Environmentalists: Shale imperils other water uses

DENVER

“The companies have essentially cornered the market in water rights in western Colorado,” said Karin Sheldon, the group’s executive director.

Companies are still testing the best ways to tap the vast reserves locked in rock below Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Commercial production is likely at least a decade off.

But the Bush administration last year approved a plan to make nearly 2 million acres of public land available for oil shale development and finalized rules for commercial production.

AP