The Garfield County Federal Mineral Lease District has agreed to send the Anvil Points money, totaling around $7.3 million, back to Garfield County after discussing with county commissioners what to do with funds.
“I’m glad to be an integral part, and there were a lot of people that worked on this and put in hard hours, and I’m glad to see this finally be resolved,” said Commissioner Mike Samson. “I’m glad that we have this money for the future for what we would deem to be the best uses for Garfield County.”
In April, FMLD representatives met with the commissioners to discuss how the Anvil Points Oil Shale Trust funds should be distributed.
While the FMLD allocates funds from natural resource development on Garfield County public lands, the commissioners felt that, since the Anvil Points funds preceded the formation of the FMLD, it should just go straight to the county.
The funds were originally allocated for the cleanup of the Anvil Points federal oil shale research site. Revenue related to oil shale production on public land several decades ago, known as the Naval Oil Shale Reserves Nos 1 and 3, was held for cleanup costs for many years afterwards.
After years of negotiations and discussions, it was finally agreed to be distributed back to the counties most impacted.
The funds were distributed to Rio Blanco, Garfield, Mesa and Moffat counties, with Garfield County receiving 40 percent, or $6.8 million. The county also received an additional $481,609, bringing its total to nearly $7.3 million.
The funds will be returned to the FMLD by May 31, according to the press release. It will then be transferred to the county.
The funds will be saved in the county’s oil and gas mitigation fund, according to the press release.