ABSTRACT
Proposed energy resource development in the arid west raises a number of major issues that bear on the question of what level of impact is acceptable in an environment that does not have a great deal of resiliency. Projected population increases associated with large-scale development may go beyond the capacity of small isolated rural communities to absorb them. Demand for water in the west exceeds the supply available, yet how can existing water supplies be reallocated equitably? Who will reap the economic benefits and who will bear the environmental costs of development? What effects will energy development have on the social structure, quality of life, and the arid environment? Are open spaces a national treasure in their present form, or should they be regarded as available space for development? What are the unique aspects of reclamation in the arid west that make rehabilitation so different from reclamation in other parts of the country? Given the new trend for western states’-rights militancy and shifts on population to the Southwest, what impact will new policies have on resource management? How should federal resource development policies provide opportunities for western states to make imputs into policy matters regarding the consequences of development on land, air, and water resources as well as the social conditions in the arid west?
