WSP05766

• File Number: 8040.200
• Description: Section D General Studies-Energy
• Date: 2/1/1974
• Title: Energy-Oil Shale-Executive West-Benchmark Edition-Oil Shale Now-A Documentary by the Editors
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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Gov. Calvin Rampton

Gar John Vanderhoof

Reid T. Stone

Gov. Stan Hathaway

By Gm'. C.1h'in Rampton (Utah)

The prospt'ctivt' development of oil .-,h,)l(' a~ a m.llor
sourc(' oi pelfolt>um prt'<;enh both an opporlunil\' itnd a
challenge 10 ttw ...falt> of Utah.
It presents an opportunity 10 d{'\,{'lop a np\\ indusln that
will offer emplo~'mt'n' 10 H'....erallhou..and Utaho... The
general ('(ooom\, 0/ the Uintah Basin area will be enhanced
and the resource" oi the nation p'pandt'd.
The challenge is in finding a way to develop thi.. n('w
induSlr\o' without Jd\l;>r...el)' anNling the em'ironment 01 lhe
stillt'. The d('\elopment 01 011 shale otters '>t"\l;'H' ecological
problems. Fortunateh, the ..hale bt.ds in Utah are...o deep
thev do nOllend th('m..c!\,('s 10 SHiP mining, and e\f'n if
they did, I \\ould be oppo~ed TO e,Tensive open-pit mining
in the area. Even The recovl;'n oT the ~half' b, conventional
mining method.. th,U do nOI disturb the surface \\ould
oner problems in the disposition ot the ~pent ..hall:' or
tailing... Thi" is a ..Niou.. but not un..olvablt' probll;'m. I am
informed that b\ proper applicatIon ot tertiliZf'rs and \...ater.
the\' could. if proper!, dlstrihuted. support \t'getation. The
be..t ..olution would bl;' to deH'fop an in-situ procf'~s that
would require neither the diqurbanct" oj the ..urjace nor
the removal 01 the oil-bearing rod.. Ut.1h will ..uppon re-
~earch in this iiefd.
AI..o, it \\i11 bt' nt'ct'....ar\ tor u<, to do careiul planning 10
a(cammodate the additional popul.ation that..... ill (omt" in
to the Uintah Ba..in .1rea a.. a re..ult ot thl" den:-Iopmf'nt. I
twfievf' thaI \\e C,ln mpl't tht' chaf!{'nge and de\t'lop the
opportunity.

RI4L01<1

By Reid T. Stone 10il Shale Coordinator,
Dept. of Interior)

I believe the Protol\'pe Oil Shale lea..ing Program will
have significant meaning lor the Nalion a.. a whole and the
,\rtaunlain We..! region in particular. The program, though
it mav nat produ({' huge amaunts of oil by 1980, c('nainl\'
i.. part oj the spirit and intent of "Project Independence."
The President has called ior enprg' ..elt-sutficit'nq by 1980;
that i.. not a 1-vl'ar gO.1I, it i.. a continuing policy th.1t we
must never lo..e sight of. The oil-shale program can con-
ltibute to this goal in a long-term manner.
This program has been designed as a prototype ,\'ith
..pt'cific objectives and goals. The principal objt'etives 01
this program are to stimulate comm{'tcial development br
private industry with minimum environmental impact while
providing for iuture re..ouree managpment e'pertise. These
obwctives can b{' met bv the [Hototvpe program and will
providf' the nation with The begrnnrng oi a potential new
~OUf(t> oj enNg\" that could last hundreds 01 \,ear... Just as
imporl.1nlly, lhi.. protohpl' program has been d€"vf'loped to
ensure orderlv and tlmC'l\' dev'elopment. This has regional,
olS \\ell a~ naTional, implifalions.
Un!illhe "environmental ,makpmng" oj lhe lall:' &Os, our
molin concern wa.. the dt'vt'lopment oj our energy re-
..ouree... Though environmental imp.1cts \vere recognized,
the' full implications oj tho..c' impact.. .....ere no1. Slim lv,
carejullv, a totoll re..ource management s\'..tem policy has
bl>en evolving. I believ{' jhi.. prolotvpf' program rt'prf'..ent..
a great step iOr\v'ard 10 making !hi.. reSOUTl-e management
plan a W()rklO~ reality.
When the dralt Environment.11 Stal{'mt'nl wa.. is<,ut'd in
1971, a ,>ignificanl numb('f at the public \\ert' (onrerned
about the impacts at this program on Ihe region-they
e\pre....ed concern over the local environmentdl impacts
..ingh' ((lir, watN qualltv, and land use) but I believe thEm
b,lSic conct'rn was OH'I the rl'giooal enects. As ,>orne e\-
pre.... it; "Are we to become anolht't Appalachial \Vill our
nch resource.. bp exploited TOf the nation, leavmg behind a
degradt'd depressed region~" This protof\pe program i..
de..igned not onh 10 a\'Oid or mitigale tho..e impacts, it i..
designed with an eve on the Tulure. The development i..
onh berng initiated alter the imp.1cl'> on the ph\'sic(ll dod
sonal hol\f' bi'l'n carejullv ..tudied.
50 as \H' ha\l' ..taled belorf'. this prntohpt' program is
neH's..a", to ensurt' tholl il and \\ hen a malua' indu..tr\
bNoml'S d realih'. it is tl'll' orderl\., tlmeh t\pe OT de\f'lop-
ment that \\ill beneiit both the region .lOd the- nation.

E'ECl_'Tl\l \\EST BE"O"\~IH. f[11110" 1,'h'Ll.'" lq74 19