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 […]
New EPA Rule Targets Leaks at Inactive Coal Ash Landfills
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a revised Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule that no longer exempts inactive impoundments at inactive facilities, also known as “legacy units”. The proposed new rule would address the over half billion tons of coal ash and the decades-old ash ponds that have escaped inspections and leaked toxic chemicals […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter, January – February 2023
January – February 2023, Volume 51, Number 1 A Jan. 31 Bloomberg article by journalist Aaron Clark revealed significant shortcomings in emissions reporting at the Douglas Gas Plant, operated by Tallgrass Midstream, LLC. Following a routine maintenance project, oxygen levels at the facility rose to a hazardous level, prompting operators to conduct a safety release […]
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 […]
Groups challenge massive Wyoming drilling, fracking project on behalf of wildlife and communities
Conservation groups have filed a legal challenge targeting the Converse County Oil & Gas Project in the southern Powder River Basin of Wyoming. The massive 5,000 oil well project , approved under the Trump administration, is projected to have a major impact in air quality locally and regionally, including in treasured landscapes of neighboring national […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter March – April 2022
March – April 2022, Volume 50, Number 2 Wyoming’s Zero Emission Vehicle Strategy is the state’s plan to use federal infrastructure funding to accomplish its zero emission infrastructure visions. The strategy recognizes the electric-vehicle-centric nature of much of the federal rollout, by including both short-term needs to take advantage of the current funding, and longer-term […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter January – February 2022
January – February 2022, Volume 50, Number 1 Powder River, in partnership with researchers at the University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, has unveiled Wyoming Voices, a pilot project looking at how storytelling may support communities in transition. Through this process, eight participants from Southwest Wyoming not only told their personal […]
Powder River Breaks Newsletter November – December 2021
November-December 2021, Volume 49, Number 6 For the second year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Powder River held the Annual Meeting online via Zoom on Nov. 5 – 6. Unlike last year when we decided to forego the speaker and hold only the business meeting, we brought back the keynote speaker event. On the evening […]
Powder River’s 2021 Annual Report
This is Powder River Basin Resource Council’s 2021 Annual Report. To read the full report, please download the PDF.
Powder River Statement on Wyoming Nuclear Facility Announcement
“While we support efforts to reduce carbon emissions, we have many questions surrounding Governor Gordon’s proposal to build a small nuclear reactor in Wyoming. This technology is still experimental and unproven; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has yet to license a design, so this announcement appears to be premature. Additionally, we have concerns about the cost […]
