Bureau of Land Management

Depending on where you are in the West, certain lands may be ideal for certain energy projects. The Southwest is good for solar, Wyoming has great wind resources and Nevada is ripe for geothermal development.However, according to a new report from the left-leaning Center for American Progress, oil and gas leasing often takes precedence no matter the location.

As part of Wyoming Public Media’s ‘I Respectfully Disagree’ series, four panelists discussed issues surrounding wild horses in the state on a Facebook live.Stakeholders spoke for an hour about topics like herd management, fertility control and holding facilities. Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan mediated the conversation.

Wyoming’s oil and gas lease sales of public land concluded June 30. It was the first sale to happen since late 2020 – typically they are four times a year.Two-thirds of the total parcels offered were sold, which is 67,627 acres of Wyoming public land. The other third went unpurchased.

Oil and gas lease sales on public land resumed this week in eight states, including Wyoming, after a year and a half hiatus, and conservation groups are displeased that the federal government is allowing it.

As part of Wyoming Public Media’s ‘I respectfully disagree’ series, four panelists discussed issues surrounding wild horses in the state on a Facebook live.Stakeholders spoke for an hour about topics like herd management, fertility control and holding facilities.

This spring, 145 wild horses died of an equine flu at a federal holding facility in Colorado. A review by an animal welfare team found that the Bureau of Land Management failed to comply with federal policies that might have helped contain the outbreak.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has completed its largest land purchase in Wyoming, which the agency says will open up access to more land for the public.

The Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) issued a letter of protest Wednesday, regarding the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) reduction in oil and gas leases. Shortly after, conservation groups from eight states submitted their own letters of protest.

A 12-year saga between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Rock Springs Grazing Association is nearing an end with a potential reduction in wild horses in Sweetwater and Carbon counties. But the proposal first needs to be reviewed by the public.

A wild horse advocate says the move marks “a significant shift towards humane on-range management of wild horses and away from cruel, costly helicopter roundups.”