Boom times ahead for all Weld County

As Noble Energy begins building a regional field office in west Greeley, Weld County could be almost over the Great Recession.

The Niobrara Formation under eastern Colorado and southern Wyoming is attracting oil companies from Noble and Anadarko to Haliburton and Chesapeake. And no wonder – yield estimates range from 1 million to 30 million barrels from each square mile. Noble intends to have 10 new rigs drilling by the end of the year, even before the 300 administrative workers move into the new office. Each rig directly employs about 40 people; that could translate into up to 700 additional jobs…