National Sacrifice Zone: Colorado and the Cost of Energy Independence (2007)

"National Sacrifice Zone: Colorado and the Cost of Energy Independence" is a feature length documentary that takes a critical look at the effects of the most current Rocky Mountain energy boom. Starting with stories of Colorado's secret and unfathomable oil resource - oil shale - and the trillions of barrels of oil this mysterious rock is said to contain, "National Sacrifice Zone" looks at the history of energy related Booms and Busts in Western Colorado. From Black Sunday, when Exxon walked away from a 970 million dollar project and left 2300 people unemployed in the small town of Rifle, CO, to attempts to unlock oil and gas through nuclear stimulation technology, and finally to Shell's new interest in the "Rock that Burns", "National Sacrifice Zone" tells the story of what is shaping up to be a 19th Century type boom in the 21st Century. While exploring the past, and the possible future, of Colorado's Boom and Bust cycle, "National Sacrifice Zone" also considers the one boom much of Colorado has not yet seemed to notice-- the natural gas boom. From the "split estate"- a situation in which private landholders find themselves faced with the intrusion of gas drills in their backyards- to issues of toxic pollution, "National Sacrifice Zone" asks; why is everyone talking about the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and failing to notice western Colorado's current despoilment?