News Release
October 19, 2007

Sublette Community Partnership has civic leaders, energy representatives addressing issues

With several sets of wheels slowly turning, the white, broad-shouldered behemoth lumbered its way east on Highway 191 through the heart of Pinedale.

Cars, pickups, and trucks pulling flatbed trailers patiently lined up behind the muscular gasfield vehicle hugging the lane nearest the curb, its weight sending vibrations felt on sidewalks of the darn-near-to-Jackson town nestled in front of the spectacular snow-capped Wind River Mountains.

Though natural gas development arrived in the southern part of Sublette County nearly 60 years ago, a drilling technique called “fracing” has renewed energy development. The dynamic development reverberated from the sagebrush hills of southern Sublette County to the mountainous north – housing shortages, childcare shortages and a need for workforce education.

A little more than a year ago, the improbable happened. Ever since the county seat settled in Pinedale in the 1920s, relations between north and south have been cantankerous.

But last year, representatives of EnCana Oil & Gas, BP America, Ultra Resources, Inc., Shell Oil, and Questar Exploration & Production Co. found themselves sitting at a table with the southern mayors of Big Piney, Marbleton and La Barge – bordering southern Sublette County – and Pinedale from the north and a representative of the Sublette County Board of Commissioners. Bent on staring down energy development issues, they created the Sublette Community Partnership (SCP).

 “Truth be told, I don’t think something like this had ever happened in the county before,” said SCP chair Betty Fear, the commission representative.  “We were brainstorming and trying to determine how much it would cost us to do what we needed to do. We kept saying ‘somebody should go to this or that meeting.’ But nobody ever did. We knew we needed an employee.”

At that point, she said, the oil company representatives in the group might have been thinking they were going to have foot the bill.

“That’s when a mayor of a town stood up and said ‘I think we could give $5,000,’ ” she recalled. “The mayor from the next town said they could do that, too. I knew then that, yes, this was going to work.”

Later, the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service was asked to participate to bring the resources of the university to the group’s disposal, and Laurie Latta was hired as the group’s coordinator. Technically, she works for the UW CES, but she takes direction from the SCP. She had worked as an assistant to the Pinedale mayor for 15 months prior.

“Last year was a learning curve,” said Latta, born in the south and living in the north. “To have these people sitting down at one table was exceptional. They recognized the socio-economic issues that were not being dealt with, and to have them come to the table was an accomplishment in itself.”

Part of the reason that happened, said Latta, is the commonality of issues.

“Both ends of the county have been hit by energy development,” she said. “But there are thoughtful, aggressive people in significant positions who understand the needs of their communities who look at the challenges not as adversarial but as looking out for their constituents. The county commissioners understand what is going on in the communities. The economic prosperity the county is undergoing affords us to do good things for the people in the county.”

Housing, childcare and work force education were set as goals but were not clearly defined last year, she said. “The sense of trust and working together to solve problems is the principal thing that happened last year.”

While big equipment and gasfield workers had long been in Big Piney, Marbleton and La Barge, Pinedale is now feeling the effects of energy development. “There has been a lot of give and take,” said Fear. “Pinedale has had a struggle, but the talking has been helpful to everyone. Having industry listening has been good, too, to understand the problems small towns have with the influx of people.”

The SCP, said Randy Teeuwen, community relations adviser for EnCana and a member of the group, helps industry understand the communities’ needs, their vision for the future and how industry can fit into their hopes for the future and make a positive contribution.

Teeuwen said industry in the small towns might be looked at as the 800-pound gorilla. “But the 800-pound gorilla doesn’t necessarily have to trample a community,” he said. About EnCana’s philosophy, he said,  “Our sense of social responsibility is to do the right thing in the communities where we operate, to be part of those communities and respond to their needs and understand we have impacts on the communities. We think the right thing to do is be a contributing member of the community.”

Geoff Sell is a small town boy in a big-time position as operations manager for Shell EP Americas’ Rocky Mountain production area. Raised in Glendive, Mont., he worked for Shell there and is a 31-year employee – including two years at Pinedale and 17 years in New Orleans.

He said he loved living near New Orleans, but after Hurricane Katrina, and an opportunity to come to Pinedale, he and his wife wanted a small-town atmosphere.

He’s looking for employees who like that, too. So housing and the hard climate come into play. Sell said all who work for him have found housing; however, housing will continue to be a problem that needs to be addressed.

The company would like to hire county residents or those willing to move to the area and participate in the communities. “Some of our strongest people are local,” said Sell. “Folks who participate in every aspect of a community are what we desire.”

Employees need to have the right skills, and early work force training is being discussed. “I’d like to have something put together for our young people to come back to our county and make a good living and stay in the county,” Fear said. “You have to have early training, possibly while still in high school. Not everybody wants to be a college graduate.”

An option could be the two school districts to open classes to each other’s students. “We are hoping to get something off the ground this year,” said Fear.

Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Phone: (307) 766-6342
E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu
Archived News Site http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news.asp

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