News Release
March  21, 2008

UW extension plans coal-bed methane issue workshop in Rawlins

A workshop for landowners and interested persons in areas of coal-bed methane (CBM) development is Friday, March 28, in Rawlins.

Organized by the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service (UW CES), the workshop is 1-5 p.m. in the Carbon Building.

Topics include the Land and Water Inventory Guide for Landowners in Areas of Coal Bed Methane Development (LWIG), an explanation of Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) permitting, a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) perspective on CBM development in the area, and a panel discussion session to help answer any questions, including legal aspects.

The 77-page LWIG provides guidelines for understanding and monitoring soil and water issues of concern in areas of CBM development. The LWIG will be provided to those attending. The manual is also available for free download at www.region8water.org. Click on the Coal Bed Methane Manual link.

Ginger Paige, UW CES water resources specialist and assistant professor in the UW College of Agriculture’s Department of Renewable Resources, and Jeff Soltis, a graduate student in the department, organized the workshop and will also present topics.

A similar workshop in Sheridan March 7 drew 48 landowners and industry and gas representatives.

Panelists include Jennifer Zygmunt, CBM permit writer, watershed-based permitting with
  DEQ, and Laura Gianakos, supervisor of natural resource specialists with the BLM Rawlins Field Office. Zygmunt and Gianakos will also be involved in the topic presentations.

For more information, contact Paige at (307) 766-2200 or gpaige@uwyo.edu.

###

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

###