Symposium brings energy and water together

Published: Aug. 7, 2020 • By Cay Leytham-Powell

Upcoming virtual events to explore the scientific and cultural facets of two important issues for Coloradans: energy and water

Water and energy are two of the most divisive and essential issues to Westerners, and yet they are rarely discussed side-by-side—until now.

A new four-day symposium, put on in collaboration between the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Colorado Scientific Society, and hosted by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will delve into these two related and yet separate issues and all of the scientific and cultural nuances that come with them.

These dialogues, being held on Aug. 11, 13, 18 and 20, will not only provide insightful commentary on Colorado’s present challenges but also on future opportunities with these resources, which are forecasted to take on greater importance in the years to come.

We have recruited a spectacular set of presenters for each of these sessions"

The event, which was originally planned to be a one-day, in-person conference, will feature four to five diverse speakers for an hour and a half each day engaging in a moderated conversation on that day’s theme. Registration for the event is available through the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s website.

“We have recruited a spectacular set of presenters for each of these sessions,” said Patty Limerick, director of the Center of the American West and the moderator of all of the events. “I am very lucky to have been given the role of moderator to orchestrate a conversation among people who are, first, extremely knowledgeable about the complicated and dynamic relationship between water and energy, and, second, very capable of sharing their knowledge with an audience that covers a spectrum of sophistication.”

Event details include:

Part 1: Resource providers

Event Date: Aug. 11, 2020

Event Time: 10-11:30 a.m.

Participants:

Laurna Kaatz, climate science, policy, and adaptation program director for Denver Water
- Title: Providing Drinking water to Colorado
Jeff Lyng, director of energy and environmental policy, Xcel Energy
- Title: Building a Carbon-Free Future
Eric Kuhn, formerly the general manager of the Colorado River District
- Title: West-Slope Water Use, Trends, and Issues in the Age of Climate Change
Bruce Finley, senior staff writer for the Denver Post; Senior Staff writer
- Title: Reckoning

Part 2: User community perspectives

Event Date: Aug. 13, 2020

Event Time: 10-11:30 a.m.

Participants:

Jan Kulmann, mayor of the City of Thornton
- Title: Where the Need for Water in Communities and Businesses Meet
Roger Fragua, president of Cota Holdings, LLC, and NDN Energy, LLC
- Title: Indian Country and Access to Energy & Water
Jerd Smith, editor of Fresh Water News
- Title: Outsized Issues of Water-Use in a Headwater State
Luke Runyon, reporter for Colorado Public Radio Station KUNC
- Title: Uniting and Dividing: How Water Can Bring Western Communities Together or Drive Them Apart

Part 3: Technology addressing current challenges

Event Date: Aug. 18, 2020

Event Time: 10-11:30 a.m.

Participants:

Thomas Cech, director of One World One Water Center
- Title: Technology Addressing Current Challenges: The Importance of Water Education
Christy Woodward, senior director of regulatory affairs, Colorado Oil & Gas Association
- Title: Innovation and Adaptation in Colorado’s Oil and Natural Gas Industry
Tracy Kosloff, assistant state engineer, Colorado Division of Water Resources
- Title: More Information About Water Diversions Faster Makes for Better Decisions
Seth Haines, research geophysicist, U.S. Geological Survey
- Title: Uniting and Dividing: How Water Can Bring Western Communities Together or Drive Them Apart

Part 4: Future pathways

Event Date: Aug. 20, 2020

Event Time: 10-11:30 a.m.

Participants:

Elizabeth Garner, Colorado state demographer with the Department of Local Affairs
- Title: Where Do We Grow from Here?
Russ Sands, senior program manager of water supply planning, Colorado Water Conservation Board
- Title: The Colorado Water Plan: Where We’ve Been and the Path Forward
Peter Barkmann, senior hydrologist, Colorado Geological Survey
- Title: Groundwater Resources in Colorado: An Online Atlas
Jordan Macknick, lead energy-water-land analyst, USDOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Title: Transformation of Colorado’s Energy Sector
Mark Jensen, chemistry professor, Colorado School of Mines
- Title: Is There a Future for Nuclear Energy in The Mountain West?