Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 25

USDA offers grants for drought projects Kinder Morgan Energy selling Wyoming assets By the Star-Tribune staff The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced the availability of up to $5 million in grants to evaluate and demonstrate agricultural practices that help farmers and ranchers adapt to drought. The NRCS is taking applications for Conservation Innovation Grants to help producers build resiliency into their production systems so they can adapt to climatic extremes, such as the historic drought impacting the nation. Grant applications are due Oct. 15.

Private individuals, tribes, local and state governments and nongovernmental organizations can apply. Funds will be awarded through a competitive grants process for proj ects lasting one to three years. Apply electronically at www.grants.gov or contact the NRCS National CIG office at 703-235-8065. NRCS is especially interested in projects that demonstrate: Cropping or grazing systems that increase resiliency to drought through improved soil health; Increases in available soil water holding capacity by enhancing organic matter with reduced tillage, cover crops and organic amendments; Improvements in water use efficiency for agricultural production; Coordination with NRCS Plant Material Centers in using drought resistant plants and practices; Recommendations for appropriate nutrient management following an extended drought; Analysis on a regional basis of how agricultural production and conservation systems faired during drought conditions; Agricultural approaches that flourished in low-precipitation areas; Traditionalhistorical production practices that have proven effective in dealing with drought; Alternative feeding systems for confined animal operations that incorporate novel drought-tolerant feedstocks; Alternative housing or cooling systems for improved energy efficiency and better climate control in confined animal operations; and Technologies that reduce water use in confined animal operations. View the complete announcement of program funding at www.

grants, gov or www.nrcs.usda.govtechnical cig. Chesapeake data filled with errors replace the cash flow from the assets being sold to Tallgrass. Kinder Morgan Energy says it plans to use proceeds from the sale to pay back a $2 billion credit facility issued when it acquired the Tennessee Gas Pipeline and El Paso Natural Gas. "As I previously stated, we would prefer to keep all of these assets, but we anticipated divestiture of certain assets in the Rockies would be necessary to obtain FTC approval," Chairman and CEO Richard Kinder said in a statement On Monday. Tallgrass is owned by The Energy Minerals Group, Kelso Co.

and Tallgrass' management team, including CEO David G. Dehae-mers who is the former chief financial officer and executive vice president of corporate development for Kinder Morgan. Kinder said that Tallgrass is interested in keeping the workers of the companies involved in the sale. Kinder Morgan Energy owns an interest in or operates about 29,000 miles of pipelines and 180 terminals. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners shares closed Friday at $82.54 and were not trading premarket.

Kinder Morgan Inc. shares added 34 cents to $34.56 in early trading, from their Friday close at $34-22. HOUSTON (AP)-Kind-' er Morgan Energy Partners LP said it has reached a deal to sell some of its assets to Tallgrass Energy Partners LP for about $1.8 billion in cash, a move necessary for its par-' ent, Kinder Morgan to get regulatory approval for its $20 billion buyout of El Paso Corp. Kinder Morgan Inc. owns the general partner and limited partner interests in Kinder Morgan Energy.

The Houston company reached a deal with the Federal Trade Commission in March to sell certain assets in the Rockies in order to get approval for the El Paso transaction. The company completed the El Paso acquisition in May. Kinder Morgan Energy is selling Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmis-sion, Trailblazer Pipeline the Casper-Douglas natural gas processing and West Frenchie Draw treating facilities in Wyoming and its 50 percent stake in the Rockies Express Pipeline to Overland Park, Kan. -based Tallgrass Energy. Including debt, the company values the deal at $3.3 billion.

The deal is targeted to close in the fourth quar- ter, pending FTC approval. Earlier this month, Kinder Morgan Energy acquired Tennessee Gas Pipeline and a 50 percent stake in El Paso Natural Gas pipeline from Kinder Morgan to more than vice board. Dworkin said it appears the DEP knew the reports were missing data from the state's largest natural gas producer but didn't bother to include a note to that effect. He said if the agency left it out in front of the public, looking complete when it wasn't, then that was a problem. Sweeny declined to provide copies of Chesapeake's emails to the state regarding its data submission and didn't immediately respond to a question about whether the state database now has the company's complete production figures.

Dworkin added that with tight state budgets, DEP probably doesn't have the funding it needs to manage all the new Marcellus data, which involves thousands of wells. The Marcellus Shale is a gas-rich formation of rock thousands of feet under much of Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio. Advances in drilling technology made the shale accessible, which led to a boom in production, jobs and profits, and a drop in natural gas prices for consumers. By KEVIN BEGOS The Associated Press PITTSBURGH The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protec -tion says natural gas drilling company Chesapeake Energy last week filed an important Marcellus Shale production report containing so many errors a state database rejected it. DEP spokesman Kevin Sunday said last week a previous statement by Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corp.

that suggested state databases were the problem wasn't entirely accurate and omitted important points. "DEP's production database functioned exactly as designedby rejecting reports that contain obvious data entry errors," Sunday said. For example, Chesapeake attempted to report production information on wells where the drilling start date wasn't listed; attempted to report more producing days than the number of days in the reporting period; and attempted to report drilled wells as wells that were not drilled, Sunday said. Chesapeake also waited until the end of a 45 -day grace period to submit data, Sunday said. Pennsylvania released official biannual data on natural gas production last week but didn't reveal that Chesapeake Energy's numbers were missing.

Because the firm has been a top producer in previous reports, statewide totals weren't close to being accurate. Chesapeake spokesman Rory Sweeny said on Tuesday that "Chesapeake is working cooperatively with the department to ensure future issues with submissions are avoided." The company has been under scrutiny by shareholders and federal securities officials. Its stock dropped sharply in the spring but has rebounded somewhat since then. Pennsylvania officials can't control the quality of data they receive, but one expert said they should have let the public know that an important database was incomplete, even if they probably didn't have a legal obligation to do so. "I think they botched their professional obligations," said Michael Dworkin, director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School and a former chairman of that state's public ser -f-t With higher bet limit, Deadwood revenue soars All Wicker, Decorative Boxes Storage DOES NOT auD LARGE TRUNKS i CRAFT SCRAWOOWNG STORAGE uuIH3 HSGGIiiO Categories Listed ocesNOTNCWtxsEAsam Metal Sale CHOOSEPRON Mf TAl WAR DECOR FUNCTIONAL DECORATIVE METAL ACCESSORIES INCLUDES FLORAL METAL CONTAINERS DOES NOT INCLUDE FURNITURE witty Glass Sale INCLUDES GLASS DEPARTMENT, FLORAL CLASS VASES CRAFT GLASS CONTAINERS DOES NOT INCLUDE Wood Sale By AARON ORLOWSKI Rapid City (S.D.) Journal CRAFT STAINED GLASS Decorative i mm CHOOSE FROM WOOD WALL DECOR FINISHED DECORATIVE WOOD ACCESSORIES DOES NOT INCLUDE FURNITURE UNFINISHED CRAFT WOOD Trays, Coasters Place Mats Knobs, Drawer Pulls Handles ALWAYS 50 OFF THE MARKED PRICE Decorative Vegetable Fruit Filled Bottles Crosses Candleholders WALL TABLE mm Men's Metal Wood Decor FALL CHRISTMAS ITEMS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN SALE UNLESS SPECIFIED nil Fall Kama Decor, I April 2010: $7.8 million I May 2010: $9 million I June 2010: $9.6 million I July 2010: $10 million I April 2011 $7.7 million I May 2011: $8.2 million I June 2011 $9.3 million I July 2011 $9.7 million I April 2012: $8.4 million I May 2012: $9.5 million I June 2012: $8.5 million I July 2012: $10.3 million fill Fall Floral Arrangements Bushes Wreaths Garlands Party a Crafts Swags Stems Picks Ribbon 4Q0FF NOl IW CUSTOM DtSS ''ys FICTSl Garland, Swaas Categories listed uKSl.

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"2jSfl CERAMCOAT. 1 A ANITAS'" i -liiiij July was the first month gamblers could bet up to $1,000 in Deadwood, S.D., X' and it apparently paid off for 1 casinos. Total gross revenue from July 2011 to July 2012 in- creased 6 percent, while table game revenue was up 20 percent, according to numbers released Thursday by the South Dakota Com- mission on Gaming. "We were hoping for that, and it goes directly back to the $1,000 bet lim- it," Tom Nelson, president of the Deadwood Gaming I Association, said of the rev-! enue jump. "I don't know that there's more people I gambling but obvious-; ly, they're betting more, particularly at blackjack and house-banked poker games." i The house-banked poker games such as Let It Ride and Three Card Stud saw the biggest increase, with revenues skyrocketing 38.9 percent compared to July of last year.

Blackjack rev-Si enue increased 14.9 percent, while player-banked poker, such as Texas Hold 'em, saw a 9.1 percent dip. The Legislature passed the $1,000 bet limit this past session, and the law took ef-" feet Jury 1. Only five casinos in Deadwood offer it: The Lodge, Cadillac Jack's, Min-! eral Palace, the Silverado and Deadwood Mountain Grand. "I was hoping for a new demographic, and during 'i the summertime, it brought a few more people to the table with a little more to 3 spend," Nelson said. Slot machine revenue also increased 4.8 percent.

The $10.3 million of total gross revenue was higher than both the $9.7 million in Jury 2011 and $10 million in Jury 2010. For three years now, including this year, revenue increased from June to July. Revenues usually peak in August oi Septem-V ber, before dipping in the fall and winter months. I The number of gambling locations was actually lower this July than last July. That number has held steady at 3-D Foam Boards KostCetejories listed Tim Holtz" Brand Products CHOOSE FROM INKS.

PAPER, STAMPS, EMBELLISHMENTS ft MORE 300FF 140 locations since January. Last July, there were 144 locations. The average amount made by each gambling unit each blackjack or poker table, each slot machine -increased 5.5 percent. Though casinos don't offer as much free play, coupons and promotionals during the summer months, they gave away more in July with holidays such as the Fourth of July and events including the Days of '76, Nelson said. 'Totally worthless Free play is included in the revenue numbers, which casino managers say paints a misleading picture of revenue.

"They'll never be able to tell the true numbers of Deadwood because of the free play. The numbers are totally worthless," said Tracy Island, general manager of Deadwood Gulch Gaming. The higher bet limit is probably raising revenue numbers, Island agreed. Her casino only has two blackjack tables, and it doesn't currently plan to offer the $1,000 limit, though she hasn't ruled it out. Caleb Arceneaux, chief executive officer of Isis Hospitality, which operates Cadillac Jack's, said that the bet limit coupled with the higher number of tables compared to last year resulted in a strong revenue increase.

Though slot machine numbers still increased, free play is "artificially inflating" figures, Arceneaux said. Cricut Accessories CHOOSE FROM CUTTING MATS. REPLACEMENT BLADES. TOOLS, TOTES ft MORE DOES NOT INCLUDE MACHINES. CARTRIDGES I CHICUV IMAGINE? PRODUCTS Art Pencils 30s OFF Ml Art Brush Sets ITEMS PRICED J5.99 1 UP Embellishment Stickers by Wee's.

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CUFFS NECKLACES TUUE SOU) BY THE YARD 30CFF CHOOSE FROM BEADS. CHAINS. FINDINGS 4 WIRE 50CFF THE MARKED PRICE DITMt 4: MurtfffiJX! STORE HOURS: 9-8 MONDAY-SATURDAY CLOSED SUNDAY 2911 E. 2nd Street in CASPER (Country Club Road and 2nd Street) mobile Jbbykbby.