Inside Energy

The Houston-based oilfield services giant Schlumberger reported better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings in 2014, but laid off 9000 employees in response to falling oil prices.

Companies have been borrowing more and more to drill in America’s oil fields. Some estimates have oil and gas industry debt jumping more than 50 percent over the last five years, long before the dramatic slide in oil prices of the last six months. Our Inside Energy Reporter Dan Boyce tells us that is now making it a lot harder to pay off those mounting debts.

When Oil Prices Drop, Size and Location Matter by Inside Energy

When you think about the biggest energy users in our country, transportation and power plants come to mind. And then there are buildings. They account for one-fifth of our energy use. And much of that energy is pure waste, leaking from walls with poor insulation and lights left on when no one is around. Energy efficiency is one of the few issues with wide support from Republicans and Democrats, as well as private industry. Our Inside Energy reporter Jordan Wirfs-Brock brings us the latest in a series on energy policy and what is likely under the new GOP-controlled Congress.

With the Republicans in the majority in both the House and Senate in Washington, there will be changes in energy policy in the next few years. Republicans are pledging to approve the Keystone XL pipeline and to delay or derail the Obama Administration’s clean air proposals. Energy issues will likely be a source of upcoming strife, but they also provide opportunities for compromise. Our inside energy team is exploring what the new GOP majority means for energy policy in a series of stories. Reporter Dan Boyce starts us off with hydropower.

Why Republicans Still Care About Keystone XL, When Some Oil Companies Don't by Inside Energy

One Year Later, Do Witnesses Of Fiery Train Crash Feel Any Safer? by Inside Energy

With the Republican’s sweep of November’s midterm elections, they’re taking over key Senate committees dealing with energy. High on their agenda - blocking or delaying the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial carbon emissions plan. For our series on the GOP and energy, Leigh Paterson with our Inside Energy team reports on what’s at stake for American coal, from the nation’s top producing state.

If you ever take Highway 59 between Douglas and Gillette, you might have noticed that recently there are more state troopers giving out more citations. In addition to this increased police presence, Governor Matt Mead has proposed nearly 22 million dollars in safety upgrades. Why? Because since 2010, accidents on this section of Highway 59 have nearly doubled. But lawmakers are just now taking action. For Wyoming Public Radio Leigh Paterson reports.

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced the first-ever set of national rules to regulate the disposal of coal ash but the agency chose not to classify it as a hazardous material. For Inside Energy, Leigh Paterson reports.

The Bust: A Difficult Cycle To Break by Inside Energy

The Boom: Short Term Gain, Long Term Pain by Inside Energy

If you move to Wyoming, or North Dakota, or any energy boom state to work in oil or gas production you probably know to expect long hours and a big paycheck. And you may even know enough to expect to be sleeping in your car. Housing is a perennial issue in boomtowns, one that pits the needs of energy workers against the interests of long term residents. As Wyoming Public Radio’s Miles Bryan reports, it’s not an easy fix. He has the story of how the boom is playing out, in this tale of two Wyoming towns.

When you think of oil and gas towns, most people visualize a lot of transient workers, increased crime, and RV parks. Maybe not the most family oriented-of places. But plenty of oilfield workers do move to town with their families. Wyoming Public Radio’s Melodie Edwards reports that the challenge is finding them adequate housing.

For a small business owner an energy boom can be a blessing. What could be better for a restaurant or clothing store than lots of customers with cash to burn? But when wells close and energy workers head out of town, the businesses that remain have to figure out how to survive. That’s what happened in Wyoming in the last oil bust in the early 80s. Wyoming Public Radio’s Miles Bryan has more.

Wyoming's Workplace Safety Czar Resigns by Inside Energy

Relationships 101: Oil And Gas Looks For A Social License To Operate by Inside Energy

As the fight against the EPA's carbon emissions plan heats up, Wyoming lawmakers dig in. Leigh Paterson, with our Inside Energy team reports that Wyoming's Governor Matt Mead repeats his belief that the Clean Power Plan is just too flawed to work with.

Working in the oil and gas industry is dangerous - Inside Energy reported earlier this year that these jobs are in fact six times more dangerous than the average American job. A new training center opening up in central Wyoming next fall is designed to address those risks -- by training students as young as 16 on the heavy equipment used in the oil and gas fields. The Wind River Job Corps Center is the first in Wyoming, and the first in the nation to focus on energy. Leigh Paterson with our Inside Energy team reports.

Women in the Oil Patch: Unsafe, or Just Uncomfortable? by Inside Energy