Inside Energy

Coal is in a long decline in Central Appalachia(APP-ah-LATCH-uh). Even though coal mining jobs are disappearing there—the imprint of coal on the landscape is everywhere. More than a million acres of strip-mined land -- an area the size of Rhode Island -- are now deforested. Inside Energy is collaborating with Allegheny Front in Pennsylvania, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting on a new series on the future of coal. In our first story, Reid Frazier reports from Eastern Kentucky.

Hope And Anxiety At Oilfield Job Fair by Inside Energy

Ran Off The Rig: An Oil Worker's Diary by Inside Energy

Drilling Is Loud, But Are Wyoming Officials Listening? by Inside Energy

With oil prices now at a six year low, oil companies have been idling hundreds of drilling rigs. For the wells that remain active, the key is getting more out of less...which is tricky because when you drill for oil, only around 5 percent of what’s underground is actually recovered. That’s according to the US Energy Information Administration. So at any given well, more than 90% of the oil is generally left underground! Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports on how these days - with prices so low - producers are using below ground technology to chase oil thousands of feet below the earth’s surface…

One Oilfield Worker's Decision To Quit The Bakken by Inside Energy

The drop in the price of crude oil means thousands of people are losing their jobs in oil fields nationwide. There’s renewed focus on an ongoing problem in the oilfields---the theft of oil, tools, piping and copper wire by laid off or disgruntled workers. The issue is so severe in Texas that the FBI has a team working full-time to stem the flow of stolen oilfield equipment. For Inside Energy, Lorne Matalon of Marfa Public Radio reports.

It’s no secret that America’s roads are in trouble. Our highways, interstates and bridges are crumbling and there's an estimated $90 billion dollar annual shortfall in funding to make the fixes. So, now would be a good time to raise gas taxes, right? That’s the main funding source for road infrastructure, has been for decades. Wyoming, and Iowa have raised theirs in recent years, other states are considering it. But, Dan Boyce tells us gas taxes are not a long-term solution.

Solar Economics Looking Sunnier, Even In Coal Country by Inside Energy

A Colorado task force tackling controversial oil and gas issues has wrapped up it’s work, sending nine recommendations to the desk of Governor John Hickenlooper. Industry is hailing the process as a collaborative success. Others say the body did not go far enough. Dan Boyce with our Inside Energy team tells us the group has been meeting for five months.

As Inside Energy reported yesterday, a Colorado based oil company has asked Nebraska regulators to approve its plans for a wastewater injection well. They hope to bring in as much as eighty truckloads a day of wastewater from fracking wells in Colorado and Wyoming. In today’s story, Bill Kelly of NET News in Nebraska reports that a deeper look into the finances of the company behind the application is causing concern.

The American landscape is dotted with over 100,000 deep injection wells..They’re a key part of our energy infrastructure. Without them, you probably wouldn't be able to fill up your tank. Because for every barrel of oil that comes out of the ground, salty and sometimes chemically-laced fluid comes up with it. This so-called produced water has to go somewhere - and much of it injected back into the earth. In the first of a 2 part series, Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports on one company’s bid to get in the game.

State Officials Misrepresent North Dakota's Spill Problem by Inside Energy

Falling Oil Prices Leave Petroleum Engineering Students Out In The Cold by Inside Energy

Between Energy Development And The Ravens That Follow It, Sage Grouse Are In Peril by Inside Energy

The fracking boom has generated controversy across the country. In Pennsylvania, there have been reports of pipe bombs, charred debris, and gunshots fired at gas sites. But most of the opposition is non-violent. Still, law enforcement agencies have started to work closely with the oil and gas industry to monitor threats to infrastructure and, at times, to keep an eye on activists. It’s going on in drilling hot spots around the country—places like Pennsylvania, Texas and the Rockies. From StateImpact Pennsylvania, Marie Cusick has this report for Inside Energy….

Time is running out for a Colorado Task Force charged with easing tensions around oil and gas drilling in the state. The task force was created late last year as part of a deal to avoid a handful of competing oil and gas ballot measures. Members are hoping to settle on policy recommendations for the Governor and the legislature during two days of meetings next week. But, Dan Boyce with our Inside Energy team tells us addressing the concerns of those most affected by drilling may be a tall order.

Every day, we use a lot of digital data - from checking facebook to sending email. It all seems kind of intangible but this data actually exists on a server at one of the millions of data centers across the country. Over the next few months we'll be exploring the connection between energy and our digital information. To start, Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson takes us to an experimental Wyoming data center that is fighting energy waste… using waste.

From 'Fiscal Apocalypse' To 'Meh': Oil States Respond To Price Slide by Inside Energy

Wyoming Schools: Well-Funded But Dealing With Transient Kids On The Oil Patch by Inside Energy