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<br />\.-. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />.'..., <br /> <br />- 3 - <br /> <br />v <br /> <br />I. INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />Rio Blanco County, located in the upper northwest <br /> <br />-.... <br /> <br />corner of Colorado, consists of approximately 3,263 square <br /> <br />miles (about 2.2 million acres), roughly 75 percent of <br /> <br />which is owned by the federal government. The County is <br /> <br />.; <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />sparsely populated, with 6,294 inhabitants (1980 prelim- <br /> <br />. <br />", <br />'. <br /> <br />inary Census). Most of these people live in the towns of <br /> <br />,", <br />:;~ <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Meeker, the county seat (pop. 2,362), or Rangely (pop. <br /> <br />2,112). The livelihood of the County is derived primarily <br /> <br />from energy-related industries (oil and gas, coal, and oil <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />shale), agriculture, and tourism. The per capita income <br /> <br />of the County's citizens is below the average for the <br /> <br />state of Colorado. <br /> <br />Rio Blanco County is distressed that one of the <br /> <br />lead agencies, the Rural Electrification Administration, <br /> <br />has tentatively concluded that the Bonanza, utah site -- <br /> <br />rather than the Rangely, Colorado site -- is the "pre- <br /> <br />ferred" site for construction of the power plant. It is <br /> <br />likewise deeply disturbed by the fact that neither BLM nor <br /> <br />REA has seen fit, given that tentative conclusion, to <br /> <br />provide for mitigation of the substantial adverse <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />04~2 <br />