as no surprise.

"Everyone knew this was coming," Zaluski said. "This just makes it official."

Montana had been brucellosis-free since 1985, but the disease was found in a Bridger cattle herd in May of 2007. Per APHIS rules, the state had to remain brucellosis-free for 24 months after that discovery to maintain Class Free status. The process of downgrading Montana’s status was initiated in June 2008 after a cow in Paradise Valley was found to be infected with the disease.

Zaluski said the department has been working on a brucellosis action plan, and will reapply for Class free status as soon as possible, on May 27, 2009.

"We’ve been working internally, as well as with individual producers and producer groups, to develop a comprehensive brucellosis plan," he said. "No one is happy about losing our brucellosis free status, but we’re optimistic that, by working together, we can develop practical approaches that reduce the risks of transmitting the disease to cattle."

The plan will include, among other items, vaccination of livestock, improved animal traceability and disease surveillance, and increased emphasis on maintaining spatial and temporal separation between livestock and wildlife known to carry the disease. The Montana Board of Livestock has also directed the department to create a brucellosis task force.

The department will additionally be working with state and federal wildlife managers to address disease concerns related to wildlife. Zaluski said more information is needed on the prevalence of brucellosis in Greater Yellowstone Area elk.

The downgrade means Montana’s livestock producers will, at a minimum, be required to test all sexually intact cattle over 18 months of age within 30 days of export. Exempt from the testing requirement are cattle sent directly to slaughter, from certified brucellosis-free herds and from ranch of origin to an approved market facility. These requirements are similar to those in place in western Wyoming's brucellosis surveillance area.

Wyoming may soon join Montana in the loss of class-free status. Three more head of cattle from a Daniel herd tested seropositive for brucellosis, and the time period for a decision on the fate of the herd is drawing near.

Should the Daniel producer decide to keep his herd, Wyoming's status will be downgraded, although Sublette County producers point out that since they already undergo vigorous testing and surveillance requirements, the end result will be no change in this area. If the producer allows his herd to be sent to slaughter, then Wyoming maintains its class-free status – at least unless a second infected herd is found within a year.

The infected Montana cattle herds are believed to have contracted the disease from elk, which is also suspected to be the case in the Daniel incident, although no information about the epidemiological investigation have been released at this time.

At far left, a surveillance camera photograph of the utility trailer being stolen. On the right, a stock photograph of the stolen 2006 Cargomate utility trailer. Photo courtesy Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

Reward offered in Rock Springs trailer theft investigation (posted 9/4/08)
Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office seeks public’s help
Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office
The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office in Rock Springs is seeking help in its investigation into the theft of a utility trailer.

According to Sheriff Rich Haskell, on the late afternoon of Sunday, August 31st, the trailer was stolen from a private lot just east of Knight Oil Tools on Foothill Boulevard west of Rock Springs.

Haskell said the thief or thieves forced entry onto the fenced, padlocked and chained lot and hauled the trailer away with what is believed to be a late 1990s or early 2000s blue Ford Explorer SUV.

The theft was caught on a surveillance camera belonging to Knight Oil Tools, which provided the Sheriff’s Office with the digital images of the theft.

Haskell described the stolen trailer as a white 24-foot tandem-axle Cargomate with a side door on the passenger side and a drop-down ramp rear door. The trailer is fitted with a standard bumper-hitch tongue and all four wheels are white. The trailer’s front end features a diamond plate panel. Its value has been established at $6,000. The trailer contained a dinette set, household items, and important personal papers.

The trailer’s owner is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the trailer and all its contents. A reward of $1,000 is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the trailer only.

The Sheriff’s Office is requesting that anyone who has seen the trailer or has information about its theft or whereabouts call in. Haskell said calls will be handled with discretion.

Defenders slams Palin over wolf control (posted 9/4/08)
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund media release
Alaska Governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a strong promoter of the aerial hunting of wolves and bears, a practice that has been condemned by conservationists, scientists and many hunters alike. It involves shooting wolves and bears from the air or chasing them to exhaustion and then landing and shooting them point blank. The animals, shot with a shotgun, usually die a painful death. The hunters involved in the program keep and sell the animals' pelts.

"Sarah Palin's anti-conservation position is so extreme that she condones shooting wolves and bears from airplanes or using airplanes to chase them to exhaustion and then shoot them point blank. Most Americans find this practice barbaric, but it's routine in Alaska under Palin's leadership," said Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund president Rodger Schlickeisen.

Sarah Palin has supported aerial hunting since taking office despite the fact that the National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, the American Society of Mammalogists, and more than 120 other scientists have called for a halt to the program, citing its lack of scientific justification and despite opposition from many hunters who see it as violating the sportsmen's ethic of fair chase. Palin in 2007 even proposed offering a bounty of $150 per wolf, as long as the hunter provided the wolf's foreleg as proof of the kill. And just earlier this year, she introduced legislation to expand the program and derail a scheduled August 2008 citizens' vote on the issue. The bounty was determined to violate the state's constitution and her legislation failed.

"Sarah Palin's positions against America's wildlife could put her to the right of even the Bush administration," said Schlickeisen. "She is a promoter of one of our nation's most ugly and cruel wildlife hunting programs and Americans deserve to know her views on such matters before they vote."

Related Links:
Wolf Watch - By Cat Urbigkit

Idaho anti-wolf activist won't be retried (posted 9/4/08)
Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
The Idaho Mountain Express reports that anti-wolf activist Ron Gillet of Idaho will not be retried on charges that he assaulted wolf activist Lynne Stone. Gillet was tried, but the result was a hung jury. Now the prosecutor is declining to take the case forward again.

For the complete story, click on the link below.

Related Links:
Prosecutor: Gillett will not be retried
Wolf Watch

Senator Barrasso on MSNBC Sept. 4 (posted 9/3/08)
From the Republican National Convention
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso will appear on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" with Host Joe Scarborough, on Thursday, September 4, at approximately 7 a.m. (MDT) LIVE from the Republican National Convention.

Wild Horse Adoption on September 19 & 20 in Riverton (posted 9/3/08)
The Wyoming Bureau of Land Management and the Wyoming Honor Farm Celebrates 20th Anniversary
The Wyoming Honor Farm and the Bureau of Land Management will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Honor Farm's Wild Horse Program Sept. 20, 2008. Special activities will take place in addition to the clinic and adoption on Sept.19 and 20.

On Friday, Sept. 19, the Wyoming Honor Farm will host a free clinic to discuss the Honor Farm’s gentling program. The clinic runs from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is open to the public. After the demonstration there will be an Ice Cream Social and a preview of the horses with the day’s events concluding at 4:00 p.m.

On Saturday, Sept. 20, the gates will open at 7:30 a.m. for previewing the horses. Free coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls will be available during the preview. There will be gate prizes and raffle opportunities. BLM and Wyoming Department of Corrections representatives will be available to answer questions regarding the BLM and Wyoming Honor Farm Wild Horse Program. The adoption will begin at noon. This is later than at previous adoptions. A lunch concession will be available.

The adoption will offer 30 horses in a variety of colors along with three burros. All horses have been haltered, led, trailered and have had their feet handled; and have been through the "gentling program" which starts with halter training and proceeds to saddle-training.

Please remember, no firearms, alcohol, drugs or dogs are allowed at anytime. All cell phones, cameras, video equipment and tobacco products must be locked in one's vehicle while on site. In order to maintain a positive environment for visitors, a reasonable clothing standard must be adhered to. Clothing that is unduly suggestive, form fitting, or exposes undue amounts of flesh is prohibited. The wearing of shorts is not allowed on site.

A horse trailer must be at least a four-horse trailer with a swing gate and covered.

Wild horses are also available for adoption by appointment through the BLM Rock Springs Corrals and the Mantle Ranch.

For more information, visit the website at http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wild_Horses

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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!