Inside Energy

Is having oil and gas development nearby bad for your health? In this story, we’re going to dig into what is known and what is unknown about these dangers and why those unknowns still exist, as more and more wells are drilled. We’re going to meet different people with different perspectives, who are all gathering data or studying it. They’re looking for answers and living with unknowns.

A natural gas boom in the U.S. is changing the power sector in the country. It's credited with bringing down American carbon dioxide emissions more than any other factor. But, one difficult to control component of the natural gas industry threatens to undermine those gains. This audio special from Inside Energy explores the serious and persistent problem of methane leaks.

Tax reform is going to impact renewables, oil and gas, and energy overall in the western U.S. Now that the President has signed the final tax bill into law, what does it mean for western energy? Inside Energy helps unpack.

Four stories chronicling the growing conflict between oil and gas drilling and suburban development, in the aftermath of an April 2017 natural gas explosion in Firestone, Colorado that resulted in the death of two people. Submitted in the "Continuing Coverage" category for the 2018 RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards.

President Donald Trump has used the term “clean coal” a lot lately, but what is clean coal? Well, it can mean a lot of different things, depending who you ask. For some, it's history. For others, it's a fantasy. And for still others, it's a necessity. But could it become a reality that helps bring back coal and helps stop climate change? Inside Energy’s Madelyn Beck digs deep.

An increasing number of cities are claiming they will go it alone to meet the emission reduction targets of the Paris Climate Agreement. This comes in the wake of President Trump's decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris accord earlier this year. Just last week, mayors from more than 50 North American cities signed a formal agreement to reduce greenhouse gases in their communities. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce looks at how they’re doing in trying to reach those goals.

President Trump is set to announce a plan to shrink the boundaries of two national monuments in Utah: Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monument, the latter created by President Obama one year ago this month. Trump’s action will mark an important milestone in the story of these two red buttes which has become an outsized symbol for a slew of western issues. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

The American West is known for its wide open spaces. That can make for some pretty epic road trips -- unless you have an electric vehicle and you’re stuck hours away from a charge…. Sales of E-Vs are climbing and some forecasters predict half of the vehicles sold worldwide will be electric by 2040. But, in present day, a lack of charging stations is still holding back this transportation revolution. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce reports on an agreement between Western states to try and calm so-called “range anxiety.”

It’s been a busy week for lawmakers in the nation’s capital pushing their bills that fall in line with the Trump Administration’s energy dominance agenda. Congresswoman Liz Cheney is working to make it harder for federal agency’s to unilaterally approve a federal coal leasing ban. Congressman Evan Jenkins is seeking to do away with the Obama-era social cost of carbon calculation. E & E Reporter Dylan Brown walks us through what happened and why it’s important.

Wyoming’s biggest bet on clean coal is almost finished. The Integrated Test Center outside Gillette aims to host researchers who are finding ways to turn carbon emissions into marketable products. But what does this test center and clean coal mean for the state, the coal industry or climate change? Inside Energy’s Madelyn Beck takes us on a 360 degree view of clean coal to answer that question.

The Department of Interior officially re-opened the 2015 sage grouse management plans last month. They took over a decade of compromise and negotiation to put together, with Wyoming as leader. Many people involved in the process are nervous that the current administration could damage the integrity of the plans, while others see it as an opportunity to make needed improvements.

Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports on the struggle between two priorities in Colorado: energy development and housing development. She takes us to the Front Range, where drilling rigs and subdivisions are both going up, in towns north of Denver. At the intersection of the these two types of development are serious concerns about health and safety. The following story first appeared as an episode of the podcast Trump on Earth.

The Bakken Gears Up For Its Second Decade by Inside Energy

If Ryan Zinke is modeling himself after the Conservationist President, Teddy Roosevelt, then why is he making headlines for rolling back land protections? There's more of an answer there than you might think. This half-hour Inside Energy special is hosted by Leigh Paterson and reported by Dan Boyce

Oil Patch Growth Creates A Funding Nightmare by Inside Energy

Wyoming has the sixth highest wind capacity potential in the country, but it sits at 15th in actual production. With new transmission lines and soon-to-end federal subsidies, now could be the time for Wyoming to take a leap forward in wind investment. But several barriers block the western state’s way from becoming a leader in this renewable energy.

The oil & gas industry is pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into local politics in a Denver suburb, fighting a measure that could give the town more control over drilling. This ballot question is part of a much larger fight over health, safety, policy, and state law that's playing out in towns across northern Colorado as oil and gas development moves in. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

The Department of the Interior is outlining potential steps aimed at increasing energy production on federal lands. Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, says boosting production of resources like oil and gas creates jobs and enhances the nation’s energy security. It’s another pro-industry headline for a Secretary touting himself as not only an avid outdoorsman, but a follower of the conservation ideals of the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce looks at how their philosophies stack up.

Big Solar Projects Fear Looming Tariff by Inside Energy

When a coal company wants to dig on federal land, the Bureau of Land Management figures out an environmental impact statement for them. They look at how exactly the new development will affect the environment. But not until recently did these documents start to include how they might affect climate change. A federal appellate court is moving the US a step closer to figuring that out.

Today, the Trump Administration kicked off the formal process of repealing an Obama-era rule called the Clean Power Plan. But many in Colorado think the state will stay the course on reducing carbon emissions. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

Wyoming and the country of Japan are working out a relationship over coal. Wyoming wants to export that coal, and Japan wants to buy it. Both want to figure out an affordable way to clean up coal emissions. Inside Energy’s Madelyn Beck reports on how this mutually beneficial relationship is facing challenges on all fronts.

Since January, President Trump has ordered systematic rollbacks of Obama-era environmental regulations. He’s voiced an intent to focus on energy development and jobs over environmental regulation. Many of these rules were crafted by Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency under Gina McCarthy. She was E-P-A Administrator during his second term. They focused on taking strong steps against climate change. For Inside Energy, Wyoming Public Radio’s Cooper McKim spoke with McCarthy during her visit to Wyoming, and gets her reaction to these drastic changes.

Over eighty percent of new wind power last year went up in states that voted for President Donald Trump. It may sound strange when Trump’s aim is to bolster coal, not wind, but what red states usually promote is individual choice and a smart use of money. Inside Energy’s Madelyn Beck reports that wind power - both large and small - is literally changing Wyoming’s energy landscape.

Future development on vast swaths of western land is uncertain now that sage grouse is back on the agenda. The well-being of this chicken-like bird was the focus of a hard-fought deal- a compromise, between nearly a dozen states, finalized a few years ago. Now the federal government is asking for changes to that deal with energy development and jobs in mind. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson teamed up with Wyoming Public Radio’s Cooper McKim to report on what it all means for compromise on major western issues.

Hurricane's Impact On Oil Raising Concerns From Wellhead To Gas Pump by Inside Energy

Superfund cleanups are a priority for Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. He wants to cut through red tape that has left more than a thousand sites still contaminated -- with everything from radioactive waste to lead. He also wants to remove sites that have already been cleaned up from the so-called National Priority List which has more than 1300 sites. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce visited a town in western Colorado that’s been on that list since 1986.

The U.S. used to be the world’s number one uranium producer, and most of it came from Wyoming. But since the 1980s, production has fallen off a cliff. Prices are at rock bottom. That may be about to change -- uranium’s biggest customer is the nuclear energy industry. In coming years, hundreds of new nuclear reactors are planned for China and India. Uranium companies in the U.S. are hoping to gear up for a boom.

How Much Oil Does North Dakota Have? by Inside Energy

Lightning And Oil Country: A Volatile Mix by Inside Energy

People and oil and gas development don’t always make good neighbors. This is especially true in northern Colorado where tensions among residents, energy producers, and lawmakers are playing out in battles over drilling projects. But the uncomfortable intersection of tons of people living on top of rich fossil fuel resources is forcing communities and companies to figure it out. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

Colorado’s governor is stepping up regulations on the state’s oil and gas industry. Tuesday’s announcement follows a home explosion in April that killed two people. One controversial issue the new measures do not change -- how far the state’s expanding oil and gas operations can be from homes. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

Wyoming's Republican politicians have come out swinging against a proposal from West Virginia for a federal subsidy for Appalachian coal. Representative Liz Cheney called the idea unjust and bad economic policy. The proposal came from West Virginia Governor Jim Justice who recently switched to the Republican party. Our story comes from Glynis Board of the public media collaboration the Ohio Valley Resource

The U.S. solar industry is booming. Twice as much solar was installed last year as in 2015. But some say not everyone has reaped the benefits. Earlier this week, the U.S. International Trade Commission heard arguments that cheap solar imports have devastated solar manufacturing jobs. The case could have huge implications for the industry. For Inside Energy, KJZZ’s Will Stone reports.

Dakota Access Pipeline Upends Oil Transport by Inside Energy

President Trump idealizes a traditional view of American life, an America based on industry and lifting up the image of the blue collar working man. And no working man has been more lauded under this administration than the American coal miner. The economics for coal aren’t looking good, between regulations and low prices for natural gas and renewables. Still, Trump has been trying to fulfill his campaign promise to bring back mining jobs. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce recently spent a weekend with a Colorado coal miner, for a perspective on the ground.

Battle Brews Over Methane Leaks by Inside Energy

There is a lot of natural gas locked underground in Western Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Trouble is, it can be tough to get that gas to market. Enter President Donald Trump. The administration is signalling that a natural gas terminal in coastal Oregon denied a critical permit under the Obama administration could have new life. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce has the story.

Oil Exports Bring Boom Times To Texas Port by Inside Energy

Central Oklahoma is still feeling aftershocks from a 4.2-magnitude quake that struck earlier this week. A key part in solving the earthquake crisis is managing the enormous amount of water that comes to the surface when oil and gas is pumped out of the ground. It's a billion-barrel-a-year problem the energy industry is working to solve. One promising alternative is reusing this wastewater instead of injecting it underground. Joe Wertz from StateImpact Oklahoma reports for Inside Energy.

A southwestern Wyoming region has some of the strongest emissions regulations on the oil and gas industry in the country. Companies operating in the Upper Green River Basin are required to reduce air pollutants that may lead to ozone — a dangerous greenhouse gas. This week, a federal court mandated the Environmental Protection Agency begin enforcement of similar standards nationwide. Cooper McKim reports on how Wyoming’s plan to clean up their air has worked.

A changing climate may be bad PR for fossil fuels, but it could help their bottom line. Two major coal companies released earnings reports last week stating how higher temperatures could mean more energy use, which could ease some coal stockpiles.

n most parts of the country, solar energy has been having a great decade. Estimates puts the industry’s growth at 16-hundred percent over the last 8 years. A great decade, maybe, but solar’s been having a really bad year -- especially residential rooftop solar. There’s been a big-time slowdown in that market, and bankruptcies abound from the likes of SunEdison, Sungevity, Suniva, and at least one company not starting with Sun -- SolarWorld. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce looks into what’s going on.

Millions of gallons of salty wastewater are produced each day wherever there’s oil and gas production. Most states inject wastewater deep underground. But in Wyoming, above-ground wastewater ponds are still used. Regulators now want to make sure the state will not be left scrambling to pay for and figure out cleanup, once the ponds are shut down. Inside Energy’s Madelyn Beck reports.

A Toxic Legacy: North Dakota Looks To Clean Up Old Oilfield Waste by Inside Energy

A new coal mine may be opening in the Powder River Basin -- if it does, it would be the first to open in Wyoming in 50 years. Before that can happen, they have to obtain a permit. Local groups are arguing against one. They say the mine's proposed permit is lacking and worry about the environmental impacts of a new mine.

The wind energy industry is growing worldwide, and so is the global competition between turbine-makers. That battle is now playing out in Wyoming, a state with some of the best wind potential in the nation. In the next few years two massive wind power projects are slated to come on line. To get an edge, a Chinese company is trying to win over the state’s scant pool of workers through free training to become a wind turbine technician. Inside Energy’s Madelyn Beck reports.

Oil markets are turbulent -- Still, prices are high enough right now that oil companies are expanding their drilling operations here in the US. Of all the problems to have, though, companies aren’t getting as much oil out of the ground as they want because they can’t find enough workers for their highly paid jobs. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce picks up the story from the side of a highway near oil country.

Coal used to be the dominant resource to feed power generation, but it's fallen to natural gas and renewable energies. With a drop in coal demand, a Kentucky-based company is looking for a new way to use the resource. They're hoping to find a way to make coal as versatile as oil, creating new products like car parts, building material, and much more.

The US Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, is recommending a reduction in the size of the controversial, and brand new, Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. That follows a directive from President Trump to review all large monuments designated since the late 90s. Trump argues some of these monuments actually restrict access to public land and burden both local governments and local economies. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce reports from another of these monuments under review in North Central Montana.

After a home exploded north of Denver in April, killing two people, the investigation into what happened is underway, clean-up is ongoing, lawsuits are being filed and people who live in that small community are worried. Not only about their safety but about the value of their homes. The explosion was caused by a leaking pipeline, attached to an oil and gas well and in this part of Colorado, that kind of infrastructure is everywhere. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.