Wind project obtains permit

RAWLINS - The Carbon County Planning Commission has granted a conditional use permit to PacifiCorp for its Dunlap Ranch Wind Energy Project.

The unanimous vote brings the company a step closer to building the wind farm on mostly private land about eight miles north of Medicine Bow. The plans call for a substation and an 11-mile-long transmission line.

PacifiCorp still must get a building permit for the project. Mark Tallman, vice president for renewable resource acquisition, said PacifiCorp would apply for that permit at a later date.

Railroad marks milestone

OMAHA, Neb. - One of Union Pacific's most productive and profitable rail lines is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The Omaha-based railroad says it carried its first coal train out of northeast Wyoming over the line between Sheridan and Joyce, Neb., in August 1984.

UP vice president Doug Glass says the volume of coal shipped out of Wyoming's southern Powder River Basin has increased about 11 percent annually between 1984 and 2008 as the railroads invested in capacity.

Today, Union Pacific hauls an average of 30 coal trains a day out of the region, and each train carries an average 15,500 tons of coal.

Demand for coal has been down this year because of the recession, but coal still provides about half the nation's electricity.

Pipeline restrictions outlined

DICKINSON, N.D. - State Health Department scientist Mike Sauer said officials are working to ensure a pipeline planned in southwest North Dakota does not harm waterways, particularly the Heart and Little Missouri rivers.

Sauer said the Bison Pipeline will be required to use a horizontal-directional drilling method, in which crews would bore underneath those waterways and come out the other side.

TransCanada Corp.'s $600 million Bison Pipeline would start west of Gillette and run to southwest North Dakota where it would link with the Northern Border Pipeline near Glen Ullin that moves gas to the Midwest.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has prepared an environmental study on the project and is seeking public comments. Meetings are planned Sept. 21 at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall in Glen Ullin and Sept. 22 at the Bowman County Fairgrounds Four Seasons Pavilion.

Justin Kringstad, executive director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, said pipeline construction could begin at the end of next year. He said the pipeline will not handle any North Dakota gas.

Discharge prompts violation action

CHEYENNE - A Cheyenne refinery was cited for discharging untreated water into a creek.

The state Department of Environmental Quality said Frontier Refining committed two violations by discharging storm and production water into Crow Creek in August 2008 when heavy rainstorms caused refinery storage ponds to overflow.

State inspector and compliance supervisor Brian Lovett said that because of the storm, there was a large amount of water in the creek and thus probably diluted any discharge.

It is the latest in a string of violations leveled against the refinery in the past several years, all dealing with water, neighboring properties and Crow Creek.

Stu Fischbeck of Frontier Refining said the refinery is working on improving how it handles water by building a new wastewater treatment plant and reconstructing water storage ponds.

Conference will feature governor

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal will deliver the keynote address at this year's Gasification Technologies Conference on Oct. 5 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The conference is the largest gasification industry event in the world, with more than 1,000 attendees at the 2008 event. This year's conference, to be held Oct. 4-7, is an opportunity to learn about the latest technical, market and policy trends affecting the industry.

SAGE offers business course

A course to help people start their own businesses is scheduled to begin Sept. 12 in Riverton.

The Strengthening and Growing Entrepreneurs course is offered twice a year through the Wind River Development Fund.

Topics will include entrepreneur self-evaluation, establishing a business concept, feasibility plan, products and services, and market analysis and strategies.

For more information, contact the Wind River Development Fund at 307-335-7330.

Business Council extends deadline

The Wyoming Business Council has extended the public comment period for proposed rule changes related to its grant and loan programs.

The programs affected are the Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program, and the Community Facilities Grant and Loan Program.

Comments will be accepted until 5 p.m., on Sept. 30. They can be e-mailed to Molly Davies at molly.davies@wybusiness.org, or sent to 214 W. 15th St., Cheyenne, WY, 82002.

The proposed rules are available at www.wyomingbusiness.org.

Wyo loses two rigs

HOUSTON - The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the United States rose by 14 last week to 999.

Houston-based Baker Hughes Inc. reported Friday that of the rigs running nationwide, 699 were exploring for natural gas and 286 for oil. Fourteen were listed as miscellaneous.

A year ago, when oil and gas prices were much higher, the rig count stood at 2,031, its peak for the year.

Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, North Dakota added five rigs, Texas added four, New Mexico gained two and Alaska and Arkansas each added one. Wyoming lost two rigs, California, Colorado and Oklahoma each lost one and Louisiana was unchanged.

The rig count tally peaked at 4,530 in 1981, during the height of the oil boom. The industry posted a record low of 488 in 1999.