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<br />Oil ngo In arc. C I d II $8 '11'
<br />company . S M < h · 0 ora 0 wou (get fil IOn a
<br />am aynes, attorney .lor l e . I
<br />I S I U I d. T'b . d year In ease revenue.
<br />. Ollt lern te n I3n n e an
<br />area water districts said the districts . Once the lease ends, Getty and
<br />Promotes I would follow the I~ad of state offi- Chevron ~ould use the rese!Voir to
<br />cials, who so far question the pro- dev<;lop 011 shale. .
<br />I l' ject's impact on water law. BIShop Said the project would
<br />.water. easllllg State officials are concerned the help Colorado claim a portion of its
<br />1 project might jeopardize the state's entitlement, and that safeguards.
<br />to Nevada interests concerning compact enti- built into the Ie,,,,, allcllhe water-
<br />dements to Colorado River water. use decree would ensure Colorado
<br />I One major concern is that mark- gets the water back when the lease
<br />By Amy Malick ~PttP eting or leasing water on an inter- expires.
<br />Herald City Editor 1.~Vb-1il,0 'k state basis could open the door for He said the project provides a'
<br />an unregulated private water, way for the companies to protect'
<br />. A Chevron Shale Oil Co. oUicial market on the Colorado River.' their water rights until oil-shale de-
<br />s~ys the company's plan to 'ease Under U.S. Supreme Court' velopment is economically feasible.
<br />Colorado River water to Nev3(la in interstate-commerce decisions, I "We are concerned 1ha1800,000
<br />e~~change ~or a reservoir, aear once one party leases the state's wa-. acre-feet is lea~ing Colorado every
<br />G~andJuuctlon would be a bIg ph~s ter out-of-state, anyone can. year. We don t feel comfortable
<br />t'? bot!, states and two oil "We want to take a long, hflrd that ~hen we want it for?i1 shale~
<br />c~mpalll<;s. .. I look at the proposal to see if it en- w~ WIll b.e able to get It back,
<br />. IGa~ BIShop, company man,lger, dangers Colorado's entitlements," BIShop s~ld.
<br />IS,makmg rounds through ,;",et,tern. Maynes said. "To us It makes some sense to en-
<br />. Cj>lorado to promote the IUnova- Roan Creek would have a dear tel' into a contractual relationship
<br />tiVe plan. . I impact on the Southern Ute and with strings attached to allow us to
<br />IThe Roan .Creek proJect, prol; Ute Mountain Ute tribes, Maynes get it back."
<br />osed by Chevron USAa'!d GetlyOl1 said. Once non-Indians lease water Bishop said the state's concern
<br />Exploration Co. on a tributary of out of state the tribes are free to that Roan Creek will open the door
<br />t~e ~olorado northe.ast of Grand lease Dolor~s and Animas-La Plata for farmers to lease their w~ter,
<br />Junction, would prOVIde Colorado 'ect water . thus drying up West Slope agncul-
<br />with a ne'"lrese!Voir, boost the local prriishop said the Roan Creek pro- turalland, is a "red herring."
<br />e~onomy and benefit endangered 'ecl would work this way: "If this project doesn't go
<br />fish, Bishop said. J d G ld t through what difference does it
<br />I"W' . d I k . . Chevron an ettywou em- k ?O' h d .
<br />e ve tne to 00 at negative '1 . I . ht lady ad;ud;- ma e ur attorneys say t e OOllS
<br />. . d d' " poran y ease ng sa re" I d " B' I . d
<br />BII~Phacts. ~dn we on t see any. cated for oil-shale production to a rea y open, IS lOp sat .
<br />IS 01' Sat . h Nevada for municipal use
<br />'Sollthwest Colorado water users SOllt ern.,
<br />I . Wh'1 d'" for a pc nod of 30-50 years.
<br />aren t so slIre. I e not Ismt -'slUg
<br />tile plan completely,. they're calting . In return, Nevada would con-
<br />a wary eye. .1' strucotooa stor~ge facilitYt ofnuRpoaton (Ji.
<br />'''['m not opposed to ital t liS 175, acre-,eetcapaci yo
<br />point, but 1 have to study it more," Creek, about four miles north of
<br />said Fred Kroeger, board chail man DeBeque.
<br />f?t t1~. SO.llth~';;'t ~ate.r co~' erva- . Nevada would get a temporary,
<br />~IO~ Istn~t. e tstrlct p,ans Lo , stable source of water while it works
<br />m."~te. project representat~vt's to to develop more permanent SOUl'-
<br />s)e,'k at a WaleI' conference In Dw - ces elsewhere, and Colorado would
<br />I get a $200 million storage and re-
<br />creation facility.
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