This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Department of Interior recently announced new research leases for oil shale extraction. Extraction processes impact both water usage and quality in Colorado and Utah, where water resources are scarce and even over-allocated.
Representing family farmers and ranchers and rural communities across the West, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union supports Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's position that critical questions about groundwater, agriculture and community water supplies must be answered before commercial oil shale development starts in the Colorado River basin.
Energy development must be guided by responsible policies shaped with common sense and mindful of common good. We all benefit by demanding accountability for environmental degradation.
Shell Oil recently stated that its oil shale experiments consume three barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced. If so, then producing millions of barrels of oil from shale could wipe out many farms and ranches across the West and damage or destroy already stressed watersheds like the Colorado River.
Water is the lifeblood of the West. No water, no life. As it studies the impact of oil shale development, we hope the department will look carefully at effects on local water supplies and communities.
Kent Peppler President, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
Denver