#EPA: #Fracking fouls Wyoming water

The Environmental Protection Agency has come out with what is indeed a strong statement for that organzation, saying it's pretty clear that hydrofracking for natural gas has contaminated groundwater, including drinking water, in and around Pavilion, Wyo.

EPA does say its findings are specific to this area, due in part to the closeness of natural-gas wells and groundwater. Nonetheless, this is news that gas companies aren't going to like to hear. Well, too bad. Drill and frack cleanly.

The AP has now led a story on the announcement.
Environmentalists welcomed the news of the EPA report, calling it an important turning point in the fracking debate.

"This is an important first indication there are potential problems with fracking that can impact domestic water wells. It's I think a clarion call to industry to make sure they take a great deal of care in their drilling practices," said Steve Jones with the Wyoming Outdoor Council.

Pavillion resident John Fenton, chairman of the group Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens, applauded the EPA for listening to the homeowners with contaminated water.

"Those of us who suffer the impacts from the unchecked development in our community are extremely happy the contamination source is being identified," Fenton said.

Pavilion gas field owner Encana ... of leaky pipelines fame, no less .. is trying to play this finding wayyyy down.

#Grizzly scat isn't the only scat in #Yellowstone

With the eXXXon oil spill on the Yellowstone River north of Yellowstone National Park, another scat, besides that of grizzlies, is busy in the area. SCAT, or Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Teams, are busy monitoring the river for oil spillage signs.

The story notes that the pipeline actually originates in Wyoming. I hope that doesn't mean there's a high possibility of leaks further "upstream" on the pipeline.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife selling out wolves

We've already seen how the northern Rockies states want to treat wolves; I cannot believe FWS is this stupid. It's beyond being naive, it's being stupid.

Hey, Kenny Boy Salazar? After you finish cleaning up the former Minerals Management Service, how about starting on Fish and Wildlife? Maybe you can actually become an ... environmentalist! Nahhh ...

If FWS really wanted to do something, it would impose a bison management plan on Wyoming, and an elk management plan that didn't have the word "hay" in it.

Wyoming wolf ‘hunting’ is disgusting

Read here for more on hunting “plugging” wolves in Wyoming.

Ever since the gray wolves of the northern Rockies were removed from their “endangered” listing per the Endangered Species Act, Wyoming has had a kill-on-sight policy in official predator areas.

One guy claimed to have killed 10 in just a matter of days. As Derek Goldman notes, their only “crime” was being wolves.

And, this isn’t “hunting” in other ways either. With a kill-on-sight policy, no licenses are required, so no money goes to the state fish and game folks for conservation.

Finally, this isn’t “hunting,” because it’s kill-on-sight and not shoot-on-sight.

But, wolves have a reprieve moved back on the Endangered Species List by judicial order.

Rocky Mountain wolves get reprieve from killers

For now, at least, Greater Yellowstone area wolves are out of the crosshairs of snipers’ scopes.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy has put the gray wolves back on the Endangered Species list.

It’s believed that more than 100 wolves, out of a population of 2,000, in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, have been killed since being delisted less than four months ago.

Read here for more on hunting “plugging” wolves in Wyoming.

Dick Cheney helps pollute his own state

Did you ever think Wyoming would have ozone warnings?

Well, courtesy of all its oil and gas drilling, it now does.

And that’s not all:

The Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab in Ashland, Ore., estimates that every year up to a half-million birds die in oil and gas waste pits in the Rockies. For comparison, the Exxon Valdez spill killed about a quarter-million birds. At what point will we take a hard look at energy development in the Rockies and figure out how we can do it responsibly? Right now, any calls for moderate development are deemed un-American, and when restrictions are proposed, the industry pouts and threatens to leave.

Of course, the author admits he drives a gas-guzzler (which probably actually gets offroad use in Wyoming), but says he is trying to conserve.