Sunday, October 12, 2008

Energy policy: Oil Shale After fanning the flames of the oil shale fire last year in a report the RAND Corporation has ignored oil shale in their current report on unconventional fuel sources -- because of the uncertainty around the technology for producing the kerogen -- according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article: Questions surrounding oil shale led to its omission from a new study analyzing the economic and the environmental trade-offs of unconventional fossil fuels. The RAND Corp., a nonprofit research group, issued the study last week. It ended up focusing on oil sands and coal liquefaction, also known as coal-to-liquids. "Although oil shale is also an important potential unconventional fossil resource, we do not address it in this report because fundamental uncertainty remains about the technology that could ultimately be used for large-scale extraction, as well as about its cost and environmental implications," RAND said in the report summary. RAND representatives could not be reached for comment late last week... Environmentalists and some local and state elected officials, among them Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, have said the federal government has been moving forward too quickly in pushing oil shale development when uncertainty remains over what technology holds the most promise for extracting the resource. Without knowing that, it's impossible to evaluate requirements for water, electricity and workers, and impacts on communities and the environment, they say. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has moved ahead with setting aside 1.9 million acres in the West, including about 360,000 acres in Colorado, for possible commercial oil shale development. By the year's end, the agency is expected to release final rules pertaining to commercial oil shale leasing on public lands. Shell, which is researching oil shale development technology in Rio Blanco County, supports the issuing of those rules. Shell says even though it may be 10 or more years away from commercial oil shale development, having rules in place for things such as the royalties it would have to pay would provide it with some certainty in moving forward with its plans. The National Resource Defense Council also has criticized a provision in the recent financial industry bailout bill that provides a tax credit of 50 percent for a company's first year of capital investment in oil shale and oil sands refineries. McEnaney fears those credits could extend to efforts by companies such as Shell to recover shale underground through methods such as heating it. The credits could further encourage oil shale development to occur too quickly and without adequate analysis of impacts, he believes. However, the credit would expire after 10 years, which Shell spokesman Tracy Boyd said would be too soon for the company to be able take advantage of it. He said he doesn't think it would apply to Shell's project because by definition a refinery processes fuel above ground -- after it has been produced. Meanwhile, here's an article from EV World about the nexus between water and energy production, which includes video of a lecture from Sandia National Laboratories' Dr. John A. Merson. Out here in the arid west energy production has a huge impact on water supplies both in requirements for energy production -- such as electrical generation -- and in impacts to groundwater. Energy production for natural gas can deplete groundwater (coal be methane production) and pollution of groundwater (benzene in springs around Parachute, Colorado). Be sure to click through and view the whole lecture. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Climate Change News 7:27:47 AM

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Energy policy: Geothermal Here's Part I and Part II of The Pagosa Daily Post's series "The Problem with a Ten Year Lease." From the article: The Council and the audience were in basic agreement on one point: that the Town's geothermal water rights -- 450 GPM to be used for "municipal use associated with geothermal heating" -- could be a potent source of economic well-being in the Town's future. The Council, as a whole, seemed to feel confident that the Springs Resort can single-handedly provide that economic benefit. The audience, as a whole, seemed to feel that a long-term lease of 400 GPM to a single business entity -- out of a total water right of 450 GPM -- was imprudent. More coverage from The Pagosa Sun: Addressing the Pagosa Springs Town Council Tuesday night, Marsha Preuit, representing the Spa Motel, echoed a sentiment shared by several members of the audience who also stood up before council: "Proceed with caution." The matter of discussion -- and some contention -- was the proposed lease of geothermal water, effluent from the town geothermal system, to the Springs Resort. With details of the draft lease agreement presented at the meeting, citizens speaking before the board voiced concerns regarding the amount of water at stake, the length of time, and what the town would be charging for the water. Although not a 50-year lease (which would violate the Town Charter), the draft agreement offers multiple 10-year leases to the Springs Resort as well as stipulations for lease renewals. The agreement would give the Springs Resort 400 gallons per minute (GPM) after the water's use in the town system. Former town manager Mark Garcia, speaking before the board for the first time since resigning his post in late-April, said that considering the current energy crisis and with the emphasis on the development of alternative energy technologies, "I think it's premature to estimate a value on geothermal resources."[...] One issue not raised in council was a missing section of the agreement dealing with new technologies. Previous drafts of the agreement allowed the town to renegotiate the lease should new energy technologies develop and, therefore, change the town's approach to geothermal water usage. According to town sanitation and geothermal water supervisor Phil Starks, "Nobody really knows why, but somehow that got changed." Starks did say, however, that the technology stipulation would be added back into future drafts of the agreement. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 7:49:22 AM     Susan Solomon: This generation is making decisions that will change the geography of the planet Climate change was the theme at the third day of the "Governors Conference on Drought Management and Climate Risk" according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: Scientists can say with certainty that droughts will occur. Where, when and for how long are still questions no one can answer. In Colorado, where specific studies are few, climate change could make the effects of those droughts worse because of higher temperatures, even as seasonal changes increase overall demand for water. "A lot of studies for Colorado have not been done," said Joseph Barsugli, a University of Colorado researcher who helped draft a state report on climate change presented at a drought conference this week. "With climate change, you can't assume the past will be a guide." In pulling together the report, the authors looked at what is happening on a global scale and applied what is known about the Western United States to Colorado... The most striking fact about Colorado is an increase in temperature of 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 30 years. Scientists aren't sure whether the increase is directly connected to the 1-degree increase in the American West attributed to man-made emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The effects of global warming on Colorado are expressed as ranges in the report because the impacts are uncertain, said Susan Solomon, senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She is a team leader for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. "Colorado is not one of the places we can be confident of the impacts," Solomon said. Places like Southern Africa and the Mediterranean will definitely see severely warmer and drier weather, but Colorado may not even follow the general trends of the Western United States, she explained... The IPCC attributes most global warming to human activities and the United States has been the worst offender when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, Solomon said. As other nations develop, they could contribute more, but Solomon tries not to be pessimistic because of the experience with the ozone hole over Antarctica in the 1980s. She helped develop the research that linked the problem to fluorocarbons produced by aerosols. Within a decade after the problem was acknowledged, the use of fluorocarbons worldwide was reduced to an acceptable level after their use was prohibited by international treaty in 1987. Similar action could change human actions that are contributing to global warming, which she showed has exceeded historic bounds going back 10,000 years. Some of the problems may not show up within the lifetimes of many alive today. "I'm concerned about the legacy," Solomon said. "This generation is making decisions that will change the geography of the planet. We have to make the decision about whether we want that to happen." There is a smaller historic record to consider in Colorado when looking at the weather and the climate. Human records go back only to 1871, with reliable records for outlying areas dating back to the late 1880s, when Colorado formed a weather service - merged into the National Weather Service that formed soon after, said Nolan Doesken, state climatologist. "So, after 120 years, what do we know? We live at a high elevation in the mid-latitudes, which makes the weather dry, and wild," Doesken said. "There's lots of sunshine and low humidity, which makes people want to live here, but also leads to drought." More coverage of the conference, from The Pueblo Chieftain: The influx of millions of people into Colorado over the next 40 years will have more of an impact on demand for municipal water than changes brought on by a longer growing season. That's the conclusion reached by Gordon McCurry, senior scientist for CDM engineering. McCurry is working on a study for the Interbasin Compact Committee and statewide roundtables looking at how climate change will affect both municipal and agricultural demand. The preliminary results for municipal demand were shared Friday at a conference looking at drought and climate change. "Climate change models have a lot of uncertainty," McCurry said. "We don't have it nailed down yet." One of the most solid predictions, however, is the likelihood of a longer growing season in the future. That will have some consequences for cities, if use of bluegrass at current levels continues. McCurry's study found about a 40,000 acre-foot increase in water demand statewide just from the earlier spring and higher temperatures expected by the year 2050. That pales in comparison to more than 630,000 acre-feet that will be needed to supply an additional 2.8 million people by the year 2030, according to the Statewide Water Supply Initiative. "It suggests to me that population growth will have a stronger influence than climate change on water demand," McCurry said. Climate change could, however, reduce water availability, although there are no clear trends on the total amount of precipitation Colorado can expect in the future. McCurry's study also did not take into account the impact of conservation or changes in urban landscape patterns on demand for water. It showed the amount of water used - called evapotranspiration - by bluegrass already in place would increase by about 9 percent by 2050. McCurry said the use of water by alfalfa currently planted would increase by 20 percent over that time, with more growing days and higher temperatures averaging 2-5 degrees higher than currently seen... A big concern has been the Colorado River basin, which has seen its driest decade since a seven-state compact was signed in 1922. Although the states worked out a plan to share shortages and surpluses last year - primarily by allocating water between Lake Mead and Lake Powell - the agreement runs through 2025. After that, if conditions change, Colorado River users in Colorado might face a call from downstream states, said Ted Kowalski, program manager for the CWCB. That could mean less water for transmountain diversions that provide water to most major cities on the Front Range... In Colorado, the time is now to begin looking at how a possible shortfall would be managed, Kowalski said. The Southwest and Colorado River conservation districts are looking at a water banking agreement that would connect willing buyers and sellers within Colorado, for instance... Zeke Williams, a lawyer who specializes in environmental law, said climate change could also have an impact on National Environmental Policy Act decisions. NEPA is a process that provides for disclosure of impacts of projects that have a federal role. It has become a powerful tool not because of any regulatory powers, but because it forces issues to be considered, Williams said. "It makes you look before you leap," Williams said. Already, climate change has been a factor in several court challenges to NEPA decisions, including cases involving coal mining and automobile fuel efficiency ratings. Williams said there would almost certainly be more cases in the future. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:57:10 AM

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Energy policy: Geothermal From The Mountain Mail: "In an effort to locate geothermal resources hot enough to generate electricity, Mount Princeton Geothermal recently announced plans for exploratory drilling of six test holes in the Mount Princeton area. Six proposed drill sites are on private land in the Nathrop and Buena Vista areas. Work awaits permit approval from the Colorado Division of Water Resources. State law mandates a comment period for landowners within a half-mile of proposed drill sites. Letters were mailed to each landowner within the specified distance and they may raise 'substantive concerns' about the project until Oct. 24. Before the end of the comment period, the company hopes to contact landowners near each site to discuss the project. When the comment period ends, the company will have 30 days to submit applications to drill, subject to Colorado Division of Water Resources approval." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. 6:42:33 PM     Governor's Conference on Managing Drought and Climate Risk Here's a recap of the first day of the Govenor's Conference on Drought and Climate Risk, from The Rocky Mountain News. From the article: More than 200 water managers, scientists and elected officials gathered for the three-day event, designed to help lay out a strategy for coping with water shortages fueled by growth, climate change and energy development. "We must be careful stewards of Colorado's water supply," said Gov. Bill Ritter. "If we fail, we fail at the peril of our children and our grandchildren." Colorado, like other states, is hampered in its response to warming because little local data exists on the phenomenon. But a study commissioned by the Colorado Water Conservation Board found that Colorado will warm significantly during the next 40 years, from 2.5 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Summers are expected to be extremely hot, causing water demand to rise and stream flows to shrink, perhaps as much as 20 percent in such areas as the Upper Colorado River Basin. Even as the state continues to warm, its energy industry is growing , [Harris] Sherman said. Western Slope oil shale production is expected to require billions of gallons of new water supplies. But how rain and snow patterns will change is less clear, scientists said. Existing climate models have difficulty predicting what will occur in Colorado's unique high altitude, according to Brad Udall, director of the Western Water Assessment, which coordinated the research effort. And because the state lies in the middle of the continent, it's difficult to discern how warming will affect weather patterns that shift and change as they move over giant land masses. What is clear, said Joe Barsugli, a scientist at the Boulder- based Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, is that water utilities must change the way they forecast water supply and demand. "You can't assume the past is going to be your best guide to the future," Barsugli said. In response to the uncertainty, Colorado's largest water utilities, including Denver, Aurora and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, are gearing up to do their own risk analysis, to examine how warming will affect the Front Range and its water supplies. More coverage from The Pueblo Chieftain. They write: Policies put into place today to counter the worst effects of climate change will take years to take hold, but could reduce the rate of change and improve Colorado's long-range planning, Gov. Bill Ritter said Wednesday. "At no time has our water been threatened so much by drought, climate change and population growth," Ritter said. "As we assess the impact of climate change, water absolutely has to be a part of the discussion."[...] Ritter called for communities to put new emphasis on planning for drought. "While many communities have developed water conservation plans, drought planning has to be a part of the equation," Ritter said. Ritter tied in his concept of a "new energy economy" with the reduction of greenhouse gases in the future, praising Vestas, a wind turbine manufacturer building plants along the Front Range, including Pueblo, and Conoco Phillips, which is building a major climate and energy research center in Denver. Quoting the late congressman Wayne Aspinall, Ritter said "water touches everything" and has to be central to any discussions of growth in Colorado. He talked about growing up on a dryland wheat farm, taking time off lately to squeeze in fishing trips and the need to furnish water to a booming state population. Ritter called for the state to begin building a framework to determine the scope of obstacles facing water users. He called for innovative solutions... The conference unveiled a new report by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the University of Colorado at Boulder that projects vast changes for Colorado agriculture, recreation and cities. The Colorado Water Foundation issued its own report on how climate change affects water. The reports predict a new climate for Colorado that will mean less intense winters, less snowpack, more reliance on rainfall, longer growing seasons and higher temperatures. Harris Sherman, director of the Department of Natural Resources, called for all state municipal water providers to come up with drought plans. "Only 27 percent of the state's water suppliers have drought plans," Sherman said, adding that they are mostly the larger cities in the state. "We need to do better."[...] Climate change has been incorporated into the most recent phase of the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, which in 2004 predicted an 18 percent gap in meeting future municipal water needs in the state. The state also is looking at a boom in oil shale, uranium, coal and natural gas development that will increase demands on water, particularly on the Western Slope. At the same time, flows in the Colorado River basin are projected to drop 6-20 percent. "Our traditional assessment about the amount, form and location of precipitation has become a moving target," Sherman said. Climate change will create challenges in water quality as well as supply, said Martha Rudolph, environmental director for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. "We would likely find more water bodies are impaired by the loading of pollutants and water temperature change," Rudolph said. Less snowfall and more rainfall will mean more runoff from urban areas as storms wash contaminants off streets and parking lots and salinity could be increased. If more forest land burns in wildfires, there could be more sediment from erosion flowing into reservoirs. Reusing municipal water on crops could be detrimental to production, Rudolph said. More coverage from The Denver Post. They write: The majority of water utilities and providers in Colorado have failed to submit required water conservation and drought plans, state officials said Wednesday The failure raises questions of how prepared Colorado is for the next drought. "Some of this planning may be going on. We just don't know," said Harris Sherman, executive director of the state Department of Natural Resources... "The law requires filing plans, but the law has no teeth," said Jennifer Gimbel, executive director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board -- which is responsible for water project planning and financing. A water purveyor cannot get state funding for a project without submitting the plans, but if it isn't seeking state money, there is nothing to compel the provider to file. "There is no enforcement mechanism," Gimbel said. Under state law, the approximately 110 utilities and systems that use 2,000 acre-feet of water a year or more -- an acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons -- must file conservation plans with the state. Only 25 percent have done so, according to the state water conservation board. Water providers also also required to have drought plans. A survey of 350 by the water conservation board found only 27 percent had plans... The water conservation board can provide planning grants and technical expertise, Gimbel said. The major water systems in the state have filed both conservation and drought plans, according to the state water conservation board survey. Update More coverage from The Cortez Journal: Colorado water providers are looking at a future that's hot, dry and crowded. To prepare for this future, hundreds of water experts gathered Wednesday for the Governor's Conference on Managing Drought and Climate Risk... Most large water utilities have drought plans, but three-quarters of the state's municipal water providers don't, Sherman said. He wants opinions from water managers on whether the Legislature should pass a law requiring drought plans from city water providers... People at the conference got a copy of the Colorado Water Conservation Board's brand new report on climate change in Colorado. It is one of the only reports to try to show the effects of global warming in the state. There is strong consensus among climate scientists worldwide that the Earth is getting hotter, and humans are the likely cause. But scientists tend to shy away from using their global models to predict local climates. The new report reviews a variety of previous studies. It predicts an average temperature increase in Colorado of 2.5 degree Fahrenheit by 2025 and 5 degrees by 2050. In the mountains, that means the climate common at lower elevations will move up toward the peaks. Western Slope valleys will feel more like the desert Southwest, the report says. Most concerning to water managers, the report predicts 6 percent to 20 percent drops in streamflows in the Colorado River Basin, which includes Southwest Colorado. Category: Colorado Water 6:28:16 AM

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Energy policy: Oil Shale From The Fort Collins Coloradoan: "CSU will get nearly $1 million from Shell Oil to study revegetation of oil shale developments in Colorado. The $950,000 research grant to Colorado State University's Warner College of Natural Resources will allow researchers to look at the 1970s restoration of shale-harvested land in the Piceance Basin. Lack of funding prevented researchers from studying the results of that three-decade-old revegetation." Meanwhile, from The Deseret News: "Four environmental groups this week accused the Bureau of Land Management of skipping a step on its way to amending land-management plans that they say will 'expedite' commercial development of oil shale in the Green River Basin. "The Wilderness Society, Western Resource Advocates, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter Monday to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. In the letter, they claimed the BLM bypassed a public protest period when the federal agency decided to amend 12 land management plans impacting 2.5 million acres of public lands in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. "The BLM also denied the governors of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah the opportunity to conduct formal consistency reviews with the policies and programs of their state, 'affecting air, water and wildlife,' The Wilderness Society said in a news release Tuesday." Update More coverage from The Glenwood Springs Independent. From the article: The Wilderness Society has asked the U.S. Department of the Interior to withdraw proposed plans that would open up about 360,000 acres in Colorado to possible oil shale development. The group made its request in a letter to Dirk Kempthorne, secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, this week. The group's appeal largely stems from concerns that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hasn't allowed the public a chance to protest or allow governors to perform a consistency review of a final programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) about potential oil shale and tar sands development in the American West. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Climate Change News 6:28:44 AM

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Climate Change in Colorado: A Synthesis to Support Water Resources Management and Adaptation Here's a look at climate change and its projected effect on Colorado water supplies, from The Rocky Mountain News. They write: Colorado likely will heat up 2.5 degrees to 4 degrees over the next 40 years, causing stream flows to shrink as spring and summer become hotter, according to a study commissioned by the Colorado Water Conservation Board. "There have been a lot of reports out there, (but) this one really focuses on Colorado," said Jennifer Gimbel, director of the water conservation board. Among the report's findings: * Summers will become extremely hot, registering as warm or warmer than the hottest 10 percent of summers between 1950 and 1999. * Little change in annual precipitation will occur, but temperature increases alone are expected to have a significant impact on snow and water supplies. * Stream flows in the Colorado River Basin will shrink from 5 percent to 20 percent, exacerbating water shortages already forecast because of population growth. * Spring runoff will arrive earlier, altering the times when farmers and utilities can expect their water to arrive. * Summer water demand by homeowners will rise because of temperature increases. * Despite warmer winters, temperatures above 8,000 feet will remain well below freezing, helping preserve snowpack and mountain environments. The report was compiled by the University of Colorado Western Water Assessment, a partnership between the university, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the CU Cooperative Institute for Research into Environmental Sciences and the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University... "We need to be very careful about how we use our remaining Colorado River allocation," [Brad Udall director of the Western Water Assessment] said. "That water is a moving target under climate change. We don't know how much of it there is or how consistently we can expect it to be there." As a result, he said, Colorado needs to ensure it can keep enough water in the bank - Lake Powell - so that it can meet its obligations to downstream states while protecting Colorado's portion. Whether that means Colorado needs to build a major new reservoir in the state isn't clear yet, Udall said. Category: Climate Change News 6:18:54 AM

Monday, October 6, 2008

Climate Change: The earth is a beautifully complex system From The Environment News Service: "More intense storms will threaten water infrastructure and increase polluted stormwater runoff as climate change impacts water resources across the United States, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns in a proposed climate and water strategy issued Thursday. Shorelines will move as a result of sea level rise, and changes in ocean chemistry will alter aquatic habitat and fisheries, the agency said. Warming water temperatures are likely change contaminant concentrations in water and alter the uses of aquatic systems, the EPA strategy document projects. The document adds that new patterns of rainfall and snowfall are expected to alter water supply for drinking and other uses and lead to changes in pollution levels in aquatic systems." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Climate Change News 6:23:54 PM     National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change From The EPA: "To assist in responding to potential effects of climate change, a new strategy focuses on 40 specific actions for the national water program to take to respond to climate change. EPA's National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change (pdf) describes steps for managers to adapt their clean water, drinking water, and ocean protection programs." Category: Climate Change News 7:19:19 AM

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Energy policy: Oil and gas From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: "A continuing state investigation into the contamination of drinking water this spring at a cabin northwest of Parachute has resulted in the discovery of a second spring in the area that has been tainted by benzene. That led to new citations against four oil and gas companies alleging they failed to report the discovery quickly enough. It also has led to a fifth company, OXY USA WTP LP, being cited as a possible contributor to the second spring's contamination." More from the article: Debbie Baldwin, environmental manager for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, said OXY was issued a notice of alleged violation because it has oil and gas operations in a drainage above the second spring. However, the state doesn't think any of its operations contaminated the first spring where benzene was found. In that case, De Beque resident Ned Prather became sick May 30 when he visited his cabin and drank water from the spring. Water tests found unsafe levels of cancer-causing benzene, thought to be the result of oil and gas development. The COGCC issued notices of alleged violations against Williams Production RMT, Marathon Oil Co., Petroleum Development Corp. and Nonsuch Natural Gas. Those citations were based only on the proximity of the four companies' wells to the cabin and the known geological and hydrological information for the area. Testing of water monitoring wells in the area has yet to prove that any of the companies was responsible for the contamination. However, that testing did lead to benzene being found in the second spring, which feeds a stock pond on Prather's property. Baldwin said the delay in reporting the finding to the state and to Prather was a matter of "several days," and probably resulted in part from poor coordination between the companies as they processed data from consultants doing the testing. Williams spokeswoman Susan Alvillar said timely communications between companies is difficult. But she said another factor was that the benzene showed up in a third test after the spring tested negative twice before, and the companies wanted to confirm the positive test before reporting it. She said Williams disagrees with the COGCC on what constitutes timely reporting. More water testing is being planned to try to determine the sources of the benzene contamination, but Baldwin said finding answers is difficult because groundwater movement in the area probably is controlled by fractures in bedrock. Category: Climate Change News 9:29:06 AM

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