The Honorable Ken Salazar Secretary, U.S.

Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20015 Dear Secretary Salazar: We the undersigned are writing to express our support for the Bureau of Land Managements (BLM) Draft Programmatic EIS (PEIS) for oil shale and tar sands. Because this document will guide the potential leasing of these resources on federal lands in the upper Colorado River basin we are encouraged to see the balanced approach being taken. As stakeholders in the lower basin states who rely on the Colorado River, we are concerned that oil shale and tar sands development could pose significant risks to the Colorado River watershed, potentially compromising both water quality and quantity. As such, we believe that continued research must be prioritized over commercial leasing of public lands for the development of oil shale and tar sands. As you know, the Colorado River is the economic backbone of our communities and is essential to our Western way of life. The Colorado River supports a quarter of a million jobs and produces $26 billion in economic output annually.i The BLM acknowledged in the Draft PEIS that the potential impacts of oil shale and tar sands development on our water is unknown but potentially significant. Further, the Government Accountability Office estimates that industrial-scale oil shale development could require as much as 123 billion gallons of water per year, or enough to supply 750,000 households.ii Currently, there is not enough information about the scope, methods and viability of oil shale development to evaluate the full impacts on the users of the Colorado River watershed. We believe that a comprehensive study of the cumulative impacts of oil shale development to the Colorado River basin should be conducted before the BLM considers commercial leasing of public lands. It is also critical that industry be required to prove that oil shale and tar sands development will not pose a dangerous risk to our drinking water, our agricultural products, the recreational industry, our small business, and the communities that rely on our western watersheds. Sincerely, Commissioner Paul Newman Arizona Corporation Commission Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining Committee Nevada State Assembly
i

Assemblyman Tick Segerblom Nevada State Assembly Representative Anna Tovar House Minority Whip Arizona House of Representatives

Southwick Associates (2012). Economic Contributions of Outdoor Recreation on the Colorado River & Its Tributaries. http://protectflows.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/05/Colorado-River-Recreational-Economic-Impacts-Southwick-Associates-5-3-12_2.pdf ii Government Accountability Office (2010) Energy Water Nexus: A Better and Coordinated Understanding of Water Resources Could Help Mitigate the Impacts of Potential Oil Shale Development. GAO-11-35