Feds: Colorado Oilman Failed to Report Production

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The Interior Department has imposed a civil penalty against A Colorado oilman for failing to report gas production on leased federal land in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico.

The department's Office of Natural Resources Revenue announced the penalty, totaling more than $46,000, against Jack J. Grynberg (GRINE-berg) this week.

Grynberg says he's investigating the department's claim. He also says an employee who handles production has been ill.

Grynberg is known for filing 73 whistleblower lawsuits against energy companies, claiming they underreported gas production on federal lands.

He had sought a bounty for alerting the government to the claims. But a federal judge dismissed the suits in 2006, and some companies are still seeking millions of dollars in legal fees from Grynberg.