FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 5, 2016
Wyoming state data shows oil and gas companies were responsible for nearly two spills every day
DENVER—A new analysis from the Center for Western Priorities reveals Wyoming oil and gas companies spilled an average of 440 gallons of oil and 12,232 gallons of toxic produced water every day in 2015.
The analysis counted 626 oil-and-gas-related spills in 2015, an average of nearly two per day. The top three companies responsible for spills were Memorial Production Operating, Anadarko and EOG Resources.
“Our Wyoming spill tracker shows oil and gas companies have more work to do—hundreds of gallons of spilled oil every day puts Wyoming’s water and wildlife at risk,” said Jesse Prentice-Dunn, advocacy director at the Center for Western Priorities.
The analysis looked at data provided by the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the state agency responsible for cataloging spills at oil and gas drilling sites. Though the WOGCC did provide CWP with electronic data upon request, the agency does not publish the data online.
“The people of Wyoming deserve to know the full impact of oil and gas drilling in the state. The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission should follow the lead of other Western states and publish records of oil and gas-related spills online,” continued Prentice-Dunn.
According to CWP’s analysis, operators in Campbell County reported 117 spills, followed by 97 in Sweetwater County and 70 in Converse County. Combined, operations in these three counties accounted for 45 percent of all reported spills within the state.
The Wyoming spill tracker is the latest in a series of reports tracking oil and gas production across the Mountain West, including Colorado and New Mexico.
For more information, visit westernpriorities.org. Jesse Prentice-Dunn is available for video and audio interviews. To schedule an interview, contact Jesse Prentice-Dunn at 720-204-1886 or jesse@westernpriorities.org.