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<br />'.1 ", , <br /> <br />, <br />OD,Q093 <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />written 9-6-72 <br />Western Resources Wrap-up <br />Series VIII, No. 36 <br />oil shale-lead story <br /> <br />RECEIVED <br /> <br />SEP 081972 <br />COLD, WATER <br />CONSERVATiON BOARD <br />, nashingi;on-',Lne development Of a ~ mi~lion-barrel-a-day shale oil <br />industry by 1985 would come closer than any: other domestic alternative <br />to provide for America's long-term energy needs without unduly de grad- <br /> <br />From: Helene C. Monberg <br />123-Sixth Street Southeast <br />Washington, D.C. , 20003 <br />Area Code 202-546-1350-1 <br /> <br />ing the environment.. <br />This is the conclusion drawn by a three-volume draft environmental <br />report on oil shale that the Interior Department sent to the Council on <br />Environmental Quality this week. <br />That is, if the necessary water can be provided. The water is the <br />big 'if. I There is no question that the water would be physically avail- <br />able in oil shale country-western COlorado, Eastern Utah and Southern <br />Wyaning--from the Colorado, Green and White Rivers, from Jl'ontenelle re- <br />servoir in Wyoming, from Flaming Gorge reservoir in utah and Wyoming, <br />from 1 1 . -" . -" <br />andj'tWo Western Co orado rep acement reservo::.rs, Rue_:. ...... G-.ctlen Moun- <br />tain. But whether the water would be available as a practical matter <br />is the basic question, and one not fully addressed in the draft report. <br />The report considered many alternatives in depth to the develop- <br />ment of a domestic shale-oil industry. They included increased domestic <br />production of petroleum, the development of oil and gas from the Alaskan <br />and Canadian Arctic, nuclear stimulation of natural gas reservoirs, in- <br />creased imports of liquefied natural gas, increased coal production, in- <br />creased nuclear energy development, tar f3.lands development, geothermal <br />oJ. <br />energy, hydroelectric power, and foreign/imports. New energy sources <br />were briefly considered, including magnetohydrodynamics or MHD, fuel <br />cells, thermoelectric energy, thermionic generation, liquid hydrogen, <br />and energy from the tides, wind, sun and biologic energy from organic <br />waste. The environmental problems and other constraints facing. the al- <br />ternatives are as great or greater for other domestic. sources as they <br />, relatively clean. <br />are for oJ.l shale, the report said. Shale oil 'WOuld be plentiful and/ . <br />,UIn view of the forgoing, it seems reasonable to postulate that <br />for some time to. come the basic alternative to the productiqn of a mt'l- <br />(more-ncm <br />