Inside Energy

There are now over half a million oil and gas workers nationwide. And as the industry has grown, so have the number of fatalities. In 2013, 112 oil and gas workers died on the job. Today Inside Energy begins a series of stories we call DARK SIDE OF THE BOOM, using brand new data analysis to look at fatality rates in America’s oil and gas fields. In part 1, Prairie Public’s Emily Guerin explores the history of another hazardous industry: mining.

Oil And Gas Fatalities: How Dangerous Is Too Dangerous? by Inside Energy

Oil and Gas Fatalities Down in 2013.WAV by Inside Energy

Communities in Colorado are engaged in a political battle with the state to get more local control over oil and gas drilling. It’s a battle many thought was heading to the ballot this November--until a last minute compromise stopped this initiative effort in its tracks. The democratic governor’s office declared the compromise a victory, but Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce says many on the environmental left are furious.

If you live right next to a drilling rig, or your kids go to school beside a fracking site, or your county is suddenly littered with well pads -- are there health risks? That’s a question that’s been asked from Pennsylvania to North Dakota, from Colorado to Texas as more and more people find themselves and their towns in the midst of an unprecedented energy boom. In this second part of a series on public health risks, Inside Energy reporters Jordan Wirfs-Brock and Leigh Paterson clarify the confusion and describe a new scientific effort to help communities make informed decisions about this booming industry.

Energy rich states produce billions of barrels of oil and gas but are also home to some of the best renewable resources in the country. Earlier this month a massive wind farm got the green light from the state of Wyoming. If the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project gets federal approval, it would become the largest in the country. But for now, there is no way to transport the electricity it would generate, and no buyers at the other end. For Inside Energy, Leigh Paterson reports on why transmission gridlocks are keeping so much Western wind at bay.

North Dakota is in the middle of a historic oil boom, producing over one million barrels of oil each day. And it’s producing a whole lot more of something else: saltwater, a waste product of drilling. The state has strict requirements for getting rid of the waste water. But as more and more wells are drilled, salt water spills have increased dramatically. Prairie Public’s Emily Guerin reports FOR INSIDE ENERGY…

With oil and gas development practically at people's doorsteps, there are a lot of questions about the health impacts. But there is a lot of confusing information out there. Like does fracking cause cancer, migraines, asthma? This sort of Information would help people decide how to vote, where to live, and how to best care for their health. But its elusive, and we’re here to talk about why.

Larry Baxter of Sustainable Energy Solutions, describes Cryogenic Carbon Capture as "the biggest, worst blizzard you've ever been in. CO2 flakes everywhere." He says this technology could help stop climate change but is is nowhere near to becoming part of our energy landscape.

Putting up solar panels may be a good thing for the environment, but these days it’s also a smart financial move. The cost of solar power is falling rapidly--down 60 percent in just the last three years. Solar is changing the way we get our electricity - and that means traditional utilities are being forced to adapt. We continue our Solar Challenge series. Inside Energy Reporter Dan Boyce begins with a Boulder, Colorado couple on a particularly hot and sunny day.

Inside Energy reporters Jordan Wirfs-Brock and Dan Boyce discuss Jordan's new grid outage database, which details 15 years of blackouts in the U.S.

When we flick on our light switch, we don’t often think about how that electricity is getting to us. Well, whether we do or not, turns out there are some dramatic changes facing the way power is delivered in the U.S. Renewable energy, climate change, national security--these are shaking up our country’s traditional GRID--the network of transmission lines bringing electricity to your home. Our Inside Energy Reporter Dan Boyce starts off a series of stories on this issue in a small Colorado town with a surprising challenge.

As Pipelines Multiply, Pigs Are Paramount by Inside Energy

This week, the Governor of Colorado announced he would convene a special task force to work on resolving conflicts between residents and the state’s oil and gas industry. It’s not plan A to address a feud over fracking. It isn’t plan B. It’s more like plan C for Colorado. And it has made the political establishment here breathe a huge sigh of relief. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce reports.

North Dakota Crude Cleanup by Inside Energy

The Colorado Governor’s office has announced a last-minute compromise to prevent a costly election battle this fall over oil and gas drilling in the state. Our Inside Energy Reporter Dan Boyce tells us the Governor hopes a new task force is a better solution to the fracking wars than competing ballot measures in November.

Leaky Barrels, German U-Boats And 2.6 Million Miles of Pipe by Inside Energy

In some parts of the country, coal might seem like an endangered species, threatened by shiny new energy sources and the president’s recent proposal to cut carbon emissions. But in Wyoming, coal’s culture runs deep. Miners there extract over one million tons of the hard black rock every single day. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

Hundreds of people gathered across the nation on Tuesday, in four different cities to give the Environmental Protection Agency a piece of their minds. The subject: proposed new rules to cut carbon pollution from power plants 30 percent by 2030. The rules, announced back in June, would be the biggest step taken by the US so far to combat the effects of climate change. Public hearings are going on in Washington DC, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and the only hearing in the West-- in Denver. Our Inside Energy Reporter Dan Boyce stopped by.

Farming and ranching have always been top industries in North Dakota. But now, oil has overtaken ag. Mining -- which includes oil -- is now worth $8.5 billion dollars. Agriculture is closer to 7. It’s a milestone for a state that had hardly any oil production 10 years ago. Inside Energy's Emily Guerin (GARE-in) reports, the change has created some tension.