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Commentary: Colorado oil shale debate must involve other states

Posted by: Maven on March 23, 2009 at 6:31 am

From the Arizona Star, this commentary by Sharon Bronson, member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors:

The futures of Arizona and Colorado are inextricably linked through a vital shared resource — water from the Colorado River. Today, 40 years after the Central Arizona Project was authorized, Southern Arizona is more dependent on Colorado River water than ever.

I write to provide an Arizona perspective to the debate in Colorado about the prospects of commercial leasing for oil-shale development. I am dismayed by the failure of the federal government to provide effective leadership on interstate resource issues and by its continued inability to connect the regional water and energy “dots” in the West.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to lease about 2 million acres of public lands in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming for commercial oil-shale production. This area is some 1,200 miles upstream from the supervisorial district that I represent in Southern Arizona.

Estimates vary, but federal agencies agree that this enormous deposit of oily rock buried under the western slope of the Rockies could produce at least 500 billion barrels of oil — an amount that could rival the reserves of Saudi Arabia. This realization prompted the Bush administration, in its waning hours, to hand out leases as quickly as it could — ignoring reasonable requests for caution and more study.

As elected officials and stewards of our vital resources, we need to be seriously concerned about how this energy-policy decision will impact water supplies for all downstream users of Colorado River water.

I tend to agree with Ms. Bronson – that all downstream users should be aware of oil shale development, and maybe even part of the discussion – which is why I post articles on oil shale development in Colorado here on the California water news blog. Read the full text of her commentary from the Arizona Star by clicking here.

March 23, 2009 · Filed Under Colorado River & the Southwest

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