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On this episode of The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by Grand Canyon Trust staff attorney Michael Toll to discuss a plan to mine hundreds of thousands of barrels of waxy crude oil in Utah near Dinosaur National Monument, using billions of gallons of Colorado River Water.
A loophole in Utah law enabled an Estonian state-owned company called Enefit to buy 3.2 billion gallons of Colorado River water for just $10 in 2015. Now, Enefit wants to use that water to extract oil in the Uinta Basin using a novel method that is around 75 percent more carbon-intensive than traditional fossil fuel drilling. Toll discusses how Enefit acquired its massive water right and how the Grand Canyon Trust is fighting Enefit’s plan.
News
- House speaker vote could portend ‘pure chaos’ for GOP policy agenda – Washington Post
- In Arizona, Colorado River crisis stokes worry over growth and groundwater depletion – Los Angeles Times
- How a Utah utility is helping an Estonian oil company hoard Colorado River water – Grist
- New national monument proposed south of Joshua Tree National Park – Desert Sun
Credits
Hosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Staplegunther, Wikimedia Commons
