This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A coalition of 10 conservation groups is seeking to intervene in a federal permitting process for a proposed pipeline that would take water from the Green River to Colorado's Front Range.
The privately backed proposal would divert water from above Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming and funnel it across southern Wyoming, then south to the Denver area and to Pueblo, Colo. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is reviewing the plan.
Groups, including the Utah Rivers Council and the Wyoming Outdoor Council, formed the Colorado River Protection Coalition to advocate against the project, which they argue would imperil endangered fish and water rights in Utah.
"This catastrophic proposal would not only mar these treasures, it would forever alter life in Utah," said Zach Frankel, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council.
The FERC process allows members of the public with a stake to intervene, and the coalition is asserting it belongs in negotiations.
Developer Aaron Million first sought a permit through the Army Corps of Engineers but switched to FERC. The project would produce some hydroelectric power, but opponents say it would be less than the amount required to move the water.