Coal-bed methane operators in north-central Wyoming are out of compliance with federal reclamation requirements as they relate to reclamation efforts, a report prepared for the Wyoming BLM concludes.

The document was an internal one released to the public at the request of the Powder River Basin Resource Council, a landowner advocacy group.

Chris Hanson, field manager of the BLM's Buffalo field office, said he has used the findings of the report in his efforts to get more resources dedicated to field inspections and enforcement.

The report's authors conclude that compliance has been sacrificed in a push to get drilling permits approved.

For more on this story, read Thursday's edition of the Star-Tribune.