Piceance Basin Water Treatment Plant Proposed

The proposed facility would treat up to 24,000 b/d of produced water from Bopco LP’s Yellow Creek natural gas field and discharge up to 18,000 b/d into Yellow Creek. The BLM will accept public comment on the project through March 6th for
an environmental assessment it is preparing.

September Perspective –
Monopoly Energy or Energy Democracy?

Its been a discouraging year. I found myself confronted with the hard truth that we local, distributed clean energy advocates, climate and anti-frack/fossil fuel activists, and regular folks who just want affordable energy that doesn’t wreck the environment, are losing. No, it’s worse than that.

Interior Wins
Legal Battle

The District Court decision in Wyoming affirming the Interior Department’s ability to weigh environmental impacts when issuing oil and gas leases on public lands – as long as it does so in a timely fashion. Still, Republicans are pushing hard to speed up both the leasing and the permitting process, and U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., recently blasted the Obama administration for impeding domestic oil and gas production.

But Robin Cooley (pictured above), the Earthjustice attorney for the groups that intervened in the Utah and Wyoming case, said the decision is actually a win-win for both the industry and the environmental community.

Lively Exchange at BLM Oil Shale Meeting in Rifle

The meeting was part of the agency’s attempt to take a fresh look at an oil shale plan released in the closing days of the Bush Administration. More meetings on the controversial topic are scheduled for Denver today and in Cheyenne Thursday.

CEN’s ‘Fracking’ Focus — News and Views

>>BLM Fracking Meeting in Golden Monday
>>Feds Taking In-Depth Examination of Process
>>Colorado Ranks Second in Carcinogen-Laced Fluids
>>Shell Oil President Wants Tighter Regs
>>Encana Joins Online Chemicals Database
>>NY Attorney General Threatens Lawsuit

Feds Plan Broad-Based Panel to Examine
Fracking Risks

The subcommittee will work to identify, within 90 days, any immediate steps that can be taken to improve the safety and environmental performance of fracking, and to develop, within six months, recommendations on practices for shale extraction to ensure the protection of public health and the environment.

The Fed Plan for Solar Energy on Public Lands

The Bureau of Land Management wants to lease 22 million acres public lands for renewable energy development, including 148,000 acres in Colorado’s San Luis Valley under a large-scale plan that identifies solar energy zones. The plan has its critics.