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E TI NONE Back roundandlntroduction <br />9 <br />1.1 BACKGROUND <br />Recent studies have indicated that the Green River Formation in VUestern Colorado may contain <br />approximately 1.5 to 1.8 trillion barrels (bbl) of recoverable oil from shale (as represented by the <br />combined gas and kerogen British thermal unit [Btu] equivalent [Andrews 2006]). This <br />resource, in addition to the other forms of available energy in western Colorado such as natural <br />gas, coal, uranium and crude oil, contribute to the potential for large increases in energy <br />development in this region. The global demand for these energy resources is increasing, and the <br />natural resources available in the Green River Formation are vast and relatively untapped; <br />specifically in the study area. Capture of these energy resources is dependent upon securing an <br />adequate source of water supply to support the extraction and processing of the resources. <br />"Energy development" includes the following interrelated activities: extraction and development <br />of natural gas, coal, oil shale, uranium, and thermoelectric power; municipal demands resulting <br />from the ancillary need to provide water for the direct and indirect increases in energy-related <br />employment and population growth tied to these industries; and the thermoelectric power needed <br />to serve these energy extraction industries and population influx. The amount of water demand <br />varies among each energy sector and is highly dependent upon their extraction and production <br />. <br />tec niques. <br />The study area is defined as that geographic region in northwestern Colorado defined specifically <br />as the Yampa, White, and portions of the Colorado river basins, as portrayed in Figure ES-l, <br />Study Area. <br />The most active energy resources in the study area today include the natural gas, coal, and <br />thermoelectric power industries. According to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs <br />(DOLA) and Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) Socioeconomic Study <br />(BBC 2008), there were about 7,400 direct jobs in energy and natural resources across the four- <br />county region (Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield, and Mesa) in 2006. These jobs represent almost <br />12 percent of all direct basic employment in northwest Colorado. Currently, this sector is <br />dominated by natural gas eXploration and production, with gas-related activity accounting for <br />about 6,300 of the 7,400 energy and natural resource jobs. Coal mining and electric generation <br />accounted for the most of the remaining jobs in this economic base component (BBC 2008). <br />~ 1-1 <br />