Although the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has agreed to review a permit request for a proposed 501-mile-long buried water pipeline from Wyoming to Colorado, widespread resistance to the project continues from the tri-state area.

That resistance prompted Uintah County officials to formalize their opposition in a resolution last year. Elsewhere, Daggett County, the Wyoming communities of Green River and Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, Wyo. and Moffatt County, Colo. joined Utah in formal opposition.

The proposed pipeline from Flaming Gorge Reservoir across southern Wyoming to the Colorado Front Range is a project by Fort Collins businessman Aaron Million.

He proposes to divert 250,000 acre-feet of water as part of their 1922 Colorado River Compact allocation from the Green River and reservoir in Wyoming to the sprawling communities of eastern Colorado.

The new request “adjusts the scope of the project to generate hydroelectric power and related facilities along the pipeline,” he said, explaining the switch in FERC overseeing the project. In 2009, the Army Corps of Engineers began development of an environmental impact statement for the pipeline, but suspended work in May at the developer’s request.

FERC has authority over the hydroelectric portion of the project, however, substantial environmental permitting would have to come from other agencies, according to Celeste Miller, FERC spokesperson.

Wyoming’s Gov. Matt Mead opposes the project.

“I generally oppose trans-basin diversion projects and in particular I believe Aaron Million’s project is not well thought out,” Mead wrote.

Criticism spans concern over the reduction in scant water resources as well as impact to existing habitats.

The proposed project has little popularity west of the Rockies where variable snowfall and runoff make assured flows into the Flaming Gorge Reservoir somewhat unpredictable.

Stacy Tellinghuisen, Western Resource Advocates, energy and water analyst, calls Million’s latest effort blatantly misleading.

“He’s now trying to re-classify his project as a power supply project,” Tellinghuisen said. “It’s a water supply project — not a power supply project because it’s going to consume more energy than it will produce.”

She believes the developer latched onto the hydroelectric aspect of the project to grease the skids for the project to become permitted.

“The reality is, even with the pumped hydro-power, this project still has to pump water over the Continental Divide, so it will use more water than it will ever produce,” Tellinghuisen said.

Million proposes to pump water from western Wyoming’s natural gas region through a system of turbines and reservoirs along to generate electricity along the pipeline.

“We’re planning on using natural gas turbines to maximize the hydro-power and minimize energy use, perhaps tying some wind,” Million said.

In order to pipe water over the Continental Divide Million’s permit application includes a potential nine natural gas pump stations, several new reservoirs, at least, 31 miles of transmission lines and seven powerhouse to connect the system.

He does not agree with detractors who say the project is impractical.

He compares the project to the Lake Powell project, which also proposes to develop hydro-electric facilities to move water.

“This is a true private-public partnership project similar to the State of Utah Lake Powell pipeline project that uses hydro-power to help defray costs,” Million said.

Taxpayer dollars are in short supply and, as of this writing, no public entities are stepping up to commit to Million’s water proposal.

Million estimates the cost of the project to be around $3 billion for the 500 plus miles of pipeline, compared to the $1 billion for the 139 mile long Lake Powell Pipeline.

There is some dispute over the numbers.

“The State of Colorado looked at the cost of the pipeline and they estimated it would be $7 to $9 billion dollars,” Tellinghuisen said.

Colorado estimated the price of water under a voluntary agreement between cities and farmers for the temporary leasing of ag-water ranged from $300 to $500 per acre-foot per year.

Tellinghuisen said a private consultant to the Western Resource Advocates gauged Million’s water as costing as much as $4,000 and acre-foot per year.

“Realistically, I just don’t see this project relieving pressure on any of the basins in Colorado,” she said.