Niobrara Oil Play

Day 1: Change is Coming

All things are connected. It’s the simple truth that keeps our universe whole. What happened yesterday will impact us tomorrow, just as what happened millions of years ago defines us today. Perhaps this is the central theme in the story of energy’s expansion into Laramie County and the drilling of the Niobrara shale. We are all connected and, as it turns out, faced with great change. (Read more »)

: A hawk takes off from a fencepost near the Jake Well on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011, in northern Colorado. The Jake Well, drilled by Houston-based EOG Resources, is considered the spark the started the interest in the Niobrara shale. About 100 to 120 oil wells are expected to be drilled in southeast Wyoming in 2011. Michael Smith/staff

: Global Geophysical worker Sean Callahan check guides a helicopter in for a landing as it drops off seismic equipment at a staging area on a ranch in northern Laramie County in March. Michael Smith/staff

: Global Geophysical trucks send vibrations into the earth on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, on a ranch in northern Laramie County. The vibrations are monitored by miles of cables that are laid on the ground and record the different sound frequencies. That information is transferred to a computer system that produces a 3-D image of what is below the surface. Michael Smith/staff

: A hawk flies over the northern Colorado prairie on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011, as a drill rig operates in the background. According to a Denver Business Journal article in April, the Jake wildcat oil well produced 50,000 barrels of crude oil in its first 90 days, according to the wellÕs owner, Houston-based EOG Resources Inc. Michael Smith/staff

: A Global Geophysical helicopter drops off equipment on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, on a ranch in northern Laramie County. Helicopters are used to minimize the damage to property and help crews quickly distribute seismic equipment. Michael Smith/staff

: Wally Johnson, Sweetwater county commissioner, chats in his office on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2011, in Green River. Michael Smith/staff

$A pump jack sits in a field of grass on Monday, Feb 7, 2011, at a site off County Road 222 in central Laramie County. The energy industry has 150 permits to drill in Laramie County, and it could take between 48 million and 70 million gallons of water to drill and frack one well. Michael Smith/staff$: A pump jack sits in a field of grass on Monday, Feb 7, 2011, at a site off County Road 222 in central Laramie County. The energy industry has 150 permits to drill in Laramie County, and it could take between 48 million and 70 million gallons of water to drill and frack one well. Michael Smith/staff
A pump jack sits in a field of grass on Monday, Feb 7, 2011, at a site off County Road 222 in central Laramie County. The energy industry has 150 permits to drill in Laramie County, and it could take between 48 million and 70 million gallons of water to drill and frack one well. Michael Smith/staff

: Joel Bousman, Sublette county commissioner, considers a question during an interview on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011, in Pinedale. Michael Smith/staff

: A road sign labels a dirt road in the Sand Draw Industrial Site near the Jonah Field in southwest Wyoming. Michael Smith/staff

: Wally Johnson, Sweetwater county commissioner, chats in his office Monday, Feb. 14, 2011, in Green River. Michael Smith/staff

: A Global Geophysical worker Sean Callahan check cables at a staging area on on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, at a ranch in northern Laramie County. Michael Smith/staff

: A old sign touting Rock Springs coal stands above an underpass in downtown. Michael Smith/staff

: Wally Johnson, Sweetwater county commissioner, chats in his office Monday, Feb. 14, 2011, in Green River. Michael Smith/staff

: Clouds roll in over a drill rig operation on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, in central Laramie County. The energy industry has 150 permits to drill in Laramie County, and it could take between 48 million and 70 million gallons of water to drill and frack one well. Michael Smith/staff

: A liquor store in Marbleton sports a banner in support of the energy development in the area. Opinions vary widely from town to town on the western side of the state when it comes to the development in the Jonah Field and the Pinedale Anticline. Michael Smith/staff

: The Hampton Inn sits at the base of the rock formations known as Teapot and Sugar bowl on Monday, Feb. 14, 2011, in Green River. Timothy O'Sullivan photographed the same formations when he came through in 1872. Michael Smith/staff

: The Hampton Inn sits at the base of the rock formations known as Teapot and Sugar bowl on Monday, Feb. 14, 2011, in Green River. Timothy O'Sullivan photographed the same formations when he came through in 1872. Michael Smith/staff

Related: Change is coming

About the project

There are many uncertainties when it comes to development of the Niobrara oil shale. But one thing, is certain: Change is coming.

Located throughout southeast Wyoming and northern Colorado, the shale is drawing attention of large energy producers as they lease up ground in hopes that it will soon pay off.

In many places in Laramie County, drill rigs already appear on the landscape but it could dissipate as fast as it appeared say experts. With groundwork being laid for significant development, the county must now learn from the lessons the rest of the state has already experienced as it prepares for a possible boom.

Niobrara Oil Play

Day 1: Change is Coming

About the project

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