Research Guides: Hydraulic Fracturing (Hydrofracking): Wyoming

Wyoming

Fracking in Wyoming is concentrated in pockets, including in the northeast of the state. Like many other states, Wyoming requires companies to disclose the chemicals in fracking fluids, but does have an exemption for trade secrets.

Wyoming v. Zinke, 871 F.3d 1133 (10th Cir. 2017).
Industry organization as well as the states of Wyoming and Colorado filed petitions for review of BLM regulation of hydraulic fracturing on lands owned or held in trust by the United States. The District of Wyoming invalidated the regulation but on appeal, the court vacated the decision of the district court.
Powder River Basin Resource Council v. Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 320 P.3d 222 (2014).
Plaintiffs requested records from the commission about the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing fluids by Halliburton, but the Supervisor of the Commission denied the request stating that this was a trade secret. The District Court affirmed the denial and the plaintiffs appealed. The court determined that this was a case of first impression regarding a trade secret under the Public Records Act and held that a trade secret must have a direct relationship between the productive process and the trade secret under this Act. However, since the lower court made a determination under the Administrative Procedure Act rather than the Public Records Act, the case was reversed and remanded. The court did not reach a conclusion about whether the chemicals in hydraulic fracturing fluids would be a trade secret under the act.

The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is responsible for overseeing fracking in the state.

Adopted Rules
Provides access to adopted rules.
Codes and Symbols
Provides the codes and symbols used by the Commission.
Data
Provides access to various oil and gas data including well information.
Environmental
Provides links to oil and gas related environmental information.
Forms
Provides access to oil and gas forms.
New Operator Information
Provides information for operators new to the state.
Orders
Orders from hearings by keyword, field, year, and keyword and year.
Orphan Well
Provides information on orphan wells.
Supervisor Reports
Reports of the Commission Supervisor back to 2016.
WOGCC Rules
Rules of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

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Pavillion, Wyoming Area Domestic Water Wells Final Report and Palatability Study
Report issued in November 2016 by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
Impact to Underground Sources of Drinking Water and Domestic Wells from Production Well Stimulation and Completion Practices in the Pavillion, Wyoming, Field
Study released in March 2016 by scientists at Stanford University.
EPA Pavillion Investigation
Links to the draft report conducted by EPA region 8 in 2011.