Coyote Gulch

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Oil Shale: Coloradans trying to measure oil shale impact to undeveloped water

Here's a look at water requirements for oil shale development from David O. Williams writing for the Colorado Independent. Actual requirements are the huge unknown in the equation. We're learning more each day about the Colorado River's undeveloped water. From the article:

The Bush administration and the Bureau of Land Management are pushing relentlessly ahead with plans to fast-track Colorado's long-dormant oil shale industry, but a study released this fall exposes one factor that could put a big damper on the boom: a serious lack of water.

The report, prepared for key government and private water stakeholders in the area, says that northwest Colorado rivers can supply enough water to meet the growing demands of the natural gas, coal and uranium industries, but unproven oil shale production technology would "require tremendous amounts of water" that might not be available.

From the Deseret News (Jasen Lee):

The head of the agency that administers water in the oil-boom area near Vernal said that water supplies for industrial use could run low if development of oil shale and tar sands accelerates.

Scott Ruppe, general manager of the Uintah Water Conservancy District, said Tuesday that if oil-shale and tar-sands development increases steadily over the next decade to 20 years, then it could potentially out-strip the amount of water that would be available to users in the region. Ruppe was among the attendees at the 2008 Utah Water Summit held Tuesday at the Davis Convention Center in Layton.

He told the Deseret News that the Duchesne and Uintah water districts currently share the rights to 100,000 acre-feet of water from the Green River that can be used for industrial uses like the development of oil shale or tar sands. The districts are allowed to lease the rights to all or part of that allotment to other entities if they so choose, he said.

The agencies have already leased some of those rights to companies involved in oil-shale production. If those companies were to eventually expand their operations and bring in thousands more workers and their families, then the resulting growth would put a strain on the area's water resources, Ruppe said.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

6:28:53 PM

Who will lead Interior under President Obama?

Here's an update on President-Elect Obama's choice to lead Interior, from Peter Roper writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar's name appears to be falling off the list of likely nominees this week, although the first-term Democrat campaigned vigorously for Obama in this battleground state and has said he wants a Westerner to head Interior. Two weeks ago, Salazar told reporters he had not discussed the Interior appointment with anyone from Obama's staff and a spokesman Monday said nothing had changed since that press conference...

Salazar has not said he wants to join the Obama cabinet but was put on the list of possible nominees almost by default, given his high-profile battles with the Bush administration over oil shale development in the West, public lands and water. This week, national newspapers are ranking Reps. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Mike Thompson, D-Calif., as prominent contenders to head Interior, with Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., and popular Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer as possible nominees. Schweitzer got national press attention at the Democratic National Convention last August with an energetic and funny speech that showcased the new strength of Democrats in the West. Even so, all of those names may still be speculation, according to one Colorado Sierra Club official.

"The report we've had is the Obama transition team has been focusing on the economy until this point, and hasn't taken up Interior yet," the official said. That said, the club's national director, Carl Pope, was interviewed by the transition team last week on the well-known organization's environmental agenda. But Pope is among a host of public policy advocates that Obama's staff is meeting with as the new administration prepares to take office in January.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
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6:29:25 AM