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The challenge of Western Colorado water
We’re running out of water.
For most folks who call Western Colorado home, this isn’t news. We’ve watched with numb terror as Lake Mead’s water level has steadily declined. Behind closed doors, Congress has tried and failed to broker an agreement with state officials from Wyoming to California as they negotiate who gets how much of what little water is left of the overburdened Colorado River.
At a time when the specter of devastating cuts looms large over the West, it makes little sense to continue using fresh water to extract oil and gas, which is partially responsible for the worst drought in our region in over a millennium. During this year’s legislative session, our Alliance helped pass a key piece of legislation, HB 23-1242, which will require operators to report their water use and increase the amount of recycled water used throughout the production process.
Unfortunately, navigating the political environment in Denver required significantly diluting measures within the bill before it could be passed. Such was also the fate of HB 23-1294, another piece of legislation that our Alliance helped pass, which will work toward improving air quality for those living near oil and gas extraction. Though both pieces of legislation will help Colorado achieve its climate goals, our members know that there is still much more to be done.
For our community’s agricultural workers, the existential threat posed by our changing climate is immediate. Farmers and ranchers who have worked the land for decades have watched what little water used to reach their crops and livestock trickle away, forcing impossible decisions as they watch their way of life evaporate before their eyes.
“I’ve lived here 60 years now,” said Don Lumbardy, a rancher who lives in Whitewater. “We had [no water] for the last two years. Last year was a killer, and it just about sunk me financially.”
When it was clear that he would not be able to secure enough water for his cattle, Don made the painful decision to sell his livestock. “I live frugally — that’s all I can afford. If it weren’t for my pension as a former Colorado state employee, I don’t know what I would do,” said Don.
Unfortunately, stories like Don’s are becoming all too common throughout the West. As our days become hotter and dryer, we Coloradans must rise to the challenge and do our part to conserve water and reduce the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere.
Two rulemaking processes critical to the future of Colorado will take place this year: The Cumulative Impacts Rulemaking in the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), and the Intensity Verification Rulemaking in the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC). Both rulemakings aim to address the environmental and public health risks posed by oil and gas operations — and both have implications for how likely we are to achieve our state’s targets for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
The COGCC’s cumulative impact rulemaking will determine where the agency will allow oil and gas wells to be permitted, accounting for the existing harm being done by oil and gas activity in the area. The AQCC’s intensity rulemaking will focus on how we measure the pollution oil and gas infrastructure is emitting—and keeping oil and gas executives honest about the amount.
By understanding how much we pollute and the totality of the impacts that pollution has on our communities and environment, Colorado will be better positioned to take responsibility and fulfill its role in the global fight against climate change.
Water is life. It is the blossoming of Palisade orchards with the promise of peaches and wine; it is the tall stocks of sweetcorn that rise to greet the vast Olathe sky; it is the sunkissed joy of sharing a Cedaredge apple with a friend. Water is what makes possible our mode of being in this arid arcadia we call home. “If people don’t get it into their heads how important our resources are, they can’t sustain life,” said Don. “I don’t know what kind of future that will look like.”
Brian joined Western Colorado Alliance as a community organizer in April 2020. With a professional background in elections and the court system, Brian specializes in working with our partners to shape oil and gas policy. Having grown up on the Western Slope, he is committed to working toward a strong, sustainable future for our community. Brian also volunteers with Mesa County Library’s literacy and pathway to citizenship programs. As an avid board game enthusiast, he enjoys opportunities to strategize and build winning coalitions. Brian received his bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado Mesa University, and his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs.