Claim: "I never called for a moratorium. I called for a smart, phased development of the Roan Plateau."
- Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall, during his first debate with GOP opponent Bob Schaffer on July 14.

Facts: In 2007, Udall and U.S. Rep. John Salazar inserted a provision into the energy bill that would have prohibited drilling on top of the plateau, allowing natural-gas reserves to be accessed only by directional drilling from the plateau's base.

Although estimates differ, the best guess is that directional technology still isn't sophisticated enough to reach at least 20 percent of the natural gas under the Roan, effectively putting some of the reserves off limits.