<br />
<br />JI11r 11, 1971
<br />
<br />33
<br />
<br />r
<br />
<br />Controls
<br />Urged on
<br />Oil Shale
<br />
<br />ThP Colorado Open Space Council
<br />fCOSCl has callpd upon ~latp and fffipral
<br />autht)!'itips to kpep proposed oil shale- de-v-
<br />plopment in C.o]nrado, Wyoming and Utah.
<br />from becoming another tumultuous situa-
<br />tion like lhe Four Corner! Power Plant
<br />controversy.
<br />In a position pa~r the council
<br />representing 47 e-nvironmenlal and const'r-
<br />vation organizations, said public participa-
<br />tion in oil shale- development planning is
<br />necessary.
<br />The basic question Is whether oil shale
<br />development is justified, the council an-
<br />nounced,
<br />
<br />'Turmoil, lawsuits'
<br />"We want to a\'oid a similar situation
<br />that has cauS{'d so much turmoil, ]aw-
<br />.IIuilS, public expense and t'nvironmental
<br />degradation as the Four Cornrrs Power
<br />Plant Cllntroversy," Ed Connors, council
<br />president, said.
<br />Hl" noted public involvement In that l"n-
<br />vironmental issue came only after air
<br />pollution and other environmental degra-
<br />dation had begun.
<br />The position papl'r notes that public
<br />land.<; are to be lE'a~ by thl! fedl?ral gov-
<br />l?rnment under a long rangp program to
<br />determine if 100.000 barrels a day rewn-
<br />ing plants are fea.<;ib]e.
<br />Befort> lease rommitmenb are made,
<br />results (If private firms' $ohale pxperi-
<br />ments should be made public, cose con-
<br />tends.
<br />Disposol Problem
<br />Disposal of huge amounts of shall! rl!sl-
<br />dues, water and air pollution are among
<br />the ettvironml!ntal considerations, as is
<br />the development of property to house and
<br />support workers in the industry.
<br />The public should know .....hat the pnvl-
<br />ronmenLaI impacts are before de\'elop-
<br />ment begins the cose paper assertE'd..
<br />The Gon~rnor's Committee on Environ-
<br />mE'ntal Prol('("liOll for a Federal Oil Shale
<br />Leasing Program should have full accE'SS
<br />to information bearing on the proposro
<br />development before leases are signed or
<br />exploratory pernllts are issued, the roun-
<br />('i] contended to protect the public inter.
<br />t'st.
<br />
<br />A SECTION
<br />
<br />OF
<br />
<br />TH E WEST
<br />
<br />ON
<br />
<br />THE
<br />
<br />ENVIRONMENT
<br />
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<br />
<br />PRIMITIVE AREA TO BE SUBJECT OF HEARING
<br />
<br />Gilpin Peak, 13,682 feet high, a, ,een from Yanke" Boy
<br />Basin, ;, pori of the Uncompahgre Primitive Area that
<br />will be Ihe ,ubject thi, fall of 0 public hearing for
<br />pouible indu,ion in the NotiO!'lol Wilder!'leu Sy,lem.
<br />
<br />Area i, bi'ected by U.S. 550 !'leor Ouroy in southwfl,t
<br />Colorodo. No date h05 bee!'l ,er for the heClring, but
<br />the U.S. Fore't Service i, ",ncowoging pro'pective wit-
<br />neuel 10 visit area during ,ummer for familiariZation.
<br />
<br />COMMISSION SUPPORT
<br />
<br />0984
<br />Land Coalition
<br />Being Formed
<br />
<br />An informal coalitlon to advance land-
<br />USl! polices In Colorado in support of the
<br />Colorado Land lise Commission is being
<br />formed.
<br />Participants include the Rocky Moun.
<br />tain Center on Environment, Colorado
<br />Farm Bureau Federation. Colorado Cattle-
<br />men's Association, and lhe Coloradn Asso-
<br />clation for Commerce and Industry, The
<br />Colorado Mining Association is consider-
<br />ing joining the group.
<br />At a meeting last week of the Rocky
<br />Mountain Center on the Environment
<br />(ROMCOE) board of directors, the coali-
<br />t Ion was reported as "practically
<br />formed."
<br />The board voted to offer RO~iCOE's
<br />staff and reference sen'ices to the rom-
<br />mission's staff.
<br />It also directed that model subdivision
<br />regulations be circulated to county com-
<br />missio!}('rs before the start of public hear-
<br />ings in the 12 state planning districts by
<br />the commission.
<br />Friday the commission is to mef't and
<br />consider when and where the public meet.
<br />ings will be held,
<br />One of thl! purpo..~s of the consortium is
<br />to get a broad based attendance at the
<br />regional hearings with lhe county com-
<br />missioners.
<br />Anothf'r purpose Is to makf' peopll!
<br />aware that slipshod land development
<br />isn't paying Its way and that associated
<br />costs are being foisted on established
<br />ranctle~. farms, mines, businesses and in-
<br />dustries as taxes.
<br />RO:\fCOE research re\'eals that between
<br />30.000 and 40,000 acres of Colorado lands
<br />are slated for development in the forseea-
<br />b]e future.
<br />1bere is a particular boom in mountain
<br />real estate development by out.of.state
<br />
<br />Officials Fear Indochina
<br />
<br />Will Be New Drug Market
<br />
<br />WASHI~GTO~ -(AP)- Congress has
<br />been told Indochina will be a new Sl)urce
<br />and rTI<Irket for i11f'~al "",rcotics as the
<br />l3nited Stales winds down the war there.
<br />Statl? DE'partment officials told a House
<br />Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Euro~
<br />Friday that heroin traffic can't be stop-
<br />ped until other natIons recognize it as a
<br />world problem.
<br />
<br />promoters who makl! money on the land
<br />lran~ction and leave counties with the
<br />problems of new roads. sewage collection
<br />and treatment, police, firl! protection,
<br />schools and other burdens,
<br />RO:\fCOE seeks environmental congider.
<br />ations. while the other or,ll"anizations are
<br />more concerned with disproportionate 13%
<br />obligations.
<br />It is hoped that strict land-u~e
<br />guidelines resulting from a broad base of
<br />public input will avoid and minimize some
<br />growth problems, a ROMCOE director
<br />said.
<br />
<br />Green River
<br />Study Slated
<br />
<br />Scenic RivE'r evaluation for the Green
<br />River in Utah and Colorado will be the
<br />focus of a federal reconnaissance trip this
<br />week.
<br />Tom Ten Eyck. Colorado natural
<br />resources director, will represent Colora.
<br />do on tlK> E'xpedition led by R, D. Nielson,
<br />Utah director of the Bureau of Land Man-
<br />agement.
<br />Nielson said the threMiay rubber boot
<br />trip downstream from Flaminl: Gorge
<br />ResE'rvoir into Colorado, Dinosaur Na-
<br />tional ~fonument and back inlo Utah near
<br />Jensen is to detE'rmine if detailed studies
<br />for scenic river status are warranted.
<br />The 6O-miJe boat trip will begin Tues-.
<br />day and end Thursday.
<br />Among lhe ri\'er runnli'rs wlll be Gordon
<br />Harmston. Salt Lake City. Utah statl! nat-
<br />ural resources director; Dave Cranda]l,
<br />Salt Lake CIty. regional director of the
<br />Bureau of lkclamation: Phil IVerson,
<br />Omaha. :-;eb, assistant regional National
<br />Park SE'rvil'e director: GMdon Watts,
<br />Og;den, Utah, regional fOft's!er; Maurice
<br />(Red) Arnold. Denver, and Frank Srl-
<br />\'e~ter. San Francisco. of the BUreau 'or
<br />Outdoor RE'CreatlOn, and Bob Scott. Sil:Jt
<br />Lake City. of the Bureau of Sport
<br />FIsheries and Wlldhfe.
<br />"We'll be lonkml: at the total resource
<br />potential." ~lelsofl saId.
<br />
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