Wyoming's dealings with the impacts of energy development and the state's water resources will be the subject of a talk Thursday in Casper.

"Pursuing Energy" is the fifth in a series of lectures, "Delicate Networks: Wyoming's Land and Water and the Decisions Demanded by Growth" at the University of Wyoming's Casper College Center.

The free event takes place at 7 p.m. in the Wheeler Auditorium, Room 103 of the Wold Physical Science Center at the Casper College campus.

Steve Hollis, president and chief executive officer of Double Eagle Petroleum Co. in Casper, will discuss what his company has learned from industry experience with coal-bed methane development in the Powder River Basin, according to a release issued by the UW/CC Center.

The lecture will also discuss what the company plans to do to find uses for the water produced from coal-bed methane wells in the recently approved Atlantic Rim project southwest of Rawlins, the release notes.

Coal-bed methane is a process by which water is released from between coal seams, which gives off a gas that can be used in many applications, including home heating. Coal-bed methane projects became economically viable in Wyoming in the late 1990s.

Water produced from the drilling of coal-bed methane wells has sometimes caused problems, the release from the UW/CC center states.

"If you pay attention, you can actually do it right, and do everybody some good" in making more water available on the surface for future use, Hollis said in the press release.

Kim Floyd, director of the Wyoming AFL-CIO, the state's largest labor union, will discuss concerns regarding the approval of the coal-bed methane projects, the release notes.

Floyd will speak on the development's potential impacts to hunters and anglers who use the area for recreational purposes.

Additional guest speakers will discuss development issues in and around Casper, Buffalo, Cheyenne, Laramie and Pinedale.

The series is sponsored by UW's Helga Otto Haub School and William Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, the UW/CC Center, the UW Outreach School and the Casper Star-Tribune.