Colorado Water June 2006

• Year: 2006
• Title: Colorado Water
• Author: Water Center of Colorado State University
• Description: Colorado Water Newsletter June 2006
• Publications - Doc Type: Newsletter

How Much Water Are We Talking About?
Energy outlook in the West relative to extractive industries
and disposition of produced waters
Gary Bryner, Natural Resources Law Center
University of Colorado
Natural gas provides 24 percent of the energy used in the
United States and represents 27 percent of total domestic
production. The United States produces 85 percent of the gas
it uses and imports the rest from Canada. Since virtually all of
the gas used in the United States is supplied either domestically
or from its northern neighbor, it contributes to national energy
security. It is also a major source of revenue for all levels of
government, particularly in the Rocky Mountain States where
much of the natural gas is developed on federal and state lands
and private property.
Demand for natural gas is currently growing at about 1
trillion cubic feet (tcf) per year. The U.S. Department of En-
ergy (DOE), whose data are used to project the national energy
policy, suggests that natural gas use will increase between 2000
and 2020 from 22.8 to 34.7 tcf; another estimate suggested
consumption will climb to 31 tcf by 2015. Others project an
even more rapid increase in consumption.' Natural gas is
the cleanest burning fossil fuel, releasing less CO2 and other
pollutants than coal or oil, making it an attractive fuel and, for
some energy analysts, the key to the transition from fossil fuels
to alternative energy sources. Figure 1 illustrates the history of
U.S. reliance on natural gas and projects steady growth in the
demand for natural gas.
Coalbed methane development in the western United States
Coalbed methane (CBM) is a source of natural gas that is of
growing importance as a domestic source of energy at a time
when demand is rapidly increasing and output from some con-
ventional sources of natural gas has peaked. CBM accounts for
seven percent of total natural gas production and eight percent
of gas reserves in the United States. 2
CBM from the intermountain states has played a significant
role in meeting U.S. demand for natural gas, particularly the
states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Some
80 percent of the total CBM production in the United States
has come from the Rocky Mountains. The San Juan Basin in
southern Colorado /northern New Mexico has been the major
regional source of CBM. The Powder River Basin in north-
west Wyoming is the area of CBM production that is growing
the most rapidly. There is little agreement over the size of the
natural gas resources remaining in the interior West, but given
the exploding demand for natural gas, there will be pressure
to find and develop as
much of the region's
gas as possible. 3
Figure 1. U.S. Energy Consumption History and Outlook, 1949 -2025
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency, "Energy Perspectives." hftp: / /www.eia.doe.gov /emeu /aer/ep/
ep_frame.html
Environmental impacts
associated with CBM
development include
the construction of
roads, drill pads, and
water disposal; noise
from pumps, compres-
sors, and traffic that
disturbs residents and
wildlife; the creation
of air pollution; the
disruption of iso-
lated areas valued for
undisturbed vistas
and solitude; and
the impact of water
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