From Denver Post guest columnist Sharon Bronson writing about the development of oil shale: “Frankly, the oil shale debate in Colorado demands a broader regional conversation about energy development and water management in the West. We are all painfully aware of how rapid development, an extended drought and global warming are stressing our water resources. As the seven Colorado River basin states, along with Mexico, continue to fight over a shrinking water “pie,” how will the water for commercial oil shale development be supplied? What are the downstream impacts of pursuing this type of energy policy? Is producing oil shale a better use of this water than raising crops? We need straight answers to these hard questions. The BLM, even today, acknowledges that the development technologies for oil shale have yet to be proven as commercially viable, and their associated impacts are unknown.”