Western State College of Colorado

33^rd Colorado Water Workshop – May 14-16, 2008 – Western State College of Colorado

MINING, ENERGY AND WATER IN THE WEST

(All events in the Kebler Room, College Union, except as otherwise noted)

• 11:00 Americorps*VISTAs Working in Local Watersheds A presentation by VISTA and Americorps volunteers who are working with watershed groups around the region.
  


• 11:45 Lunch served in Red Mountain Room.
  
  

• WEDNESDAY, MAY 14: The Water-Energy Nexus

  1:00     Welcome and Opening remarks - George Sibley, Acting Director
  
  1:10     2050 Visions: Colorado's new water leaders contemplate the legal, socioeconomic and physical infrastructure we will need by 2050, given predictions for water and energy demand and supply.

  • Dick Wolfe, State Water Engineer

  • Jennifer Gimbel, Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board

  • Nicole Seltzer, Director, Foundation for Colorado Water Education

  • Presentations followed by questions and discussion.

• 2:45     The Water-Energy Nexus

  • “Energy/Water Interdependencies and Emerging Challenges,” Mike Hightower, Distinguished Member, Energy Security Center, Sandia National Laboratories

  • “Water and Energy in the Arkansas River Valley,” Stacy Tellinghuisen, Western Resource Advocates

  • Questions and Discussion
    

• 3:45     Break, move to Taylor Auditorium

• 4:00     Showing of "Rural Impact! What to Expect from the Gas Industry and How to Address It,” with responses from:

  • Doug Hock, Encana Oil & Gas, Colorado Oil & Gas Association

  • Senator Gail Schwartz, Colorado General Assembly      

  • John Duggan, Coordinator, Source Water Assessment & Protection Program, DPHE      

  • Lisa Fracken, Landowner, Rifle, CO      

  • Questions and Discussion
         

• 6:00     Social hour

• 7:30     Keynote after dinner – Justice Greg Hobbs, Colorado Supreme Court, “Water, Energy, Mining and Life in the Four Corners”
  

• THURSDAY MORNING, May 15

• 8:30     Energy and Water Resources in the Upper Colorado River Region

• “Where the Energy Resources Are (or Might Be)” – Chris Potter, Chief Scientist, Central Energy Resources Team, U.S. Geological Survey

• “Where the Water Is (or Might Be)” – John Sikora, URS, Needs Assessment Consultant to Colorado River Basin Roundtable

• “Water Quality Concerns Under Study” – Kirby Wynn, U.S. Geological Survey

• “Coal-bed Methane Stream Depletion Studies” – Ralf Topper, Colorado Geological Survey

• Questions and Break

• 10:45 Using and Protecting the Water Resource in Energy Development

  • Cat Shrier, Watercat Consulting, Washington, giving overview and introductions

  • “Water-use Strategies evolving in Non-conventional Oil Development” – Paul Pigeon, Golder Associates, Denver

  • “Water-use Strategies evolving in Western Colorado Oil and Gas Development” – Tom Haynie, Harrison Western, Denver

• Questions and Discussion

• 12:15   Lunch

• THURSDAY AFTERNOON,May 15
  
  
• 1:30    Betrayal of Trust: The Black Mesa Experience and Other Tribal Isssues with Mining, Energy and Water

• Vernon Masayesva, Hopi Nation, Black Mesa Trust

• Marshall Johnson, To’ Nizhoni Ani

• Bill McCabe, Engineer consulting with Council of Energy Resource Tribes
• Pete Lavigne, Western State College faculty, introducing and moderating
  
• 3:45     Break
  
  
• 4:00     Energy - Along with Everything Else That's Going On. A conversation with Rep. Kathleen Curry (including summary of energy and water achievements in the 2007/08 legislative sessions), Chris Treese from the Colorado River Water Conservation District, and Bart Miller of Western Resource Advocates, moderated by Mark Shively of the Douglas County Water Resource Authority.
  
• 5:00 Adjourn for the day

   

• FRIDAY MORNING, May 16: Working out the Local, State and National Priorities
• 8:30     Black Canyon Water Right Update
  • Bart Miller, Resource Advocates, representing environmental interests
  • John McClow, Attorney, Upper Gunnison River WCD, representing local interests above canyon
    (Because this situation has not been completely resolved, the federal agencies involved have been advised to not speak on the situation)
    
    
• 9:30     When National Priorities come to Local Watersheds
  • Hannah Holm, , Water Organizer, Western Colorado Congress, introducing and moderating
    
    Stories of Extractive Industries in Local Watersheds, Past to Present
• Leadville, Its Mining Heritage and the Environmental Protection Agency. Carl Miller, former miner and legislator, local historian
• Crested Butte's Coal Creek: How Our Past National Priorities Led to Our Current National Priority Listing as a Superfund Site, Anthony Poponi, Coal Creek Watershed Coalition
  
  Stories of Trying to Work It Out in Advance, Present and Future
• The Grand Valley Story. Greg Trainor, Grand Junction Utilities Manager; Tim Sarmo, Palisade City Administrator
• Mining and Watershed Protection in Okanogan County, WA, David Banton, Principal Hydrologist, Golder Associates, Inc.
  
  
  A Discussion of the Still Unsettled Terrain between National Priorities on Public Lands and Community Needs in Local Watersheds (that are als Public Lands)
• An Overview of Mining Regulation, David Stiller, Hotchkiss, CO, Environmental Consultant
• Federal Perspective. Linda Bledsoe, Realty Specialist, US Forest Service
• How Local Governments can protect themselves. David Baumgarten and Tom Dill, Attorneys, Gunnison County
• 12:30   Lunch
  
  
• 1:30 Closing Keynote: “Colorado's Water Puzzle,” Peter Binney, Black and Veatch Global Director of Sustainable Water Planning, and recently retired Manager, Aurora Utilities