ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the legal and policy issues impacting water availability for oil shale development within Utah. The discussion begins with a summary of the legal system used to allocate Utah’s nite water resources, endangered species issues impacting water availability, and the social license needed to develop water-intensive projects efciently. With this framework in place, the discussion turns to the demand for water resulting from both oil shale development and other water uses that will compete for the region’s scarce water resources. This chapter then discusses potential sources of supply, focusing on physical availability and existing water allocations. Reecting upon supply and demand, this chapter concludes by addressing the implications for the nascent oil shale industry and the government entities shaping water and energy policy.
