Ranchers Shouldering the Waste of Mining and Coal Bed Methane?

[Bighorner]

This also gets to the point of needing good regulation and good regulators to enforce them. I am not for government waste, but paying the DEQ staff according to their worth would make the position much more appealing. We want very intelligent and capable people in those positions. That's not to say there are not great mine managers and environmental engineers in industry that care deeply for the environment, but they are hemmed in by investors and executives that eye profit. We also need elected legislatures that will staff DEQ accordingly and keep their eye on the long term impact which ultimately falls to each of us as voters to keep them accountable.

 

[WyoCoalMiner]

Not sure if it’s related to the nuke plant or not, but they are also in the process of high fencing 189 from I-80 to Kemmerer with a game bridge and some tunnels for game crossing.

Most winters that is one deer killing stretch of highway. The crossings will be a great thing for those deer.

 

[BigHornRam]

The article briefly touch on this detail of the Tongue River and its tributaries, but then went on to basically dismiss it.
wsgs-2011-mp-90.pdf https://share.google/IiXIBa2dJ3NFbWWGF

Mentioned coalbed methane development has been replaced by fracking, but didn't elaborate. Used the opinions of a legacy rancher for most of the information presented in the article. Kind of reminded me of a 60 Minutes "news" segment.

 

[R.K.]

This is understandable and, as you state, justified. I would like to be able to say that those issues can't happen in today's environment but that wouldn't be true. Cleanup and mitigation are significantly better today than in the S. IL boom days but it's not perfect. The ability to rape and pillage today is much less but its not zero.

It’s definitely better, but problems still exist. Such as the zombie/ghost/orphan oil/gas wells in Texas.

 

[WyoCoalMiner]

The article briefly touch on this detail of the Tongue River and its tributaries, but then went on to basically dismiss it.
wsgs-2011-mp-90.pdf https://share.google/IiXIBa2dJ3NFbWWGF

Mentioned coalbed methane development has been replaced by fracking, but didn't elaborate. Used the opinions of a legacy rancher for most of the information presented in the article. Kind of reminded me of a 60 Minutes "news" segment.

Interesting research article.

 

[Ben Lamb]

The article briefly touch on this detail of the Tongue River and its tributaries, but then went on to basically dismiss it.
wsgs-2011-mp-90.pdf https://share.google/IiXIBa2dJ3NFbWWGF

Mentioned coalbed methane development has been replaced by fracking, but didn't elaborate. Used the opinions of a legacy rancher for most of the information presented in the article. Kind of reminded me of a 60 Minutes "news" segment.

Interesting study. The CBM boom was mostly bust by 2010/2011 in terms of drilling and produced water. I'd be curious to see if this research was done at an earlier point, when discharge was much higher.

 

[Treeshark]

I wonder what effect cattle being in close proximity (and in many cases actually standing in) these creeks may have in salinity levels?

 

[BigHornRam]

I wonder what effect cattle being in close proximity (and in many cases actually standing in) these creeks may have in salinity levels?

Irrigation practices could have an effect on salinity levels in the arid west.