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<br />By STErE WYXKOOP menta} study on 01] shale just Stlns will be killed as a result 01
<br />Inan.r Post Staff Writer begun, before making a .gecond oil wale operations betWl.'er
<br />The Interior Dt>partmt'nt try. Ills fundPd by the Interior stanup and 1984. Actual expert.
<br />IhauJd g(tap its draft environ. Deparlmenl, Colorado and In- ence shows the figure can ~
<br />mental statement on oil shale dustry. lessl'ned. but other occupatlona
<br />d 1 t . 30,000 ACRES aspects such as lung cancer po
<br />an 5 ar over. '_' , 1 ti. I r d 'ad
<br />LKasmg 0 twO' tracts of up to en a rom us! arf:n t '
<br />Th~ slatE'~enl. In Its present 5,120 acres each of public land dressed, nor are general !mfet]
<br />rm:m. d0l'9I'I t pro~lde lndustry. in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah provisions and responsibit)
<br />Cllllerul or InterIor Secre18;ry should also await completion of questions,
<br />Rogers C: ~. Mor.ton WIth that study. That's 30,000 acres. -Water use by lncre<'l.'llni
<br />tl1Ouf:h ,solid mformalion 8bo~t The hearings illustrated the populations in the oil shalE
<br />the ennronmental effects of oil urgent need for a national areas im't addressed. There l.J
<br />shale de\'elopmE'nl. energy policy to show the only 9peCulation about when
<br />~athanlel Reed. assiSlant In- public where oil shale develop- water.....iIl come from for Indus
<br />terlDr secretary, told a recent men! fits into the national trial operations. These alterna
<br />meE'tine: in Colorado Springs energy picture, Its 4 per cent lives must be spelled out.
<br />that he dE'voted a year and a cootribution is to be made at -Social Impacts aren't al
<br />half of his life to drafting the what cost? fully discussed as they m1gb'
<br />lmpact statement. He wasted it. The price Coloradans could be. Qlocerll$ expres~ bl
<br />The statement fails in assess. pay in environmental degrada. Frank Cooley, of Meeker, chair
<br />lng air pollution problems, tion by rushing blindly into an man of the Oil Shale Region&:
<br />I a II nit y . underground mine 011 shale program on public ~lanning Commlssian, on ~
<br />Imfety, water use, social im- lands is 100 great. clfic urban land use patterru
<br />pacts, revegetation of shale However, Slone, al the end of and controls aren't addressed
<br />spoil piles. Impact on wildlife, public hearings in Denver last They should be.
<br />alternatives 10 oil shale devel- week. expressed optimism that -Although It Is generally ae
<br />opmenl on public land and im- the draft environmental slate- cepted that spoil piles can 1M
<br />pacts of secondary facilitiC9 ment could be patched up so 85 revegelated, the impact stale
<br />such as dams and power plants. to throw a projected leasing ment doesn't adequately saJ
<br />ptmUC I...-\~DS dale early next )'ear only one to ho~ or in what manner. Car
<br />four weeks off schNiule. natIve browse species be re-In
<br />eoThI ; dor1~heSplloll shale laned' Ink Clearly, the environmental troduced to benefit game? Thf
<br />o,a s c ea noe ree ,,' ,
<br />B . bit th bl' Impact statemt'nt can t JU9I. be lttIp8ct !ltatement doesn t say.
<br />asm eong 0 e pll IC. ' 'Idlil
<br />Th h Id 'I ,_ I d t patched up. Arguments that In. -WI e that coold be af
<br />ey sou n uo:: ease 0 ' rlb.1
<br />Ih .1 Ind _ 1 th dustry can leam abw.t environ. ec ed y 01 shale developmen
<br />e 01 u:....y un ess e I I "I d . I. db. h h .
<br />bile' It. I I menta mpacts Wm e evelop- IS Iste. ut Wit I e exccptlOf
<br />pu s nere"" n envron., '1 hi '-Idb . d -d .1'-'1 1-> ha
<br />m "I nm,-t ,. 1 e. 109 OJ S a e SrJUU e reJecle . In eer, I un re~'ea <:u W I
<br />e.., gover " Isca r .,. ) , the effects will be
<br />sptlnsibilily and energy develop- DE~I,.\:"D ~UDESI READ ,.,'
<br />ment is fully served. The public should demand _ -Wh) can t ,private lands 1M
<br />, . and Is demanding according to used for expenmental oil shall
<br />It s the job, of fedt>ral officials the near-unanimous rejection of developments? That questioT
<br />'IfflUng environmental Impact portion9 of the Impact state- isn't addressed, although one 01
<br />~tatl"mcnts to addre.<;s these men! by both industry and en- industry official said 13 tractl
<br />c~~~rns on behalf of the vironmentalisls-that the lnterl. su!lable for- experimental war)
<br />p. . , or Department do a comprehen- CXI!It.
<br />The outcry by citizens and In- !live environmental aSSC$ment -It Is menlloned Ihat Indus
<br />dustry at last week's public of 011 shale. trial waler will be needed b
<br />hearings on oil stlale w~. a It is ironic, perhaps, that Is large amounts. However thl
<br />result o,f the go\'ernment tallmg has been private industry that ~urce of ~ water and result
<br />Its dutl . 10 the taxpayers that has done the best job of assess- mg environmental Impact:
<br />lupport It. ing em-ircnmenlal Impacts of f!'Om water de\'elapment aren'
<br />It would be best for Reid 011 shale operations. while bu- discussed, Power plants arl
<br />Stone, federal oil shale COOT- reatK'rats have so badl)' bun- mentioned in connection will
<br />dinstor, and the !\'ixon adminis- g1ed the job. ~n oil shale industry, but ther
<br />tration 10 await the results of a On the other hand It reallv Impacts aren't considered.
<br />two. yea r , $;}S,OOO em'iron. Isn't too strange that An iO- The shallow, superficial at
<br />. dustry. before making a com. tempt at, an ~n\ironmenta
<br />mercial decision in this age of statement 19. ob\'lously a hur
<br />environm('ntal awareness, Sft'ks rled. get.b~' JOb_ It's a blatan
<br />to find out what en\1ronmental example of the workmanshil
<br />protection mea!Urcs will be environmentalists have bffi
<br />needed and what they will cost able to shoot down In tho
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