Wyoming's High Price For Prosperity

Wyoming has found a booming market for Coalbed methane. But the cost could be quite high -- it's water supply.

1 minute read

November 14, 2000, 10:00 AM PST

By Gwen Hilburn


Coalbed methane was first recognized as a valuable commodity in the southern Rockies in the 1970s. Only recently, did it create a buzz for economically-depressed Wyoming. T"he problem is that collecting the natural gas could imperil what is perhaps the arid state's most precious resource: water. As a result, the rush to develop methane is pitting rancher against rancher, even state against state, as they weigh a much-needed revenue source against mining's environmental cost."

Thanks to Gwenn Hilburn

Monday, November 13, 2000 in The Christian Science Monitor

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