Wyo loses three rigs

HOUSTON - The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the United States fell by 20 last week to 955, down nearly half from a year ago.

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

Of the rigs running nationwide, 742 were exploring for natural gas and 202 for oil, Houston-based Baker Hughes Inc. reported Friday. A total of 11 were listed as miscellaneous.

A year ago, the rig count stood at 1,842. The U.S. count is down 53 percent since the end of August as weak energy demand has hampered oil-field activity.

Oil prices peaked at almost $150 a barrel in July before plunging. Light, sweet crude for May delivery rose $1.63 to $51.52 a barrel in trading Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Baker Hughes has tracked rig counts since 1944. The tally peaked at 4,530 in 1981, during the height of the oil boom. The industry posted several record lows in 1999, bottoming out at 488.

MidAmerican excels in wind

SALT LAKE CITY - A trade group says MidAmerican Energy Co. and subsidiary PacifiCorp rank first among U.S. electric utilities for ownership of wind farms.

The American Wind Energy Association says Des Moines, Iowa-based MidAmerican and its western subsidiary own wind farms with a total of nearly 2,000 megawatts of capacity. Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp owns nearly half of that power.

PacifiCorp also scored third recently for green power programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, which also named PacifiCorp its Energy Star Partner of 2009.

PacifiCorp operates in parts of California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

It also buys wind and biomass power from other operators and is an investor in a solar-energy project in the Mojave Desert.

Wyo water rates high

The Shoshone Utility Organization in Fort Washakie placed in the top 10 at the 10th annual Great American Water Taste Test in Washington, D.C.

Wyoming�s entry made the semifinals and just missed making the final five.

The taste test is held each year on Capitol Hill in conjunction with the National Rural Water Association�s Annual Rally.

Safeway will start new store

Safeway will break ground on its new 44,0000-square-foot Lander store on Tuesday, according to a press release.

The ceremonial start of construction is scheduled for 11 a.m. at 1165 Main St.

The new store will replace an existing Safeway store at Fifth and Main streets.

Firm hires labor manager

Virginia Schmit has been hired as laboratory manager for ADA Technologies in the company�s Laramie office.

Before joining ADA, Schmit worked for the Centers for Disease Control in Fort Collins, Colo. She is the fifth new employee to be hired at the Laramie office since January, according to a press release.

SBA honors Gillette couple

Van and Jody Ewing have been selected by the Wyoming district office, U.S. Small Business Administration, as Small Business Person of the Year 2009.

The Ewings own Van Ewing Construction in Gillette.

Document destroyer recognized

A Thru Z Document Destruction has received an award for exemplary business ethics from the Better Business Bureau serving northern Colorado and greater Wyoming.

Owners Tom and Merrie Ellsberry started the company in Cheyenne and have since expanded to the Casper-Douglas market.

REX drops Wyoming stores

Electronics retailer REX is closing its Cheyenne and Casper stores, and liquidation sales have begun.

Cheyenne store manager Ron Jones said that store's sale is expected to continue at least through the end of the month.

Jones said a slump in sales prompted the corporation to close the store, which employs three.

In April 2008, REX Stores Corp. operated 111 retail stores in 34 states, but the company says the total dropped to 90 stores in 30 states by January 2009.