Public input sought on massive oil shale proposal
Some call the massive oil shale deposit in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah the Saudi Arabia of American petroleum, while others believe the under-cooked shale has as much energy value as a giant potato. Either way, a number of major oil corporations say they’re serious about tapping the resource, and those plans could have significant ramifications to water, air quality and surface habitat. Here’s your chance to learn more about the proposal and tell federal officials what you think.
The Bureau of Land Management will host two public scoping meetings in Cheyenne on Thursday May 5 to discuss and accept comments on a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) and possible land use plan amendments for the allocation of oil shale and tar sands resources.
The meetings are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 204 W. Fox Farm Road, Cheyenne, Wyo.
If you can’t make it to the meeting and still would like to comment, BLM will accept written comments by May 9. Mail written comments to Sherri Thompson, BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 80215. BLM officials say that written and oral comments will be given equal weight for consideration in development of the programmatic EIS.
— Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile editor-in-chief