Western Slope Has 40 Times More Natural Gas Than Thought, USGS Says

(Photo: CPR/Megan Verlee)
<p>A gas well in Garfield county, north of the disputed leases in the White River National Forest.</p>

Experts say western Colorado has 40 times more natural gas than previously thought, potentially making it the second-largest formation in the country. But they say an immediate boom is unlikely because prices are too low. The U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday that Colorado's Piceance Basin formation holds about 66 trillion cubic feet of gas, up from 1.6 trillion estimated in 2003. Update: Read the full story here.