Waiting on a mule deer crossing…
Connects oil, gas, and renewable energy development in the Gunnison Basin and surrounding region to land use planning, community financing, and regulatory oversight by federal and state agencies.
Energy development has been one of the most powerful forces shaping land use, economies, and communities in western Colorado for more than a century. The Gunnison Basin and surrounding regions sit atop or adjacent to vast deposits of coal, natural gas, and oil shale, and they are also rich in the sunlight, wind, and biomass resources that drive renewable energy options. Policy decisions about coal leasing, oil and gas development, oil shale development, open pit mining, and the siting of solar thermal generation facilities directly affect water quantity and quality, air quality, wildlife habitat, county budgets, and the character of small mountain and plateau towns. Concepts like energy security, the Arab embargo of the 1970s, federal energy policy, severance taxes, and synthetic fuels subsidies help explain why this region has experienced repeated boom-bust cycles tied to national energy priorities Energy from the West Volume 1 Summary Colorado Earth Advocate Synfuels Alert.
The management questions are broad: how to balance the economic benefits and rent premium of resource extraction against long-term environmental costs; how to manage industrial siting and energy facility siting in ways that protect agricultural land, wildlife, and watersheds; how to evaluate the net present value of alternatives ranging from coal power plants and in-situ processing of oil shale to soft energy paths built on solar thermal generation, flat-plate collectors, parabolic troughs, compact linear Fresnel reflectors, power towers, Stirling engines, combined cycle systems, wave rotors, and turbo compression; how to use tools like tax credits, power purchase agreements, Energy Savings Performance Contracts, and Community Energy grants to steer outcomes; and how to address the socioeconomics of boom town growth, including building construction pressures, electric power rates, gasoline supplies, coal transportation, carbon oxidation from fossil fuel use, and even climate-related questions about energy budget, evaporative cooling, energy storage, snow heat storage, and district heating Boom Town Financing Study (The Colorado Economy 1974-1980).
The modern framework for energy development in western Colorado was forged in the 1970s. The 1973 Arab embargo triggered federal action on energy security, including the Warren-Aiquist Act, the creation of the Federal Energy Administration, and the launch of the Solar and Conservation Bank. A Progress Report of Technology Assessment of Western Energy Resource Development laid out the trade-offs of coal development, geothermal development, and oil shale retort production across the Interior West . In Colorado, the state Department of Local Affairs documented how rapid expansion of extraction created severe fiscal stress on local governments, prompting impact assistance programs and the C-S program for affected counties . Newspaper coverage from Denver and the Western Slope chronicled the rise and collapse of the oil shale industry around Rifle, Meeker, and the Piceance Basin .
Prepared by: Ross M. Bolt, Dan Luna, Lynda A. Watkins, Department of Local Affairs- State of Colorado. November 1976.
News article (1984-2000). Covers Grand Junction, Mesa County, Piceance Basin. Topics: energy conservation, circulating fluidized-bed combustion, minin...
Technical report (1991-2003). Covers Colorado, Golden, Denver. Topics: bioenergy, bio-refinery, enzymatic hydrolysis, ethanol production. Agencies: U....
Technical report (1974-1980). Covers Colorado, Denver, Denver Metropolitan Area. Topics: energy availability, energy shortage, economic growth, employ...
Technical report (1975-2000). Covers Arizona, Colorado, Montana. Topics: western energy resource development, technology assessment, coal development,...
News article (1976). Covers Colorado, Denver, Grand Junction. Topics: oil shale development, community planning, oil-shale development, commercial dev...
The USGS Central Region Energy Team assesses oil and gas resources of the United States. The onshore and State water areas of the United States compri...
The USGS Central Region Energy Team assesses oil and gas resources of the United States. The onshore and State water areas of the United States compri...
The USGS Central Region Energy Team assesses oil and gas resources of the United States. The onshore and State water areas of the United States compri...
The purpose of this dataset is to maintain a record of the shale drilling field notes, lithologic descriptions, and core photographs taken at the PLM5...
Federal coal leasing, a later commercial leasing moratorium on oil shale, and resource assessments by the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of the Interior continued to shape what could be developed and where Oil Shale Resources in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Studies of the Colorado economy from 1974 to 1980 traced how natural gas shortages, petroleum consumption, and price supports reshaped employment by industry group across the state The Impact of Energy Availability The Colorado Economy Summary.
A wide constellation of agencies and organizations manages energy development in western Colorado. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers federal mineral leases, including coal leasing and oil shale leasing, while the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Sandia National Laboratories, and the former Solar Energy Research Institute drive technology assessment and demonstration of renewable systems Concentrating Solar Systems Parabolic Trough Stirling Engines. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates air and water impacts of coal power plants and in-situ retorting, while the Colorado Division of Planning, the Colorado Division of Commerce and Development, and HUD have historically coordinated growth management, affordable housing, and procurement strategies in energy-impacted communities Energy Conservation Solar Design.
Management approaches range from regulatory (industrial siting reviews, environmental impact statements, commercial leasing moratoria) to market-based (severance taxes, tax credits, synthetic fuels subsidies, power purchase agreements) to community-scale interventions like sustainable building, Green Design, carpooling, district heating, and Energy Savings Performance Contracts. Advocacy organizations including the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, the Clean Air Task Force, and the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies have pushed for stricter scrutiny of water use, carbon oxidation, and cumulative impacts The Last Straw: Water Use by Power Plants Colorado Earth Advocate Synfuels Alert. Bioenergy pathways, including ethanol production from enzymatic hydrolysis and steam explosion pretreatment of cellulosic feedstocks, have been advanced through NREL's bio-refinery program (Bio-fuels 2003).
The most pressing contemporary issues center on water, climate, and community resilience. Power plants in the arid West, including those drawing from the Gunnison River and other Colorado River tributaries, compete with agriculture and municipal users for increasingly scarce supplies, and evaporative cooling at thermoelectric plants represents a large and growing consumptive use The Last Straw. Renewed interest in oil shale development in the mid-2000s, documented in BLM and Department of Energy materials, raised familiar questions about water diversion, reservoir construction, dewatering, and the energy return on in-situ processing (Oil Shale/Tan Sands Newspaper Clippings 2005 & 2006). At the same time, falling costs for parabolic trough, compact linear Fresnel reflector, power tower, and Stirling engine technologies, combined with advances in thermal energy storage and combined cycle systems, are reshaping what a low-carbon western grid could look like Concentrating Solar Systems Parabolic Trough Stirling Engines.
Looking forward, communities face the challenge of avoiding another boom-bust cycle as coal power plants retire, natural gas markets fluctuate, and renewable energy procurement scales up. Sustainable building practices, Green Design retrofits, energy conservation programs, and district heating in mountain towns offer pathways to reduce demand and stabilize electric power rates Energy Conservation Solar Design Solar Power - Sunday. The history of coal-fired projects like Kaiparowits and Intermountain Power illustrates how regional decisions reverberate across the Colorado Plateau Coal Power Plants.
Energy policy intersects directly with the ecological and hydrological research conducted at RMBL and across the Gunnison Basin. Water withdrawals for power generation affect streamflow and stream temperature in the same headwater systems where RMBL scientists study aquatic communities, snowpack, and carbon cycling. Air emissions and carbon oxidation from regional coal plants influence the energy budget and snowpack dynamics that drive RMBL's long-term phenology and climate research, while land disturbance from oil and gas development and open pit mining fragments habitat for species tracked through rare species monitoring programs. Stakeholder registration records show overlap among USFWS, SCS-USDA, and USFS staff working on riparian habitat, soil conservation, and water quality across these same landscapes (Registration List 1992).
Bio-fuels: 2003. →
Boom Town Financing Study Volume 1. →
Coal Power Plants. →
Colorado Earth Advocate Synfuels Alert. →
Concentrating Solar Systems. →
Energy Conservation news compilation. →
Energy from the West: Volume 1 Summary. →
Oil Shale Clippings and Notes 1976 Denver Post. →
Oil Shale Resources in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. →
Oil Shale/Tan Sands Newspaper Clippings 2005 & 2006. →
Parabolic Trough. →
Registration List: Updated September 11, 1992. →
Shale Country. →
Solar Design. →
Solar Power - Sunday correspondence. →
Stirling Engines. →
The Colorado Economy, 1974-1980: The Impact of Energy Availability. →
The Colorado Economy: Impact of Energy Availability Summary. →
The Impact of Energy Availability. →
The Last Straw: Water Use by Power Plants in the Arid West. →
News article (2005-2006). Covers Colorado, Utah, Rangely. Topics: oil shale development, reservoir construction, water storage, mining shale rock. Age...
Technical report (2003). Covers Gunnison River, Interior West, Arizona. Topics: water use by power plants, power plant water withdrawal, water withdra...
Technical report (FY03). Covers Kramer Junction, California, Mammoth Hot Springs. Topics: parabolic trough solar power, concentrating solar systems, t...
Technical report (1974-1980). Covers Colorado, Aspen, Denver. Topics: energy availability, energy shortage, natural gas consumption, petroleum consump...
Correspondence (1992). Covers Arvada, Black Forest, Laramie. Topics: riparian habitat management, soil conservation, water quality, environmental plan...
Technical report (2007-2008). Covers California, Mojave Desert, Imperial Valley. Topics: solar-thermal-electric power generation, Stirling engine, sol...
Bob Vollmerhausen, Renelle Rae, George Kyncl. Colorado Earth Advocate Friends of the Earth. May 1976.
Technical report (1974-1980). Covers Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico. Topics: energy availability, natural gas shortage, oil shale development, coal gas...
Technical report (2007). Covers North Carolina, Colorado, Germany. Topics: solar thermal energy, parabolic trough, Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector, e...
News article (1976). Covers Utah, Colorado, Croswell. Topics: oil shale, energy development, water diversion, underground retorting. Agencies: U.S. En...
News article (1957-1977). Covers Capitol Reef National Park, Southern Utah, Wayne County. Topics: coal-fired power plant, Intermountain Power Project,...
Technical report (1973). Covers Powder River Basin, Wyoming, Cheyenne. Topics: coal development, energy industrialization, opinion poll, coal industri...
News article (1983-1991). Covers New Mexico, northwest New Mexico, Farmington. Topics: coal-fired power generation, power plant siting, strip-mining c...
Technical report (2006-2008). Covers East Lansing, Michigan, Michigan, New York. Topics: thermal storage, 3-port condensing wave rotor, R718 refrigera...
Document (1970-1980). Covers Colorado, Denver, Chicago. Topics: utility rate structures, energy conservation, Lifeline rates, peak-load pricing. Agenc...
Technical report (10 to 40 years into the future). Covers Upper Gunnison River Basin, Gunnison County, Colorado. Topics: community energy planning, en...
In some ways 1980 has been a rather discouraging year. Colorado- Ute and ARCGo both disclosed plans for growth which would have considerable impact on...
Technical report (December 1977). Covers Colorado, Washington, D.C., Golden. Topics: water rights, energy development, coal slurry pipelines, solar en...
News article. Covers Colorado, Colorado River, California. Topics: synthetic fuels, oil shale, coal gasification, guaranteed loan program. Agencies: F...
News article (1979-2005). Covers Utah County, Utah, Alberta, U.S.. Topics: oil shale extraction, tar sands, oil shale, oil shale development. Agencies...
Technical report (1776-2000). Covers United States, Alaska, Hawaii. Topics: mining, mineral extraction, domestic mineral production, coal mining. Agen...
News article (2004-2005). Covers Washington, Flagstaff, Arizona. Topics: wind energy, small wind systems, residential wind turbines, wind power develo...
Teresa Erickson, Judy Robinson and Joe Pepi. Western Colorado Congress, WSERC and Wright’s Mesa Elec. Consumers Association.
News article (1975-1982). Covers Rock Springs, Wyoming, New Mexico. Topics: oil shale development, synthetic fuels, uranium mining, copper mining. Age...
Correspondence (2030-2040). Covers Colorado, Denver, Montrose. Topics: wholesale power contract, renewable energy, energy efficiency, coal-fired power...
Correspondence (1980). Covers Colorado, Craig District, Craig. Topics: wilderness review process, intensive inventory phase, wilderness study, wildern...
Correspondence (June 4-6, 1982). Covers Aspen, Colorado, Western Slope. Topics: oil shale development, energy development, land reclamation, oil shale...
Correspondence (September 10, 1979). Covers Rocky Mountain states, New England, Rock Springs. Topics: synthetic fuels production, rapid growth communi...
News article (2005-2050). Covers Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, northwest Colorado. Topics: oil shale development, water demand, in situ production...
Environmental assessment (1975-1980). Covers Colorado, Denver, Pueblo. Topics: energy conservation, carpooling, van pooling, government purchasing pra...
Correspondence. Covers White River, Rio Blanco County, Moffat County. Topics: land use planning, livestock grazing. Agencies: Bureau of Land Managemen...
Energy Developers Express Discoura gement Th e United States has su ffi cient ene rgy that while industry could meet the coa l Southeastern Utah. supp...
Technical report (2008). Covers Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan. Topics: transmission line siting, electric transmission line siting, greenhouse gas emi...
Document. Covers Tees Valley, Northern London, Toronto. Topics: plasma gasification, waste treatment, capital costs, operating costs. Agencies: AlterN...
Technical report (1975). Covers Colorado, Montrose District. Topics: energy policy, energy conservation, energy research. Agencies: Colorado Energy Re...
Correspondence (August 28, 2007). Covers Mt. Crested Butte, Crested Butte, Crested Butte South. Topics: clean energy investment, energy efficiency, re...
Correspondence (1976). Covers Gunnison, Colorado, Alabama. Topics: nuclear power, reactor safety, radioactive waste disposal, nuclear material diversi...
oy the Sierra Club (see the - Standard-Examiner, Nov. : 29) to halt exploration for oil and gas in roadless, areas in . he" “overthrist’. belt’? : of:...
community planning (June 2008). Covers Gunnison, Colorado. Topics: solar energy, Stirling dish engine, parabolic solar trough collector, heat storage ...
POST OFFICE BOX 366 * GOLDEN, COLORADO 80401 * 303/279-0300 * 303/279-2881 Energy inputs and outputs in fossil fuel production systems will be examine...
Correspondence. Covers Western Colorado, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Billings. Topics: oil shale development, liquid coal production. Agencies: B...
DRAFT Short-term plan for the Alliance for Clean Electricity 1. Mission: The Alliance for Clean Electricity (ACE) exists to encourage the Gunnison Cou...
Total federal coal LEASE cece ecccscccccenccccccccceccccccs ol 5g Hh acres Federal coal lease - Private GULTACE soc eececccccecccccecees 3,999 acres 1...
Correspondence. Covers Colorado, Southern California, Rosemead. Topics: Amendment #3, nuclear power. Agencies: Southern California Edison Company.
Correspondence (1976-1979). Covers Colorado, Kremmling, Craig. Topics: wilderness inventory, wilderness designation, wilderness study areas. Agencies:...
Utility-Scale Energy Storage Will Enable a Renewable Grid A roadblock to sustainable energy solutions is coming unstuck By Andrea Thompson on July 1, ...
News article (2012-2020). Covers United States, Florida, California. Topics: renewable energy, energy storage, lithium-ion batteries, pumped-storage h...
News article. Covers Piceance Basin, northwest Colorado, Rio Blanco County. Topics: natural gas processing, natural gas production. Agencies: Colorado...
Technical report. Covers Pittsburgh, PA, Wabash River. Topics: H2 production, CO2 sequestration, coalbed methane recovery, low BTU western coal. Agenc...
Battery Storage in the United States: An Update on Market Trends Release date: July 15, 2020 Large-scale battery storage systems are increasingly bein...
Technical report (2010-2018). Covers United States, Alaska, Hawaii. Topics: battery storage, power grid, lithium-ion chemistries, frequency regulation...
Technical report (2002). Covers Colorado. Topics: coal bed methane recovery, underground coal mine methane management, methane drainage, degasificatio...
Correspondence (1976). Covers Houston, Texas, California. Topics: nuclear power, energy supply, nuclear referendum, nuclear power plant construction. ...
As an organization, Coldharbour/ORE is committed to the following best practices in management of our finances. 1. Oversight 1.1. All Coldharbour fina...
Richard D. Lamm. Governor. 1975.