Ken Salazar will face a mountain of environmental challenges - many centered in Colorado - should he take over as czar of Western lands, water and wildlife in his role as U.S. Interior secretary. From overseeing dwindling water supplies in the Colorado River, to safely developing oil shale in the northwestern part of the state, to balancing the needs of rare species with energy drilling, Salazar will find himself buffeted by controversy from the get-go.

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