Garfield County Commissioner shares his thoughts on state battle for money

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Colorado’s two U.S. senators have sent out press releases by the dozens about the issue. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., held a roundtable about the matter last Thursday.

The crux of the debate: What should be done with the $86.5 million in the Anvil Points oil shale trust fund, which takes in about $1.5 million in gas lease revenues every month?

A 1997 law transferring the Roan Plateau near Rifle to Bureau of Land Management authority barred sharing of Roan gas lease revenues with the state until the federal government is fully reimbursed for cleanup of the former Anvil Points research station near Rulison.

Now that a contract for the cleanup is expected to be signed in June, the money in the trust fund could be ready to come back to Colorado.

Local officials want to see the money come back to the area. The U.S. Interior

Department Secretary has told Allard and Sen. Ken Salazar D-Colo. that the department is looking to take $24 million out of the fund.

Garfield County Commissioner John Martin, who went to Allard’s meeting last week, answered a few questions about the debate and the shape of the debate at the

Thursday meeting:

What was accomplished at the oil shale trust fund meeting called by Allard last Thursday?

“Some wording on legislation both by Allard and Salazar was made. What it amounts to is that instead of identifying the counties — Garfield and Rio Blanco counties — within the legislation on the return of the funds, I suggested that we go ahead and to use the Transfer Act, which was done through Congress, and identify the cleanup site as the Anvil Points cleanup site … and that funds that remain within that trust fund are then returned to the governments in the affected areas of the (U.S.) Naval Oil Shale Reserve No. 1 and No. 3. At that point, you don’t have any individual governments being singled out for all those funds.”

Were there any divergent opinions on the matter?

“(People) loved that particular approach. (Allard and Salazar) both agreed to change it with their staff members to put into their legislation.

“The other one was that they wish to go ahead, Allard did, and identify a fund source within the state of Colorado and allow that money to be diverted to the state of Colorado.

“But then again, after we had testimony on if he did that, the money would go into what we call the Federal Mineral Leasing Fund, which would be distributed on the ‘cascade formula.’ (That) means that we would not see any of the money within the affected areas.”

It is the position of the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado that money from the oil shale trust fund come back to affected local governments. What obstacles will prevent that?

“Sure. One of them is U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who says all the money needs to go to the U.S. Treasury. (Gov. Bill Ritter) says all that money needs to go to higher education because that is a higher need. And the state legislature would like to divvy up that money simply because they have a higher need.

“My message was that we have been waiting since the 80s to take care of the infrastructure, plus we have seen a tremendous increase in energy developments and impacts on our infrastructure, from education to roads, water systems and sewer systems.

“If you look at that actual legislation, that is what this money is supposed to be used for, and so, identified as such. Congress needs to live up to its obligations to local governments and allow this money to flow to take care of those issues.”

Do you think we will see a resolution to this issue some time this year?

“Yes I do. I really do. I will also be going back to Washington on Friday and this will be one of the issues that I will take to the Hill on Monday and Tuesday. This is a top priority to us.”

Contact Phillip Yates: 384-9117pyates@postindependent.com