A federal report possibly linking groundwater pollution to hydraulic fracturing in central Wyoming is not discouraging hopes for the Niobrara oil play in the southeast part of the state.
Many are questioning the scientific conclusions of the Environmental Protection Agency findings on the technique to extract oil and gas.
But both EPA and industry representatives say the specific concerns raised in the report are not applicable to southeast Wyoming. That is because the Niobrara formation is geologically much different than the Pavillion area.
According to the EPA, water wells in southeast Wyoming's Niobrara formation usually are shallow and well away from where the minerals are being extracted.