Tipton Statement on Announcement of Massive Natural Gas Deposit in Western Colorado

Statement

Congressman Scott Tipton (R-CO) issued the following statement in response to today's announcement by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that the Mancos Shale deposit in the Piceance Basin has the potential to be the second largest natural gas deposit in the United States based on their new survey. According to the USGS, the undiscovered technically recoverable resources in the Mancos deposit include a mean estimate of 66 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, up from 2002-2003 estimates of 1.6 trillion cubic feet.

"The potential of this find for Western Colorado's economy and for our national energy security is tremendous. Utilizing this resource can become a reality by getting commonsense projects like the Jordan Cove pipeline off the ground, increasing U.S. natural gas exports, and establishing a true all-of-the-above domestic energy policy through responsible production. That has and continues to be the focus of much of my work in Congress," said Tipton. "This is an incredible opportunity to create jobs and economic growth in one of the regions hit hardest by the economic downturn. In order to capitalize on it, it's imperative that our nation's elected representatives work to advance a responsible all-of-the-above energy policy that embraces both renewable energy technologies and traditional resources - including natural gas and coal. Merely paying lip service to it, as Congressional Democrats and the Administration continue to do, won't get the job done and will continue to squander opportunities for economic growth."

Tipton is working with his colleagues in the Colorado, Wyoming and Utah delegations to pressure the Administration to allow the Jordan Cove Pipeline to move forward. Once completed, the pipeline would transport natural gas produced in Western Colorado and other states to the West Coast for export.

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