A new oil pipeline project in Laramie County plans to increase the county’s energy industry.
Last week the Laramie County Commission approved the development of a petroleum pipeline by Plains All American Pipeline, Barbara Kloth, Laramie County senior planner, said.
The line, also referred to as the Cowboy Pipeline, will be 27 miles long, and it will extend from Laramie County to Carr, Colo., according to the Associated Press.
The pipeline is among three others to be approved this year, Kloth said, adding that the energy industry in Laramie County has been gaining traction over the past six months.
“We see a lot of wells being drilled,” she said. “There is definitely a presence, and it is noticeable.”
Construction is planned to begin in 2015, Kloth said, adding the pipeline will travel through property divvied between 12 landowners. The project has been in planning for over 10 weeks, and controversy has been limited, with no public or written comments from the community, Kloth said.
“What we ask of companies when they come to get pipeline approval, is that the majority of easements with private property owners are in place,” she said. “And to my knowledge, easements have all been negotiated at this point.”
The purpose of implementing pipelines is to streamline crude oil transportation, Thomas Schaffer, a second-year UW Petroleum Engineering major, said.
“Basically, it reduces traffic on highways, and it reduces the cost of gas and oil because transportation cost isn’t as high,” he said.
Environmental impacts are greater from vehicle transportation of oil versus pipeline transport, Schaffer said, adding that federal law requires reclamation of land disturbed from pipeline construction.
The pipeline could probably transport 40,000 barrels of oil a day, Jack Evers, UW Petroleum Engineering professor, said.
Evers also said that tank trucks could only haul 100 barrels.
Mapping the route for pipelines can be extensive due to Wyoming’s geological factors, Schaffer said. Consideration can include avoiding wetlands, population centers, rock outcrops, water and road crossings and extreme elevation changes.
Although the Cowboy Pipeline will not directly affect Albany County, Schaffer said there could be indirect benefits to UW. An increase in the energy industry creates a demand for more engineers, and oil and gas companies often donate money to the UW engineering program, Schaffer said.
“There is a flux of students at the University of Wyoming going into energy resources related jobs,” he said. “There are more people coming through here because there’s more of a need for it.”
