There's an enigmatic story in today's New York Times Green Inc. section, discussing a report released back in March about the potential for oil shale development in the Colorado River basin to compete for water resources, possibly forcing lower basin states like Arizona to legally call for their senior downstream water rights.
There was nothing new in the story, so I was wondering what prompted them to revisit this issue. Then I spotted a separate news item that US Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) just introduced legislation to overturn the Interior Dept.'s recent revision of oil shale leasing restrictions and permanently adopt provisions developed by the Bush Administration last year. [right, oil shale sample. Credit, Interior Dept.]