| |
 |
 |
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
817 - Unimaginable energy abundance
Living in Wyoming it is easy to imagine a comment being said about a state: more energy than anyone could possible imagine.
And, of course, that comment would normally be about our vast amounts of coal, natural gas, oil, uranium, wind, solar and geothermal.
But this comment is not about Wyoming but about North Dakota. North Dakota?
Earlier this month, the U. S. Geological Survey announced that official estimates of an oil find in a place called the Bakken Formation could amount to 4.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
This reportedly increases America’s oil serves by ten times what was previously thought. This field is by far the largest in the lower 48 states.
Geologists have known about the Bakken Field in North Dakota and Montana for some time but it was not until oil hit $100 per barrel that the USGS viewed the field as recoverable.
ND economic developers are expecting an influx of 21,000 new workers in the next ten years to remove the oil. Sounds a little like Wyoming’s energy boom.
Which reminds me a lot about Rock Springs. While visiting there last week, Dave Hanks, the chamber of commerce manager, told me the following two facts about his city:
There are 64 subdivisions under construction, which will provide thousands of new homes for workers. And they have three hotels under construction and another six on the drawing board.
In a word, the place is busy.
There has been lots of other energy news involving Wyoming. For example:
• In Douglas and Converse County, folks are excited and concerned about two huge energy projects headed their way.
Folks welcome but worry about two wind farms near Glenrock that will each include 66 turbines.
Glad to see wind being developed in Wyoming. And now it looks like there will be ways to capture wind power here and send it out of state.
A new corridor to Denver for electrical lines between Wyoming and Colorado will give opportunity for developers to send green power to Colorado in the near future.
Called the Wyoming-Colorado Intertie (WCI) project, it will offer capacity rights at June auction. It ultimately will provide the ability to ship up to 900 megawatts of power down that line. If all goes well, construction will start in 2013.
The line is “critical for delivery of world-class Wyoming wind power,” said Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal.
To me it makes sense for Wyoming to re-build itself as “the energy state,” not the “fossil fuel colony.” Shipping out energy instead of raw materials creates many more jobs and increases property taxes here
And during bust times, remember it is much easier to shut down mines and wells than it is to shut down power plants or wind farms.
• We have long lamented the lack of corridors to send Wyoming’s natural gas and electricity to other parts of the country.
One big solution to this is the proposed Ruby Pipeline, which will transport Wyoming gas from Opal through Utah and on to Oregon.
Over 200 folks protested vehemently at a meeting in Brigham City, Utah, recently, saying they worried about their property values going down and that blasting may cause problems with their mountains and cause earthquakes.
Similar hearings in Kemmerer heard nary a peep.
• Meanwhile the daily newspaper in a city that understands the need for cheap electrical power editorialized recently big-time in favor of coal.
The Las Vegas Review Journal editor wrote that “coal-fired power plants provide half of this country’s electricity – Half. Imagine how expensive electricity would be in this country without coal-powered plants?”
The editorial told the story about the event in Kansas that helped precipitate the shutdown of more than 60 coal fired plants that had been on the drawing board or approaching construction in this country.
Last October, Kansas Secretary of Health Rod Bremby single-handedly shut down two proposed coal plants after hundreds of millions of dollars had been spent.
That one political appointee could single-handedly sabotage years of planning and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment frightened utilities from coast to coat, the editorial stated.
• Did you catch that quote by Vice President Dick Cheney in Newsweek about climate change?
“I have no doubt we are in the midst of a global warming. Or as I prefer to call it, Spring.” He made the comment to the annual White House radio and TV reporters’ dinner.
|
Friday, April 18, 2008
816 - Sunny Wyoming Sunday afternoon
After enduring one of the longest winters in memory, spending a warm weekend in Wyoming feels pretty good.
With the mercury at 66 and no wind blowing, I took some time last Sunday afternoon to survey what folks were doing as they emerged from a long dark winter.
A few Wyoming cities and towns have worked to develop what is called a River Walk as walking paths for citizens.
Lander residents are lucky that a local family some years ago donated a stretch of land along the Popo Agie River in the heart of downtown. It is named for the late Judith S. Barney. A young wife and mother, Judy died of cancer about 12 years ago.
I walked that Sunday and saw families with young kids, joggers, older folks my age and some young bicyclists enjoying the sunny afternoon beside a bubbling Popo Agie River.
Lander folks have worked for years on establishing greenways and river walks since. Such a plan is worth doing in other towns, too.
What I am really writing about here is quality of life, which all communities need to savor. It has always made sense to me that quality of life is a key component of successful economic development.
This same fine experience was also occurring in Cheyenne, Rawlins, Worland, Jackson, Riverton, Sheridan, Buffalo and dozens of other cities and towns in the state. One family in Laramie celebrated by making snowmen, though.
In my town, it was fun to see so many people finally outside on a sunny day. After one of the worst winters in memory and definitely the worst this century, well, it was nice to hear birds chirping and kids yelling with delight.
It was a perfect day for my grandson Wolf Johnson to learn to ride his bike without training wheels – the day before his 8th birthday. The Johnson’s had had a big weekend. Wolf’s brother Hayden learned to tie his shoes and his little brother Fin learned to walk on Saturday.
I fired up my old convertible and put the top down. It was time for the first cruise of the summer.
A gal was eating her lunch in our Centennial Park, which was dedicated in 1990 when the state celebrated its 100th birthday. There used to be a fountain in that park but it was removed when it quit working. Sure wish someone would put it back … was a nice touch.
Near our courthouse, some folks were walking through the new Veterans Memorial. What a wonderful project this is – especially at a time when we are losing just about all our members of that incredible bunch of heroes who fought in World War II.
Lander’s golf course was finally busy. Pro Mike Johnson said it had not been very busy because of recent snow and a chilly breeze. But this weekend, conditions were perfect and folks were out playing.
The local course is one of the real secrets of Wyoming. It sits on a bluff overlooking Lander with the Wind River Mountains dominating the scene. The mountains glowed a bright white as a result of recent snows.
The soccer fields were quiet on Sunday but still seemed to contain some of the energy from a big regional tournament that had dominated the community on Saturday.
At the Legion ball diamond, a group of young old-timers were practicing and playing baseball. Lander has a good tradition of baseball and these players were all over 18 and are the mainstays of an annual Old-Timers tournament held every August.
Noticed some homes for sale around town – a local financial person told me that land and homes had doubled in value here in the past five years. Pretty impressive but not as hot a market as some other cities and towns in Wyoming.
Overheard a guy at the local convenience store complaining about the terrible sunburn he had gotten on Saturday while fishing at Bull Lake.
On the Wind River Indian Reservation, Bull Lake is a wonderful fishery. But you have to be careful about being lulled into taking your shirt off and getting a terrible burn. That happened to me some years ago on that lake. Could feel some compassion for him.
A few men were shirtless and sweating over on the north side of town as they labored to dig a big stump out of the front yard.
After the cold and snowy winter we have all endured, it was pretty nice to go around town and see how much people were enjoying the final arrival of warm weather.
|
Thursday, April 10, 2008
815 - Uniquely, Wyoming
Is Wyoming really unique from other states?
Three weeks ago, we published a column listing some unusual things people should know about Wyoming before moving here. That column generated even more suggestions for newcomers.
One of the more humorous suggestions was that anyone moving here “should give away all their summer clothes!”
Meanwhile the ongoing argument between whether those ditches along a road are called borrow or barrow pits got some fine press in the Thermopolis Independent Record. Publisher Pat Schmidt printed an official Wyoming Dept. of Transportation report where it was spelled “barrow.” This is after chief engineer Delbert McOmie reported it was “borrow” in that original column.
My thought is that both usages are correct but the debate continues. And yes, people moving here need to know that that is what we call those places along roadways.
Of all the people who offered tips for newcomers, probably the person who moved the farthest to Wyoming is Kari Cooper of Jackson Hole. She moved here from New Zealand 20 years ago.
“Wyoming is not always an easy place in which to live, “ she says. “We deal with the harsh weather plus the craziness of driving 500 miles to make a kid’s sporting event every weekend.”
Dave Langerman just moved to Lander from California and suggests that travelers carry a candle in a jar to take the chill off the inside of your car should you spend the night in a snow bank. Also he reminds you to keep your cell phone plugged in while traveling.
Director of the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce is Dave Hanks, who lives in Farson. His thoughts:
“Moving here from northern Wisconsin 27 years ago I learned about a few things that are uniquely Wyoming. First is the term “snirt” in southern Wyoming. This is a common occurrence as the wind blows our very dry snow around until it mixes with dirt and you have SNIRT.
“Next being a Midwest boy I had a hard time understanding the phrase purple mountain majesty. This was answered in a very visible and dramatic fashion as we drove to the Big Sandy Openings one evening at sunset in the summer of 1981. The Wind River Mountains changed color many times in a few minutes with the final spectacular splash of primrose and purple. The light went on in my head as we stood in awe of the sight that unfolded before our eyes. This is a scene we never grow weary of through the changing seasons.”
Buffalo’s Jim Hicks says: “I`ve noticed over the years there are a few people who move to a small town and suddenly are in culture shock. They may have come from a place were there was a social strata of sorts. Suddenly they realize the guy who rides on the back of the garbage truck and fixes streets is part of a regular golf foursome with the local doctor, banker and attorney. These newcomers realize there is no seating chart at the church dinner.”
One of my first hires at the Lander newspaper in the 1970s was a young Texan named Stephen Woody who is now publisher of the daily in Montrose, CO. He says that Wyoming is unique because its women are very amorous. Of course, his wife Susan is from Sheridan, whom he met while working in Lander.
My kid brother Jerry who graduated from Lander Valley High School and now lives in San Diego says: “You better buy some snow tires. Some real snow tires. Always be prepared for cold, even on the fourth of July.
“Summertime sunsets are wondrous as are the sunrises, when the sun hits the peaks first and the amber glow works its way down the mountainsides.
“Wait five minutes and that rainstorm will be over. The wondrous smell in the breeze is sagebrush.”
UW Prof Phil Roberts of Laramie suggests newcomers learn some local politics and recommends they check out http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/ROBERTSHISTORY/.
Carole Perkins of Sheridan moved from New York to Wyoming to ranch with her new husband. “What happened to me in that first year would make a column all in itself if I would admit it but it would be too embarrassing!”
Diane Galloway who has lived in Evanston, Laramie and Cheyenne says that buying some thermal underwear and a hooded coat that is good for minus-10 are musts at first.
“Never plant flowers before June 10 in Cheyenne or Laramie. It will be a waste of money,” she concludes.
|
Friday, April 4, 2008
814 - Wyoming`s own airline
One of the great business success stories of the past decade in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain Region has been the amazing story of Cheyenne-based Great Lakes Airlines.
Founded by Doug Voss, the airline derives its name from the Iowa Great Lakes, where Mr. Voss operated a charter plane program a long time ago.
Today this airline is the second busiest airline at the Denver airport, second only to United Airlines and ahead of local giant Frontier Airlines.
The airline is headquartered in Cheyenne and although they received a little bit of state economic help, Tucker Fagan says the airline really has not been that big a beneficiary compared to the economic benefits it has given back to Wyoming.
Mr. Fagan, a CEO of the Wyoming Business Council, said the airline rents its headquarters building and hangar in Cheyenne and used some job training programs the state offers. Otherwise, Mr. Fagan says, Great Lakes has been a wonderful economic development story for itself and for Wyoming.
The facts surrounding Great Lakes right now are impressive. They make 228 flights per day, which includes regular service to Cheyenne, Laramie, Rock Springs, Worland, Riverton, Sheridan and Gillette.
The numbers associated with this outfit are really staggering with 910 employees and 31 airplanes in its fleet. This will be growing soon as they take over many Montana flights from defunct Big Sky Airlines.
You can book flights on the company’s web site flygreatlakes.com, for competitive rates. The airline codeshares with both United and Frontier, which allows seamless travel for Wyoming residents to points all over the globe.
Two complaints about the airline are the small size of the planes and the high cost of the tickets.
Defending the small planes is easy. As a pilot I did some research early on and discovered the Beech 1900 is among the safest in the skies. By having smaller planes, Great Lakes also flies more flights a day, which makes connecting to flights in Denver much more convenient.
Because the planes are small and a full crew is required, it is more difficult for Great Lakes to offer discounted seats compared to an airline with planes that hold 200 passengers.
In this age of high gasoline prices, the average ticket for a Great Lakes flight is not that expensive, comparatively. Although to a family of five going to Disney World, it probably makes more sense to fly out of a hub like Denver and Salt Lake City.
But flying from of out-of-state hubs involves its own sets of difficulties:
• There often is bad weather between your home and Denver. This winter, especially, has seen frequent closures on I-80 and I-25.
• Gas prices over $3 per gallon makes the drive to Denver not cheap. Neither is the $145 per night airport motels charge.
• Recently rings of car thieves were discovered operating at these airport motels. Many angry travelers found themselves afoot when they returned from their trips. Their cars had been stolen from the hotel parking lots.
• We recently flew to Hawaii from Denver and it cost $260 to leave my car at the Denver airport. Whew, now that is expensive. There is no charge to leave my car at the Riverton airport.
Great Lakes is not the only airline which has had its roots in Cheyenne.
Few people know that United Airlines got its start in Wyoming and was headquartered in Cheyenne for the first decade of its life.
And now thanks to valiant efforts of entrepreneurs, local economic developers and an optimistic business climate, history is currently being written by a second airline based here in Wyoming.
Mr. Voss has demonstrated good business instincts and the ability to capitalize on good timing when it came to turning his small charter fleet into a major regional airline.
A northwest Iowa native, he grew up in the Dutch settlements that are sprinkled around that part of the state. As a native Iowan, I knew lots of folks from that part of the state and the Dutch were especially persistent, well, even stubborn.
And building Great Lakes took just about every bit of stubbornness a person could muster.
CEO Chuck Howell has been a steadying influence at the airline as it achieved both an enviable on-time takeoff and landing record and an impressive bottom line.
It is easy to complain about Great Lakes since to many of us, it is our only alternative when it comes to a commercial flight.
But we can take consolation in knowing this company is owned and operated by Wyoming people and is based right here in our capital city.
|
|
 |
|
|
