Wyoming News Briefs

Average gasoline prices dip slightly in Wyoming in the last week

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have fallen 0.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.18 per gallon on Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.

Prices in Wyoming are 5.5 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and stand 53.1 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state Sunday was $2.79 per gallon, while the highest was $4.29, a difference of $1.50 per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has risen 3.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.16 per gallon Monday. The national average is unchanged from a month ago, and stands 41.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

Sugar beet deliveries slowed by warm weather

POWELL (WNE) — Sugar beet harvest in the Lovell Factory District of the Great Western Sugar Cooperative has turned into a test of careful pile management at beet receiving stations under continuing daytime temperatures of 70-80 degrees.

Only about 30% of the crop was received during the first week.

“Good pile storage makes for good grower payments. It’s all about risk,” said Ric Rodriguez, Heart Mountain grower and member of the four-state cooperative board.

The all-out regular harvest was supposed to have started on Oct. 6, but because of the high daytime temperatures, an early harvest schedule was implemented again.

Each contracted grower was given an allotment of 1.25 tons per acre for deliveries to open pile grounds on a rotating basis. That schedule prevailed until Friday, Oct. 11 when the weather forecast allowed for a limited regular harvest to proceed.

That allows growers to deliver as much as they can harvest until stopped for the day.

Pile grounds open at 6 a.m. The receiving stations were able to operate until about 11 a.m. into the weekend “and actually made it to 1 p.m. on Sunday,” Rodriguez said.

“The beets won’t store if they are put into piles hot,” he said. “We have a heat policy that once the beets reach 50 degrees, piling will be halted. The beets are going into the piles cool at this time.”

The other issue is the piled beets sitting through 70-80 degree temperatures for extended periods of time, Rodriguez said.

“The forecast looks cooler later this week so we should get going full blast by then,” Rodriguez added.

Sugar content of early beets is averaging 17.83% with average tonnage suggesting a crop around 30 tons to the acre.

Elk Fire nears 90K acres burned, containment at 27%

GILLETTE (WNE) — The Elk Fire continued to grow over the weekend as firefighters made progress on containment.

As of Monday morning, the fire had burned 89,315 acres, an increase of more than 10,000 acres since Friday morning, and it was 27% contained. A total of 944 people are working on the fire, including 13 aircraft, 19 crews, 59 engines, eight dozers and 18 water tenders.

All of the containment lines are on the north edge of the fire, while the southern part of the fire remains uncontained.

Sunday, crews continued strategic firing operations south of the main fire to reduce fuels and slow the fire’s spread. Firefighters started ignitions at Red Grade Road and the operations progressed to the north, according to a press release from Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3.

Structure protection crews will continue work near homes and other properties in the Poverty Flats area Monday, clearing flammable debris and setting up ponds, pumps and sprinkler systems.

Up Red Grade Road in the National Forest, crews are using heavy equipment to clear vegetation on both sides of Forest Service Road 26 in order to create a defensible line for strategic firing operations, if needed, to keep the fire from moving south.

In the Burgess Junction area, hand crews and heavy equipment are working to remove trees and vegetation.

Utility holds off on creating special wildfire liability in Wyoming

CASPER (WNE) — Rocky Mountain Power on Thursday withdrew its application to create a special-use account that would have drawn on Wyoming ratepayers to help underwrite wildfire insurance premiums and litigation costs.

Those expenses have leapt dramatically in response to wildfires whose legal liabilities have so far cost parent company PacifiCorp more than a billion dollars — and may still cost more.

Company representatives say they will wait on the outcomes of ongoing wildfire litigation before returning to the commission with a proposal.

The move postpones a price hike for now, but wildfire implications will likely directly hit Wyoming ratepayer pocketbooks in time.

PacifiCorp has paid $1.02 billion in settlements related to wildfires in Oregon and California and has reached agreements to pay another $199 million, according to a financial filing in August from Berkshire Hathaway, which controls PacifiCorp.

The utility estimated as much as $2.66 billion in cumulative wildfire-related losses, including a $178 million settlement reached with 403 plaintiffs of the James Fire earlier this year; a $150 million settlement with 378 plaintiffs in the 2020 Slater fire in California; $549 million in combined settlements paid in association Archie Creek Complex Fire for settlements with 10 commercial timber operations and 463 individual plaintiffs.

The company still faces up to $46 billion in class-action claims and other legal challenges, the Aug 5 filing reports.

The prospect of high bills from wild-fires come after the utility’s 144,000 Wyoming customers have already seen monthly electric bills climb. Average ratepayers saw prices increase by 5.5% in January and then by another 9.3%, which were effectively the company’s recoup of increased costs related to price jumps for coal and natural gas in 2022 and 2023.

$15K fuel felony

RIVERTON (WNE) — Felony theft charges allege a Riverton man embezzled nearly $15,000 after he parted ways with an employer but kept a gas credit card and used it to fill up multiple vehicles, including his own.

Travis Lopez, 50, faces three charges of felony theft, each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and one count of theft.

On Thursday, he pleaded not guilty in Fremont County District Court.

According to the charging documents, Riverton Police Department Officer Brandon Brookover met with the owner of Wrangler Well Services on Valentine’s Day. Brookover learned that Lopez had parted ways as a driver with the company in December 2021, and the owner believed he had taken one of two gas cards when he left.

The owner reportedly said the continued use of the card had gone overlooked due to other employees using Lopez’s former work truck.

“[The owner] informed me that Lopez has been using the co-op card since 2021 and he estimated approximately $15,000 worth of charges at [a local co-op],” Brookover said in the affidavit.

Lopez allegedly used the gas card to fill up his personal vehicle and several other vehicles, including his wife’s vehicle and a Silver F150 FX4 and a green late ‘90s to early 2000s model Chevy 1500.

Transformers west of Gillette shot for second time in a month

GILLETTE (WNE) — The Sheriff’s Office is investigating after an unknown person shot two transformers in the 1300 block of West Echeta Road late Thursday night.

The transformers, which are 13 miles west of Gillette, are owned by Powder River Energy, and their being shot caused a power outage in the area, said Sheriff's Lt. Dan Maul.

The power company told deputies that the transformers were shot at some time between 9:45 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. Each transformer had one bullet hole, and there was oil spilled on the roadway from the transformers.

Deputies found four handgun shell casings in the area, Maul said.

The company is still working on getting an estimate on damage, but it will be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

This is the second time in the last few weeks where Powder River Energy’s transformers in that area were shot. On Sept. 18, it was reported that one regulator and three transformers were shot. Damage was estimated at $50,000, and deputies found 12 .357 casings in the area.

Ruptured gas line causes UW evacuations

LARAMIE (WNE) — The Laramie Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of North 15th Street and East Willett Drive Wednesday morning due to a report of a natural gas line that had been hit.

The intersection is within the University of Wyoming’s construction project for its new resident halls.

Initial assessment found that an excavator had struck a gas line in the middle of the intersection, and natural gas was leaking at a significant rate from the hole.

UW structures on both sides of 15th Street — including both dormitory buildings under construction, two fraternity homes on fraternity row (closest to 15th Street), UW Lab School, UW Operations/Service Building, UW College of Business and McWhinnie Hall — were evacuated as a precaution.

A suppression line was put in place near the hit line and gas monitoring was established to determine the flammable area.

The line was a two-inch service gas line that fed one of the dormitories under construction. The line was exposed remotely and gas flow was stopped within about ten minutes.

Once the flow of gas was stopped at the strike site, buildings in the area were monitored for gas accumulation inside.

Finding no hazards, the evacuated buildings were returned to university control. No fire erupted from the hit gas line and no injuries were reported.

State releases Wyoming Insight report for September 2024

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Natural gas prices have increased slightly, while oil prices have dropped to about $70/bbl, according to the Wyoming Insight, which serves as an energy index and business indicators report for the state.

The September 2024 natural gas price at the Opal Hub averaged $1.86 per million British thermal units (MMBtu), $0.29 more than last month. The Henry Hub natural gas price averaged $2.28/MMBtu in September, $0.30 more than last month.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) monthly average price for crude oil was $70.24 per bbl. in September, 21.5% less than a year ago.

This is the lowest the WTI monthly average oil price has been in 2024.

Average active oil rigs were in the state numbered 13 in September, and the conventional gas rig count was 5. This is the highest total rig count (18) since October 2023.

Total sales and use tax collections in September totaled $90.5 million, $2.8 million (+3.1%) more than September last year.

“After declining year-over-year in four of the last six months, sales and use tax collections improved in September, primarily driven by wind power projects,” said Dylan Bainer, principal economist for Wyoming’s Economic Analysis Division, in a news release.

Wholesale trade collections saw the largest increase, up 109.5% year-over-year. Collections from the mining sector declined, down 26.1%.

Total employment increased year-over-year; mining employment declined.

Employment in Wyoming totaled 293,600 jobs in August 2024 — 1700 (+0.6%) more than August last year.

“Total employment continues to increase year-over-year, but at a slowing rate,” said Bainer. Employment from the mining sector decreased by 400 jobs (-2.3%) year-over-year.

The September 2024 issue of the Wyoming Insight is available at the state of Wyoming’s Economic Analysis Division website ai.wyo.gov/divisions/economic-analysis.

Fire danger extreme in Weston County

NEWCASTLE (WNE) — Fire conditions in and around Weston County continue to be extreme as firefighters battle blazes across the state, according to Daniel Tysdal, Weston County fire warden.

Because of the heightened danger, restrictions are being implemented and increased across the area and specialized teams are waiting to respond and suppress fires before they get out of control.

“We are kind of having an anomalous October, as the National Weather Service said, with continued hot, dry and windy conditions,” Tysdal said. “We want to make sure that everyone continues to exercise extreme caution.”

According to Tysdal, the Weston County Fire Protection District has responded to well over 100 incidents since Jan. 1. Between 55 and 60 of those were woodland fire calls that were extinguished fairly quickly.

Because of the heightened level of fire danger, the Black Hills National Forest implemented Stage 2 fire and smoking restrictions.

Scott Jacobson, a U.S. Forest Service public affairs officer, said this fire season has been “kind of average.”

He noted that since January, there have been 98 fires on the Black Hills National Forest with 565 acres burned.

“Our 30-year wildfire average is 99 fires that burn 7900 acres per year. The acres are kind of high in the 30-year average, but it takes into account the large fires, such as the Jasper fire in 2000 that burned 83,000 acres,” Jacobson said.

Jacobson said the Black Hills National Forest has been “a bit lucky” this year, considering the dry conditions and lack of moisture.

According to an Oct. 7 release from the Black Hills National Forest, “Western SD and eastern WY are in a period of drought forecasted to increase in intensity. Fuels are extremely dry and susceptible to wildfire outbreaks. Implementing Stage 2 fire restrictions allows the public to recreate in the Black Hills National Forest while still enacting preventative measures to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires.”

WDE seeks public comment on changes to statewide assessments

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The Wyoming Department of Education is seeking public comment on the One Percent Participation Waiver Extension Request for the Alternate ELA, Math and Science Assessments. Comments can be provided by attending a virtual meeting, submitting online, or by mail, by 11:59 p.m. Nov. 21.

Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), addresses students participating in Alternate Assessments Aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards of the statewide assessment system. Each state must submit a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education if it predicts exceeding 1% participation in the AA-AAAS in any subject.

The WDE has determined that participation in WY-ALT ELA and Math in grades 3–10 and WY-ALT Science in grades 4, 8, and 10 may be over 1% of the total number of students assessed in that subject area for the 2024–25 school year.

Pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34 (34 CFR), Section 200.6(c)(4), the WDE is requesting a federal waiver for exceeding the 1% threshold on AA-AAAS participation in the WY-ALT ELA, Math, and Science.

Live comment can be provided via Zoom virtual meeting on the dates below. The first ten minutes will be an informational presentation followed by the collection of comments. Attendees may enter and exit the Zoom meeting at any time.

• 9:30-10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Join via Zoom at zoom.us/j/97120304535#success

• 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Join via Zoom at zoom.us/j/92327960570#success.

• 6-7 p.m. Oct. 21. Join via Zoom at zoom. us/j/99597488301#success.