Compiled by WEN Staff

COOLING JOB MARKETS FORCE WORKERS
TO HONE SKILLS

Coal and natural gas were largely responsible for the men and women who came to Wyoming in recent years in search of work. Now many of those workers are in transition due to the recession, as well as a clear emergence of clean energy technologies.

“I got a call the other day from a dad who said his son was working on a gas rig and got laid off,” said Mike Schmidt.

Schmidt is an instructor of wind energy technology at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. He is hearing from more and more people who say energy is energy, and work is work. The recession has forced workers to focus on the essentials: know what skills are in demand, and acquire those skills. “It makes sense to learn the wind energy trade here in Wyoming, because this is where the industry will experience major growth,” Schmidt said.

This is the first full year of the wind technology program. Of 21 full-time students, 13 of them were from Wyoming, and five of them came to the program with advanced degrees in other vocations. One has a degree in music, and one holds a degree in philosophy. “We think folks coming from different career fields are going to get a good, solid, hands-on knowledge of wind technology,” said Doug Cook, LCCC program coordinator.

What was in demand for the past six years or more were laborers for the natural gas and coal-bed methane fields in Wyoming. At one point, drilling contractors pooled their resources with the McMurry Training Center in Casper with the goal of recruiting 5,000 new workers to the Rocky Mountain region to man the gas boom.

The program steadily churned out rig workers until last fall. “We were so busy, we’d started classes in Dickinson, N.D., in addition to the classes here,” said Bruce Brown, general manager of the McMurry Training Center.

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COAL MINES LOOK TO BIG CAT’S WATER TECHNOLOGY

Several Powder River Basin coal producers have expressed interest in applying Big Cat Energy Corp.’s ARID water handling process and technology is capturing plenty of interest from several Powder River Basin cola producers who are looking at it their open pit mining operations, according the company. Big Cat said it has begun modifying the ARID tool to re-inject water below the pit floor. The company is also developing an application for handling water in the Raton Basin of New Mexico, in response to interest by a major coal-bed methane operator in that area.

“Water handling is an increasing concern of the energy industry, and the ARID process and technology is increasingly becoming an accepted solution to handling water problems because it is cost effective and environmentally friendly and has regulatory approval,” said Big Cat President, Tim Barritt.

DOUBLE EAGLE TO MERGE WITH PETROSEARCH

Casper-based Double Eagle Petroleum Co. (Nasdaq: {M3DBLE) has entered into a merger agreement with Petrosearch Energy Corp, with the latter becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Double Eagle, according to the companies. The transaction is expected to provide Double Eagle with approximately $8.75 million of working capital and an early stage water-flood project in the Texas Panhandle.

Following the merger, Double Eagle will continue to be listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, and Richard Dole will continue to serve as chairman of the board, president and CEO of Double Eagle.

BP GETS OSHA SAFETY HONOR 

BP America’s Overthrust Team recently joined the Wyoming Cowboy “Star” Voluntary Protection Program, joining just 11 other Wyoming workplaces that have earned the honor for excellent safety and health practices. The honor is given out by Wyoming OSHA and a team from Wyoming Workers’ Safety and Compensation Division, which operates the federal-OSHA-approved VPP program.

“Successful workplace safety and health programs demonstrate a commitment from BP, its employees and contractors at its Overthrust operations here in the Evanston area,” Gov. Dave Freudenthal said, after presenting the VPP flag and plaque to company officials and workers in a ceremony in April.

Requirements for application to the program include a high degree of management support and employee and contractor involvement; a high-quality worksite hazard analysis; prevention and control programs; and comprehensive safety and health training.

BP America employs close to 300 men and women in Wyoming who work at its natural gas operations throughout the state, primarily along the Rawlins to Pinedale corridor.

Appointments

EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. appointed John Schmidt as its Wind River Basin operations field leader. Before joining EnCana in 2004, Schmidt was the production manager for Tom Brown Inc. Schmidt replaces Eddie Carpenter, who joined EnCana’s drilling and completion team in the Texas Mid-Continent business unit.

Jackie Dymond recently became national director of field training and safety for Universal Well Site Solutions, which offers full-service automated and wireless well-site production solutions for coal-bed methane, shale gas and low-pressure traditional gas projects.