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<br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />it over to Mr. Madsen. <br /> <br />Mr. Madsen: Thank you, Chuck. Mr. Chairman, members of the two water <br />boards, certainly it is a privilege for me to be here this morning and <br />to discuss with you a little bit about what we are doing in the environ- <br />mental program in regard to our White River Shale Project. <br /> <br />This morning, I would like to cover three areas. First, I would like to <br />discuss the why, what and how of the environmental baseline data col- <br />lection and monitoring program. Secondly, I would like to go into the <br />surface water program and ground water program, which I am sure has a <br />high level of interest to you people here today. Then, third, I would <br />like to take you with me, through the use of slides, to our two Utah <br />tracts, U-a and U-b, located in northern Utah. As far as the ''why'', on <br />the environmental baseline program, it is very clear from the lease <br />stipulations that a monitoring program and inventory of environment is <br />required prior to development of any construction on our tracts. <br /> <br />If you will go back with me to the purpose and objectives of the proto- <br />type leasing program, you will recall that the statement of the goal of <br />this program was to foster the timely development of oil shale, given <br />the fact that environmental questions could be satisfactorily answered. <br /> <br />The first step in this attempt to satisfy the goal is then to develop an <br />environmental baseline study, or inventory, so that we will know where <br />we are, at least within the two years of time we have to work on it. <br /> <br />It is very obvious, I am sure to all of you, if not those who are <br />directly involved in the program, that it is impossible to define in two <br />years an actual baseline or stable state system in eco-system like the <br />one we are dealing with in northern Utah. Our attempt in our two -year <br />program is to define as best we can the trends and levels and occur- <br />rences that are happening on our tract area so we can project to a later <br />date the impact of our oil shale industry and activities. It covers <br />just about every aspect of the environment that you can imagine. It <br />even goes into some engineering aspects, but primarily it deals with the <br />air quality and meteorology of our tract area. We are always looking <br />very closely at biology and vegetation of our tract area. We are also <br />concerned with a number of historic and scientific areas, including <br />paleontology and archaeology and several other "ologies", which I have <br />a tough time pronouncing. So I can assure you it is an extensive pro- <br />gram. <br /> <br />We feel that our program began coming on-stream about July of 1974, and <br />given the two year schedule, we expect to be done with it somewhere <br />near the end of 1976. <br /> <br />So far to date, we have expended about four and one half million dollars <br />on this program, of an expected six millior dollar budget. Given the <br />money as expected, I am sure it becomes obvious this is an extensive <br />program. It is not a cursory review on our part to fully meet the letter <br />of the lease stipulations, but we hope to meet the spirit of that lease <br />stipulation. <br /> <br />-53- <br />