Western Communities Boiling Over Water Quality

Communities across the West are demanding limits on oil shale drilling along the Colorado River over concerns the thirst for oil could lead to polluted water supplies for millions of people. The worries have prompted proposals to limit acreage available for leasing. Officials in Nevada and Arizona sent letters to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar expressing concerns about the need to protect Colorado River water quality and quantity. Others back a Bureau of Land Management proposal to sharply reduce acreage available for possible leasing in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Chris Treese, spokesman for the Colorado River Water Conservation District, said the concerns are overblown. “They’re not going to see any change in their water quality – none,” said Treese, whose group is in western Colorado. The BLM said some of the potential impacts will be analyzed as part of the individual leasing authorization process...more