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Saturday, August 30, 2008
835 - An exotic energy world in southwest Wyoming
Wyoming is a land of mountains, deserts and high plains.
Not sure that the correct adjective would be “exotic” but in certain places, the man-made creations for energy development can provide amazing sights.
Many of those places are in southwestern Wyoming.
Central Wyoming residents have discovered a short cut route that takes some 20 minutes off their drives to Salt Lake City. A side benefit is that it takes you through some of the state’s more interesting energy projects.
Instead of going south at Farson to I-80 and then west to Evanston, this route heads west into a vast open area. The world’s largest trona deposits are south of it and the huge Jonah Field natural gas deposit is north of it.
In-between is the billion-dollar ExxonMobil Shute Creek plant. It is located truly in the middle of nowhere.
One of the most rare elements in the world is helium and 25 percent of the world’s supply comes from that plant. Helium is a byproduct along with CO2 from scrubbing sour gas from the Madden Formation wells near LaBarge. Seven different gasses are separated at that facility.
Shute was not its original name, by the way. The real name is not publicly mentionable.
Earlier this month, Devon Energy announced plans for a $100 million project to pipe CO2 from Shute all the way to Riverton. They will pump carbon dioxide into mature oil wells and then extract enough oil to make the project profitable.
That $120 per barrel oil price is the incentive for this incredibly ambitious project.
And of course prior to getting to this route, we drive over South Pass and that vista gives you a spectacular view of the Jack Morrow Hills in the Red Desert, where environmentalists and energy companies have been sparring for ten years over the development of thousands of natural gas wells.
Next big fight in that region may be over somebody’s idea to build a field of big windmills on South Pass. A few decades ago someone tried to build a power line over the historic pass and it was throttled by the public outcry.
What will they say about hundreds of big windmills perched there in one of the windiest places in Wyoming?
Whenever I go to Farson down an absolutely straight-line road of more than 20 miles of desert high plains, a project called Wagon Wheel comes to mind.
Back in the 1970s, engineers knew there was gas deep in those Jonah Field formations but could not figure how to get it out.
In their infinite wisdom, the Atomic Energy Commission planned to detonate underground nuclear bombs to break loose the gas!
The late U. S. Representative Teno Roncalio and a young editor of the Lander newspaper campaigned hard against the project and somehow, people came to their senses, and the project was scrapped.
Then it was up to two fellows named McMurry and Martin from Casper to figure out how to tap into those deep sources of gas and the rest is history.
Our southwesterly route also takes us to the lovely little town of Opal (pronounced O’-pal), which features hubs for the huge natural gas pipelines that head off into the infinite distance.
A company called EPD owned by Houston billionaire Dan L. Duncan has built a big new facility north of Opal with rumors of another six to be built on up the road.
As we continue on this shortcut route, we head to Kemmerer and Elkol, where the Naughton 715-megawatt power station exists. It is powered by coal from the old-time Kemmerer Coal Company.
A beneficiary of that old coal wealth is John Kemmerer III who moved back to Wyoming to buy the Jackson Hole Ski Area. His family has pumped millions of dollars into it, making it one of the premier resorts in the Rockies.
From there it is south to I-80 and past huge windmills that lead into Evanston, home of a 20-year energy boom concerning something called the Overthrust Belt.
My friends Rusty and Carrie Fife say that town is still growing and developing. From a sleepy little burg three decades ago, the town now is one of the nicest in the state. Their River Walk is a highlight.
Wyoming is full of these unique back road areas, which at first glance, may not seem too interesting.
But if you wander farther afield you can find yourself in the midst of an exotic and fantastic landscape that is having a huge impact on our country’s energy fortunes.
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Thursday, August 21, 2008
834 - Reflections on elections - especially U. S. House race
In the wake of last Tuesday’s primary election, a number of important conclusions can be drawn:
• At this point, I am positive that current sitting U. S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso will get my votes in the Nov. 4 general election. These two Republicans breezed through last Tuesday’s primary and are poised to easily win the general.
They are two of my all-time favorite Wyoming politicians. We are very lucky to have these two looking out for our interests in Washington, D.C.
Now, let’s talk about Nick Carter and Chris Rothfuss, the two Democrats trying to unseat Senators Barrasso and Enzi. These are darned good candidates. They are personable, well-informed and deserve your attention. If you get the chance, spend some time with them.
Mr. Carter is a Gillette attorney and he has an interesting story to tell. He has one of the more entertaining stump speeches I have heard. Even with Barack Obama’s coattails, there appears to be no way he can even come close to winning, but he is a worthy candidate.
Chris Rothfuss, Laramie, is a young man with a sparkling resume. He is a UW prof who knows all about carbon credits. No doubt, he can even describe for you every single aspect of the process where energy comes from. And he is not an egghead.
He also has the background of a diplomat, having negotiated international treaties concerning nano-technology. I am thrilled that a man of his caliber is working at UW.
Go listen to him. His stump speech is entertaining. But when he starts talking about energy, well, pay attention. He really knows his stuff.
Can he beat Sen. Enzi? No chance, in my opinion, but it is good for Wyoming that he is running. My vote is for Mike but Chris will bring up some important points during the campaign.
• It is also appropriate to talk about the U. S. House race.
The Democrat in that race is seemingly one of the nicest guys in state politics, Gary Trauner of Wilson.
He has spent at least three years building a powerful statewide network. And he might just win the general election.
• On the GOP side, after all the shouting and posturing, the person who started out as the front-runner ended up the front-runner. Cynthia Lummis is the GOP nominee for Wyoming’s lone U. S. House of Representatives seat.
Mark Gordon, Buffalo, ran an aggressive campaign to combat old-fashioned person-to-person politicking by the longtime GOP player Cynthia.
Give Mr. Gordon credit – he came from nowhere and spent $1.25 million trying to make it a horse race. Incredibly, his campaign may have cost over $47 per vote. Not since Bob Schuster’s multi-million dollar run against Barbara Cubin in the 1994 general has a candidate squandered so much money for so little in return. Mr. Gordon probably spent twice as much money as any candidate in a Wyoming primary ever. Historically it appears that a candidate usually spends about $10 per vote.
But also, historically, it is virtually impossible to win a GOP primary without the pro-life and pro-gun folks behind you. Those folks supported Ms. Lummis.
Gordon’s single biggest mistake was his choice of campaign advisors. He spent a fortune on high-priced San Francisco so-called political experts who took his money and wasted it on a TV campaign. In Wyoming, it is far better to put your political money into local media, including newspapers like this one.
Inevitably, the big-shot national political pros will steer Wyoming candidates toward TV because it is easy for them and it works elsewhere, but not so hot here. Of course, it is his money and he had a right to spend it how he wanted.
Mr. Gordon now joins a long list of one-time statewide candidates who ran aggressive races and then are never heard from again – this writer, included.
But I am not so sure Mr. Gordon will disappear so fast.
In two years the GOP will be looking for a governor candidate who can win. And with current Democrat Gov. Dave Freudenthal out of the way, it will open the door to a huge cast of characters.
It never seemed that obvious to me that Mr. Gordon wanted to spend the bulk of his time in Washington, D. C. He loves being in Wyoming and so it would not surprise me to see him throw his hat in the ring in two years for the gubernatorial nomination. You read it here first.
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Saturday, August 16, 2008
833 - Longing for leadership in U. S. House for Wyoming
Ah, for the days of Teno Roncalio and Dick Cheney.
It’s with that longing that this writer ponders the current Republican race for U. S. Congress for Wyoming.
After an eternity of embarrassing representation by outgoing Rep. Barbara Cubin, preceded by a quick stint by the late, great Craig Thomas, well, this seat has not been a beacon of hope for the people of Wyoming for a long, long time.
Back when this was a two-party state, Democrat Teno was a force for Wyoming in the 1970s. Was that about a 100 years ago or what?
Vice President Cheney was a major player on the national scene when he held the seat, winning six two-year terms. He succeeded Rep. Roncalio in 1978.
Most recently we have had 13 years of mediocre to non-existent representation by Mrs. Cubin since Jan. 3, 1995. In a few days, Republicans will vote for her likely successor as Wyoming’s lone Representative.
Most observers feel it is a horse race between veteran Cynthia Lummis and big spending newcomer Mark Gordon. Canny observers refuse to discount Bill Winney who gathered in 33,000 primary votes two years ago against Babs.
Winning this primary is not a lock for the seat, but tradition holds that Democrat candidate Gary Trauner, despite nearly a million dollars raised, will have an uphill battle against the GOP winner.
Cynthia has the endorsement of pro-gun and pro-life folks. Yet, Wyoming’s most conservative Catholic writer, attorney Richard Wall Jr., blasted her pro-life record in a recent column in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. If Mr. Wall’s sentiments get statewide play, it could give the pro-life Mr. Winney a boost.
Other critics fear her election is Cubin 2.0, which is exemplified by reports of the roles played in her campaign by Bill Cubin and Drake Hill.
My polling group of 60 surmised there are two positive consequences of Mr. Gordon spending hundreds of thousands of dollars:
First, they think he would have an easier time beating Mr. Trauner in the general than Cynthia or Bill Winney.
Second, if elected in the general, they think he will accomplish more in Congress because he could work better with Democrats than Ms. Lummis. This is based on the assumption that when the November totals are tallied, America will have a Democrat congress and president.
My respondents offered results that were often dissimilar. But trends did develop.
Lummis supporter Dave Raynolds of Lander said, “Mark Gordon is somewhat like Gary Trauner - a hope that bucks can translate into votes.”
A friend of Mr. Gordon’s who is supporting Ms. Lummis said this: “At issue is the huge amount of money he has donated to his own campaign (over $650,000) . . . seems a little offensive to many.”
The Cheyenne Tribune-Eagle endorsed Mr. Gordon, somewhat of a shock considering Ms. Lummis lives in Cheyenne.
In Worland, Northern Wyoming Daily News Managing Editor Bob Vines says: “You mean someone’s running against Gordon? I truly think he will win, though. Lummis and Perot (er—Winney) will split the vote in the higher populated areas while Gordon will win the rest of the state.”
Is it possible that even the conservative Republicans who vote in primaries might have turned a little green? One Gordon supporter said: “I’ve waited a long time for a Republican who actually cares about the environment.”
The latest attack ads have the Lummis team portraying Mr. Gordon as a RINO (Republican In Name Only). It also blasts him for financially supporting John Kerry and Gary Trauner in previous elections and having held an office with the Sierra Club.
Meanwhile Mr. Gordon has tried humor in his attack ads. Not sure they are working, though.
Endorsements of Mr. Gordon by retired U. S. Sen. Malcolm Wallop and current State Treasurer Joe Meyer (who worked with Ms. Lummis for years) cover both ends of the GOP spectrum and may nullify the wounds inflicted by the Lummis campaign’s RINO assertions.
So who wins Tuesday’s GOP primary?
After polling my statewide constituency, the final tally is too close to call, but it looks like the winner will get less than 40 percent of the vote. This would be the lowest total for a statewide primary winner since Sen. Mike Enzi topped John Barrasso in 1996 with one-third of the vote.
The consensus prediction is something like this:
Cynthia Lummis – 39 percent.
Mark Gordon - 35 percent.
Bill Winney - 23 percent.
Michael Holland - 3 percent.
The election is Tuesday and then we will find out how my various prognosticators fared in their estimating.
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Wednesday, August 06, 2008
832 - Tilting at windmills
Seems like Don Quixote’s worst nightmare is occurring in real life here in Wyoming.
The mythical Man of La Mancha went crazy jousting against huge windmills in Spain that looked like giants to him. In real life, giants are marching across our landscapes here, and yes, they really are windmills.
Everyone knows Wyoming is a windy place, but did you know that our state is ranked number-one in the country for consistent wind? Our average wind speed of 12.9 mph topped the country, according to the governor’s web page.
After all these years, people are getting serious about wind energy here. Seems like everyone, everywhere is talking about Wyoming’s abundant winds.
Two big wind turbine projects have been in the news, as has construction of a huge power line to carry Wyoming wind power. Two separate companies, backed by billionaires Phil Anschutz of Denver and Warren Buffet of Omaha, could provide as much as 6,000 megawatts of electrical power in Wyoming for the desert southwest.
Apparently the experts looked at three ways to provide renewable energy to Southern California, Nevada and Arizona. They looked at concentrated solar power, wind turbines there and wind turbines one thousand miles away in Wyoming.
To no one’s surprise who has driven I-80 in the winter, our wind is strong and consistent. They discovered you could build turbines here and transport the power that far and it would still be cheaper than solar or wind there.
The problem with wind in the desert southwest is there is not much of it. And when they need it the most (hot August days), the wind quits blowing.
This is amazing good fortune for our fledgling wind industry.
As the country rapidly blows away from coal to wind, I am reminded of a story told at least five years ago by a lobbyist for the coalmines. He claimed it would take 20,000 wind turbines to replace one Jim Bridger plant. That coal fired power plant located east of Rock Springs has capacity of 2,120 megawatts.
Well, not so fast. That lobbyist was talking about those original wind turbines, which were small fry, compared to the giants marching across the plains today. The average wind turbine today often can produce one megawatt, a huge improvement. Wind farms are reportedly just one-third efficient as coal, though, so you may need three wind turbines to create one consistent megawatt.
Thus if my math is correct, you would need 6,360 of these one megawatt wind turbines to replace Bridger, which is the 56th largest power plant in the USA.
But wait, there’s more.
On the drawing boards today are gigantic five-megawatt wind turbines. When these behemoths get installed, well, you need just over 1,000 of them to equal a Bridger.
Not everyone is thrilled. The NIMBY folks (Not In My Back Yard) are worried there will not be a ridgeline left in Wyoming that doesn’t contain the swirling images of giant windmills.
Right now, not counting wind, Wyoming produces about 6,000 megawatts of power, of which half is sent to other states. About half the 3,000 megawatts used here are for residential use and the rest for industrial. That 1,500-megawatt total is about three-fourths of a Jim Bridger plant.
But we should keep talking about Wyoming wind. What is the product of wind? Why it is air, of course. Could air be its own energy source? Read on.
Recently, I heaped praise on the concept of compressed natural gas-powered cars. It just made sense to me to use our surplus natural gas in this state to power vehicles at a price less than $1 per gallon compared to gasoline and diesel fuel, which are around $4 per gallon.
Perhaps we should develop wind-powered cars, too.
There really is an “air car” coming into service. The Tata Company in India plans to develop the Compressed Air Car, which will cost $12,700. It will go 68 mph and have a range of 125 miles.
No kidding.
It would take a few minutes to fuel up at a service station equipped with custom compressors. It will cost $2 for 340 liters of air. Its range is 125 miles.
Heck, maybe we should forget what I wrote about compressed natural gas?
Say good-bye to gas and diesel?
And laugh at the demise of corn fuel!
There are renewable fuels and then there are REAL renewable fuels.
Try to imagine a fleet of Wyoming cars powered by air where the electricity that powered the compressor came from our wind! Now that is a concept worth more than a gasp or two.
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Friday, August 01, 2008
830 - In the Good Old Summertime in Wyoming
By school vacation standards, summer is now two thirds over. Hard to believe.
Here in Wyoming we are going into our best season. August, September and October are my favorite “warm” months. It is a great time to see our wonderful state.
Last year, Wyoming’s unique tourist attractions were featured in a couple of my columns – one was about the state’s seven natural wonders, which ended up with over 50 wonderful sites. The other dealt with my personal “Wyoming bucket list” – places I wanted to see before I kicked the bucket. Both columns are on my new web site www.billsniffin.com.
People are staying closer to home. Wyoming has one of the best state park and historical site networks in the country and they are under-visited, too.
Three of my favorites are Guernsey State Park, Sinks Canyon here next to Lander and Fort Bridger in SW Wyoming.
Our state has a wonderful network of motels, campgrounds and restaurants to accommodate just about every need. Also there are some great golf courses that offer unique experiences. Again three that come to mind is the fine little course in Buffalo, the Saratoga town course (watch for that elevated tee box) and again, here in Lander where the local 18-holer features some of the state’s best mountain views.
The Indian powwows on the reservation are interesting. The most incredible events, though, are the sun dances. Very private and very special. Hard to attend one without coming away feeling spiritually enriched.
Wyoming has developed several wonderful music festivals. Places like Casper and Kemmerer have really out-done themselves. Jackson Hole’s fabulous music fest is Aug. 18-19 and features Ben Harper and the Black Crows. Targhee’s bluegrass festival is Aug. 8-10.
An old friend offered up some fun things to do. Ken Smith is a Journalism Department head at the University of Wyoming and former publisher of the Green River Star. He had this to offer:
“August is good for a hike on the Sheep Lake Trail at the Brooklyn Lake access in the Snowy Range. It includes forest, a hike over a glacier, tundra, and the access roads just opened
“Late September/Early October can be great time for watching the bull elk in their rut in Yellowstone. You have to get out at sunrise in the meadows around and just north of Madison Junction.
“Also the drive from Baggs to Encampment along what is called "Aspen Alley" is spectacular leaf peeking.
“October is a good month for soaking at the hot springs in Saratoga, whether it be the free hobo pool or the pools reserved for the guests at the Saratoga Inn. The fishing ain`t bad either.”
What better event to experience in these months than the five home football games at UW in Laramie in September and October?
This past week the temperatures soared to the mid-90s all over the state.
And with it will occasionally come our typical afternoon thundershowers. I must admit that I love these storms. The mornings are spectacular and then you notice the buildups over the mountains and pretty soon the wind starts to blow.
And then crash-bam, here comes the lightning and thunder. And some times even a few drops of rain will fall.
The hot weather draws a person to water and Wyoming has some interesting water spots.
Our fabulous river systems can provide a terrific cool-off on those hot days. Rivers in canyons like the Wind/Bighorn, Greybull and Popo Agie come to mind.
Broad rivers like the North Platte provide relief from Saratoga all the way through the state until exiting by Torrington.
Large bodies of water like Alcova, Boysen, Glendo, Buffalo Bill and Flaming Gorge provide great fishing, boating and, again, handy places to just have summer fun here in Wyoming.
If water is not your thing, mountain trails can provide a cool interlude to the hot weather.
If you go to the mountains in Wyoming, you can almost always expect an afternoon shower. And frankly, it can be refreshing if it does not catch you unexpected and unprepared.
Wyoming’s mountains are accessible to all and the trail systems in our state continue to get better.
Get out there and walk. Enjoy nature. We are so fortunate to live here in God’s Country and it’s spread out in front of us in all its glory this time of year. The personal enrichment we will gain from it far outweighs the tiny amount of effort to get there.
It’s the Good Old Summertime in Wyoming. Enjoy.
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