ABSTRACT

Originally conceived as a symposium topic by the Committee on Arid Lands of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the resulting series of papers highlights some of the major issues and paradoxes that must be addressed in developing western energy resources. Along with energy development, consideration must be given to the rights of western states to examine alternatives for commitment of valuable water, air, and space as well as how to deal with impacts and changes to their social systems that occur in energy resource development.