The high topography of the Rocky Mountains provides context both for hydroelectric power and wind energy. The same rugged peaks and valleys that contribute to localized high winds also make large-scale wind energy development difficult. The Rocky Mountains region is also known for coal, oil, and gas, in this case from large marine and freshwater sedimentary deposits in the Greater Green River Basin.
Oil and Gas
Petroleum resources are extracted in the Sand Wash Basin (see Figure 6.6), a southern lobe of the Greater Green River Basin (the bulk of which is located in Wyoming). The Greater Green River Basin is itself made up of several smaller basins and arches between them, formed during the Laramide Orogeny from the end of the Cretaceous period into the Eocene. The basin is known for its Eocene-aged surface rocks that contain both mineral and fossil fuel resources, along with its unusually well-preserved terrestrial fossils in the Green River Formation. Fossil fuels, thought to be derived from blue-green algae living in ancient lakes, are found in particularly thick sequences of Eocene oil shale. The Green River Formation hosts the world's largest known oil shale deposits.
See Region 4: Great Plains later in this chapter to learn more about unconventional drilling methods.
The North Park Basin contains Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata, especially deposits laid down by the Western Interior Seaway. Oil and natural gas have long been extracted conventionally at the North and South McCallum oil fields, from the basin's Cretaceous-aged deltaic sandstones (Figure 6.18). In recent years, unconventional drilling of the late Cretaceous Niobrara Shale has drawn attention to the organic-rich calcareous shale and marl in the North Park and Sand Wash basins.
Alternative Energy
Since the Rocky Mountains provide an abundance of water to lower areas in the east and west, hydroelectric power is substantial in this area (see Figure 6.10). The Colorado River and its tributaries, including the Gunnison River and the Uncompahgre River, provide the potential for much of the Rocky Mountains' hydropower. Over 20 plants produce more than 300 MW of energy for the region. Two large pumped storage stations, Cabin Creek (324 MW) and Mount Elbert (230 MW), are also located in the Colorado Rockies (Figure 6.19).
The Rocky Mountains region has some of the highest potential for wind energy in the US (see Figure 6.22), though the area's terrain and lack of infrastructure has made tapping into this resource challenging. There are currently no largescale wind power projects in the Southwestern Rocky Mountains.
Figure 6.18: A natural gas drilling rig in the North Park Basin, Colorado.
Figure 6.19: The Mount Elbert pumped storage power plant in Twin Lakes, Colorado. The plant generates power from water originally pumped from Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake.
