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April 15th, 2016

ecowatch.com

Listen to the whole show here.

Peabody Spokesman Blames Bankruptcy On Low Coal Prices

The largest coal producer in Wyoming declared bankruptcy this week. Companies like Arch Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources have done so as well over the past year, but this filing is particularly symbolic of the industry’s struggles, because of the company’s size. Peabody Energy is the largest privately-owned coal company in the world. Our Inside Energy reporter Leigh Paterson joins me here in the studio.

Emails Show Museum Closed Green Energy Exhibit After Complaints From Fossil Fuel Industry

A North Dakota museum has temporarily closed a Smithsonian exhibit on renewable energy and sustainability after receiving complaints from the fossil fuel industry. As Inside Energy’s Emily Guerin reports, the controversy is reminiscent of what happened at University of Wyoming in 2012, when the school removed a climate change themed-sculpture after protests from the coal industry.

Wolverines...An Ice Age Animal In A Warming Era

Earlier this month, a federal court in Montana sided with wildlife advocates, saying the U.S. Fish and Wildlife needs to do more to protect wolverines from climate change. Recently, Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards took a snowmobile ride into Wyoming’s wolverine country to find out how the species is doing here.

Black-Footed Ferrets Are Hoping To Make A Historic Comeback

Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are planning a historic venture this summer. They hope to bring black-footed ferrets back to Meeteetse, where they were found 35 years ago when the species was thought to be extinct.

Meth Contamination Can Be Costly

Many homes or apartments in Wyoming are contaminated by methamphetamine and if you move into one of those places, you may not know it. It can lead to health problems and be expensive to clean up. Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck reports that Wyoming is one of the few states that does not require disclosure of a meth-contaminated home.

University Of Wyoming Native American StudentsWantMore Support

Next month, Laurie Nichols will take over as President of the University of Wyoming. She says one of her priorities is building deeper relationships with the tribes on the Wind River Reservation. As Wyoming Public Radio’s Aaron Schrank reports, many hope new leadership means UW will do a better job enrolling, supporting and graduating Native American students.

Interview: New Book Explores Fracking Through Poetry And Prose

Fracking: the technique for boosting oil and gas production has been around for decades, but chances are you didn’t hear about it until recently. In just a few short years, the fracking boom has transformed communities across the country… and elicited plenty of emotions from all sides. Fracture is a new book of essays, poems and short fiction on the topic of fracking.

Pieces from more than two dozen writers address everything from the history of the Cushing oil hub and the geological origins of shale to water contamination and roughnecks at the bar. Taylor Brorby was one of the editors of the anthology, and will be leading a symposium on it at the University of Wyoming this week (Saturday, April 16). He joined Wyoming Public Radio’s Stephanie Joyce to talk about why anyone should read poetry about fracking.

Bob Beck retired from Wyoming Public Media after serving as News Director of Wyoming Public Radio for 34 years. During his time as News Director WPR has won over 100 national, regional and state news awards.
Email: lpaterson@insideenergy.org; leighpaterson@rmpbs.org
Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.
When Penny Preston came to Cody, Wyoming, in 1998, she was already an award winning broadcast journalist, with big market experience. She had anchored in Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Tulsa, and Fayetteville. She’s been a news director in Dallas and Cody, and a bureau chief in Fayetteville, AR. She’s won statewide awards for her television and radio stories in Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming. Her stories also air on CBS, NBC, NBC Today Show, and CNN network news.