Editor’s Note: We thought this response from the Director of the Coalbed Natural Gas Alliance to a recent letter appearing in the Casper Star Tribune is worth posting. Setting the facts straight is always a good idea.

Casper Star Tribune Editor:

I am writing to assist Sally Mechels (letter, Jan. 2) to form a clear understanding of the facts of energy development in Wyoming. Ms. Mechels’ sources of information rely on hearsay and inflammatory rhetoric; mine will rely on verifiable information and the regulatory structure.

Ms. Mechels said, “From what I have been informed, by reliable sources, Wyoming has limited laws or environmental regulations when it comes to taking the mineral resources from the land. It is a free-for-all.”

Ms. Mechels should be heartened to know her source is incorrect. Oil and gas companies are bound by hundreds of rules and regulations. There are rigorous national and state regulations, enforcement and monitoring activities by multiple agencies to ensure that the public lands are protected.

A more accurate example of how many rules operators are bound by might be the requirement of companies to submit stacks of applications, data, and other associated information prior to obtaining permits to drill or to complete other operations.

National regulations such as NEPA (the National Environmental Protection Act), the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and layers of additional rules and regulations exist. The Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service, Park Service, Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers enforce their own sets of rules.

In addition, state agencies such as the Department of Environmental Quality, State Engineers Office and Wyoming Oil
and Gas Conservation Commission each have their own rules to enforce.

For accurate information, please go to our Web site at
www.cbnga.com and click on the subtitle “environmental
regulations” to view the multitude of rules and regulations
enforced today. Please view the survey we recently conducted
through a national polling firm as well.

I agree with one point in Mechels’ letter: “Wyoming is a hidden
jewel, so refreshing, both mentally and spiritually.”

As opposed to causing destruction to our beautiful state, oil
and gas companies are providing a thriving economy — allowing
the best schools and facilities to be built for our kids and
our communities, scholarships, jobs to help our kids stay in
Wyoming and a budget surplus that allows Wyoming to build safe
roads and much, much more.

MONICA DEROMEDI, Kirby
Director, Coalbed Natural Gas Alliance