WSP03239

• File Number: 8040.100
• Description: Section D General Studies - Power
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 10/8/1979
• Author: Colorado DNR
• Title: Preliminary Projections of Colorado Energy Resource Development and Associated Impacts
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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that a "crash" program of domestic energy production is avoided, there will

likely be strong pressures to accelerate energy production in general. The

implications of this increased pace of development will clearly have a strong

impact in Colorado.

In the short time which has elapsed since July, most attention has focused

on the implications for Colorado of a high level of oil shale development.

There has not been time to explore the fuller implications of high level total

energy production in Colorado. Oil shale development will occur, at whatever

level is determined by a series of complex conditions, in the northwest portion

of Colorado. This same region will see additional coal development, superimposed

on new oil and gas efforts and some uranium mining and milling activity. Thus,

energy development impact in northwest Colorado will be greater than the sum of

its four individual parts, namely oil shale, coal, uranium, oil and gas develop-

ment. When these energy resources are developed in tandum, the impacts become

even more profound than those which have been identified for potential oil shale

development in northwest Colorado. As will be discussed below, the critical area

of energy impact and the focus for immediate attention in Colorado is this north-

west portion, its richness of energy resources, sparseness of population, and

fragility of environment.

It is impossible now to determine with any degree of accuracy the actual

levels of production which will occur thoughout the 1980's. These actual future

levels of production will be determined by a complex set of forces em.anating

from political, economic, environmental, and social considerations. It is

feasible, however, to establish the extremes of such future potential energy

production. As shown in the following chart, there is some very high level of

energy production which could not be exceeded before 1990, regardless of the

conditions calling for production of domestic energy. There also is some low

level of production which probably would not be under achieved in any case.