Oil and water don't mix, especially in southwestern Colorado where a debate continues over regional development.
Federal officials are trying to decide what to do with 3,000 proposed oil and gas wells in the area as water supplies and drilling rigs get closer together.
Mancos Valley farmer Mike Nolan said water should take precedence over oil and gas development as the federal government works on a Resource Management Plan to determine when and where wells can be drilled.
Oil and gas developers say the wells are inevitable and it's blocking progress.
According to the Durango Herald, master leasing plans are getting more attention in the West as oil and gas expansion begins to border on wildlands. The BLM will have the final say.
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