The Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District this month will consider how to spend more than $1.7 million from natural gas drilling on the Roan Plateau.
The district has received $1.73 million and is awaiting $120,000 from an account in the Interior Department, which has held the money since at least 2013 and was released only after northwest Colorado and federal officials pressed for $18 million in all to be released to Garfield, Mesa, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties.
The three members of the Mesa County board will conduct a workshop on April 25 after the board's regular meeting to discuss with county and other officials how the money should be used.
Officials with the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, the Interior Department, Mesa County and others are expected to weigh in on the best use of the money, district board member David Ludlam said.
Moffat County received the same amount of money while Rio Blanco County and the Garfield County Federal Mineral Lease District each received $7.4 million.
The money was the amount left over after cleanup of the Anvil Points Oil Shale Research Facility near Rifle.
The money for the cleanup came from lease payments for natural gas recovered from the Roan Plateau, which was previously known as a naval oil shale reserve.
The Mesa County district meets at 2 p.m. April 25 in the Home Loan building, 205 N. Fourth St.
