CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon’s office said on Tuesday that up to $12 million in remaining CARES Act funds will be used to re-launch the “Energy Rebound Program.”
The program aims to get more people in Wyoming working in the energy industry. The governor’s office says the program provided capital for some oil and gas projects in 2020, “including drilled but uncompleted ventures, workovers, and reclamation of oil and gas wells through the plugging and abandonment process.”
“The Energy Rebound Program successfully provided opportunities for oil and gas industry employees who lost jobs when drilling ceased last year,” Gordon said. “This program will continue to provide economic benefits to this important industry, their workforce and the entire state of Wyoming.”
Gordon’s office said there are nine oil and gas drilling rigs operating in Wyoming as of Tuesday which is down from over 30 in Feb. 2020. The Energy Rebound Program aims to “target projects that bring immediate economic benefits, including Wyoming job growth and revenue, along with the environmental benefits of plugging and reclaiming oil and gas wells that are no longer in use, or near the end of their useful life.”
“As energy demand continues to increase, private-land production states have seen a quicker rebound, one that has yet to reach Wyoming’s federally-owned resources,” Petroleum Association of Wyoming President Pete Obermueller said in the governor’s release. “Given the success of the inaugural Energy Rebound Program – a jobs program at its core – Governor Gordon’s decision to initiate a second round makes perfect sense.”
“In 2020, despite a quick turnaround over the holidays, the men and women of the oil and gas industry stepped up – utilizing more than 100 service companies from 14 Wyoming towns to complete their work, supporting thousands of local jobs, and kickstarting more than $150 million in new production.”
When the Energy Rebound Program launched in 2020, Gordon’s office says the oil and gas industry had six weeks to identify and complete projects.
“This time, the projects will need to be completed by the end of the year,” the release states. “Once again there will be a cap of $500,000 for each approved project. However, this year, the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will be administering the program. Oil and gas operators will need to certify the number of jobs created for Wyoming workers. To qualify as a Wyoming worker, the worker must be a resident of Wyoming at the time of the application.”
The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will be accepting applications from June 15-25.
