Udall Statement on Anvil Points Cleanup Certification

Statement

Udall Statement on Anvil Points Cleanup Certification

Today Congressman Mark Udall (D-Eldorado Springs) released the following statement regarding the cleanup of the Anvil Points Oil Shale site in Western Colorado. Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman certified that the federal government has enough money to begin the cleanup, which means that the State of Colorado will begin to receive a portion of the mineral leasing revenues from energy development in the area. The announcement does not free up what would have been Colorado's share of the more than $100 million in oil and gas revenues that have collected in the Anvil Points trust fund since 1997.

"The best that can be said about today's announcement is that the Bush Administration has finally officially recognized that there is no need to continue short-changing Colorado by keeping all the royalties from the existing leases in the Roan Plateau area. But they are doing nothing to refund the state's share of the money already collected, let alone listen to Governor Ritter or the Colorado communities that want them to change their plans for leasing all the rest of the Roan at one time."

To contact the Udall press office, call Heather Fox at 970-290-4653.

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