The Boom-Bust Cycle in Pinedale, Wyoming

PINEDALE, WY - A Halliburton cement team prepares their gear at Caza Drill Rig 86, under contract by Questar, on the Pinedale Anticline on August 20, 2005. As part of well completion, the crew will pressurize their lines to 9000 lbs and inject cement to the bottom of the 14,000 foot well where it will squeeze around the base of the drill hole casing and come back up the outside, isolating the different strata. When the cement sets another team will come in to hydraulically fracture the strata...
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PINEDALE, WY - A Halliburton cement team prepares their gear at Caza Drill Rig 86, under contract by Questar, on the Pinedale Anticline on August 20, 2005. As part of well completion, the crew will pressurize their lines to 9000 lbs and inject cement to the bottom of the 14,000 foot well where it will squeeze around the base of the drill hole casing and come back up the outside, isolating the different strata. When the cement sets another team will come in to hydraulically fracture the strata to stimulate gas production, a new technique which has made this gas field a profitable endeavor. While many residents are thankful for the work created by the gas field, there are concerns of environmental damage, air quality issues, and marring of the view shed many newer residents moved to the area for. Pinedale currently has the lowest unemployment rate in the state and is experiencing another boom cycle both in real estate and in energy as natural gas production in two nearby gas fields ramps up for year-round production.
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