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<br />By COI', John 0, Vanderhoof {Coloradol
<br />
<br />Becau<,e I ha\'E' .,0 otlen flown my plane mer the Pice-
<br />ance Basin, I can close my eyes even 00\'\.' and recall its
<br />'ilark features wheft' I have looked eagerly, ior a glimpse 01
<br />roaming deer, elk or (oyole. A.. Gmernor, I do nol intend
<br />to sland by and ".Itch tho,,€' favorite scenes ot mint' (('-
<br />placed with random pipelines, open-pit mines and sprawl.
<br />ing networb oi roads. Yel I know all 100 well the seriou...
<br />nt's,> oi this n<lhon's energy shortage. And I do not take
<br />lightly Ih€' responsibiliTy I hold ior the trade-oris involved.
<br />Whether or not 10 develop our .,lale's abundant oil shale
<br />resources is no longer the que<,tion. RalhN. we must con-
<br />sider ho\.\ 10 ensure Ihal it will bE' dom' properly" with
<br />environmental <'.1feguards and adpquale iunding in advance
<br />for communitv services in the spar",eh' populated countie~
<br />involvl:'d. Unfortunateh, il seem~ to me, government IS
<br />always rt'M-ling to ui",i<;, for onre, I'd like to see govern-
<br />men! plan aht'ad to prev('nl a crisis,
<br />Sinre th(' Department of Interior's September 1 r('lease
<br />of Ihe environmental impdCl sldlement on th(' protOlvpe
<br />leasing program, I have laken several dOions: 1) I hdve m{'t
<br />personallv with Serrptarv Morton 10 disru'iS Colorado's
<br />nt'ed for ddequate dnd immediate 10Cdl planning and ii-
<br />nancing in lhe countit's arle{t{'d by, oil 'ihale development;
<br />21 I have requ('sled and r{'rei\'ed dPproval irom Inlerior
<br />Under SNretarv lohn \VhiTdker tor continuing dnd expand-
<br />ing the preSenl pndronmental imp.lcl stud... 10 ronsider
<br />parli,uldrlv the developmenl oi needed community iarili-
<br />ties. The slilte, prlVale indUSTry and Inlerior will share the
<br />addillonal CO.;,I; 3lln m~' letter 10 Secrelarv Morlan I re-
<br />queqed mor(' pO\H'r jar Colorado's membNS on Ihe Ft'd-
<br />era I Advisof)- Board, which v\'ill revi('w oil shal(' develop-
<br />ment plans al Ihe end 01 th(' third v{'ar oll{'asing or prior
<br />to a(!Udl iniliation of produclion. Under the prololvpe pro-
<br />gram, th('s(' state repr(..'t'nlative", to the Board were 10 be
<br />"observers." I rt'quested thaI lhp\' be given "member"
<br />...talus on lhat Board and lhp SNrelarv has now agrt"t"d to
<br />lhat ,hange,
<br />Colorado will, .11 a minimum, receive 37 li~ percenl oi
<br />thE' first 3 ve.lfS bonus bid monev, however, CNlam
<br />dev'elopment expt..nditures mav be crediled aRainslthe
<br />iourlh or lillh \eJr bonus pavments. Needed communily
<br />facilities must be tundf'd belore Ihere is reallv a .,uilicient
<br />tax base 10 <,upportlhem. Then'fore, I am requesling Ihal
<br />the 1974 Gt'neral As<.,emblv take several aclion<.,: 111 will
<br />ask ior re\'i",ion 01 ",Iale 1.1\\ TO creale a re~(>f\'e fund for thIS
<br />money sinCl' currenl la\\ fequires thaI all monev from mm.
<br />eralleasing rights over 5200.000 automalirallv go on I... 10
<br />"'Iale <'chool and road funds: 21 I will requesl lhal the
<br />legis 1.1 lure ,el up a special commillee 10 Slud\ how Ihi..
<br />H'<,erve rund can be"'t be uwd 10 mel't Olher public nt>t'ds.
<br /><'uch as ",ev\er and "aler racilille<,; 3) I will a<,J" tht:' legis la-
<br />IUH' 10 revit'" our laws and maJ"e r('commendations jar
<br />possible changes in slate I,l"o,alion on mineral development.
<br />The impacl Dt Dil shale de\elopmenl on CDlorado will
<br />Increa<,e Ihe comple\itv of our environm('nlal versu<, our
<br />('conomle considerallon<" II we, as a Slalc> and part of a
<br />rpRlon, art' expecled 10 become lhe nation's energ\ [enlN,
<br />we will expNI lhe righl 10 control that development within
<br />our own qal('.s criteria,
<br />
<br />20 (\In_liVE WI'" KI"'CH'_VII1~ EDlIIO, F..b,,,..,,, 1<r..
<br />
<br />By Gm'. Stan Hathawa,v (Wyoming)
<br />
<br />The currenl national energy crisis dramalizes the oil-
<br />shale resources of \Vvoming, ColoradD and Utah. II also
<br />dramalizes Ihe fact Ihal we are al least 10 \lears behind in
<br />the development of thi., greal resource. The lederal gov.
<br />ernmenl has been ven' slow 10 move into a leasing pro.
<br />gram upon oil-shale lands, and inasmuch as most oil shale
<br />is localed upon federal lands, this failure to acl has caused
<br />greal d{>lav ;n lhe evenlual u",eful produclion oj Ihe oil.
<br />shale re..our(e.
<br />The fir"'l ('itorllo launch a leasing program was under
<br />lhe admrnistralion oi Presidenl lohn50n and Secretary of
<br />the Interior Stewart Udall in 1%7. The leasing lerms pro.
<br />vided liule opportunitv ior privale indu..try to recover its
<br />im'e<,tmt'nl. As a result, Ihere were no acceplable bids
<br />upon lhe leases allered.
<br />A ..Noon ettorl 10 revilalize lh(' lea..ing program was
<br />slarted under Ihe administrallon oi President Nixon and
<br />Secrelaf)-' of lnlerior Walter Hickel. The tederal governmt'nt
<br />was pr('pared to issue lp,hes, but Secrelary Hickel with.
<br />drew lhe leasing program for furl her environmental stud....
<br />I am plea"ed to see now that we finallv have a develop-
<br />menIal leasing program announced recpntly bv Spcrelar\" of
<br />Inlerior Rogers ,\1orton. However, it rt'main", to be se('n
<br />whether or nOl .ldequale incenti~'es have been ofiered to
<br />industry to spend the capil,ll needed ior pt'riection 01 Ihp
<br />oil-...hale f('('OVCf\' prOtesse".
<br />Gov('rnor John lOVE'. Governor Calvin Rampton and I
<br />melon "'everal occasions 10 discuss Ihe poslure oi our
<br />three Slale.. with re"'pecl 10 oil-shale dev'elopmenl. In 1968
<br />ne develofwd a common policy "'tatemenl repres('nting Ihe
<br />vie" point of our three Slale~. Earh of our lhree slales has
<br />prt'pared male rial tor environmental_impdcl statements and
<br />we have cooper .lIed in everY \\av possible Wilh Ihe federal
<br />government in toe developmenl oi an oil-shale leasing
<br />program.
<br />There are '-ome environ menIal problems lhal need solu-
<br />lions. II is my ieeling, however, Ihat we will nOl know the
<br />full extent 01 Ihe environmental problems unlil com.
<br />mereial.",ized developmenlal planls are actually in opera.
<br />lion, II is mv hope Ihal each of lhe three slates will havp .11
<br />leasl one dl'\E'lopmenlal plan I in operation within the next
<br />5 ..ears. \Ve mu",1 nOl onh' hnd Ihe solutions 10 the produc-
<br />lion problems. but ",nlulions 10 Ihe t'nvironmenlal prob.
<br />lem, a\ welL
<br />The oil-shdle depo"'lls in our three slates are aboul 17
<br />time'" Ihe pre"enl knO\\n crude oil re...ef\es in the world.
<br />The Unllpd Slale'" is iortun.lte to have Ihis r{'",ource. II will
<br />be n('('(led in Int' IUlure and \\E' must begin now to devel-
<br />op II. ThE' oil-shale lands In W\'oming probabh Ipnd them-
<br />~{>he.. more 10 in-silu r('IOrlJl1g than to minmg, TherPlote,
<br />The It'lhnologv will be dinerenl dnd Ihe pnvironmental
<br />problems \vill be dittett-'nl. I iet'! confIdent thaltht'se prob-
<br />h>m" can be solved, bUT il will bp an p:..pen<,;ve and liml>'
<br />con"uming prOfP<'S.
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