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<br />I 6 S<X:IOECON
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<br />The oJdlimer~ havf> been waiting ior more than SO
<br />)'ear~. but oil ~halt' ha.. been a long lime coming to the
<br />northwestern region oi Colorado, where the richest
<br />shales are found. Todd\'. the three-county oiJ-shale
<br />area-Garfield, Rio Blanco and Mesa counties-has a
<br />population oj slightly under 80,000 people. many oj
<br />whom live near the onto major community, Grand
<br />Junction. like much oi Western Colorado, the area ior
<br />many year... has been Irving 10 upgrade its economic
<br />base in order to provide more and belfer-paving rob..
<br />for its residents. Agriculture and tourism. with some
<br />mining and manufacturing activity. are the pre<,ent
<br />mainstays oi the economy, and the pace of liit. i.. quiet
<br />and slow. Oil shale will change all that.
<br />,'\1iners and managers, technicians and con...lruclion
<br />workers wilt come pouring into the Mea as the mines
<br />and plants slart moving. Thesp workers. needed 10
<br />produce oil-shale energy ior the nalion, will create a
<br />population boom in an ar('a that has just begun to grow
<br />after manv standstill \'ears. "An overflow ot people
<br />from Eagle and Pitkin counties (Aspen, Vail touriSI
<br />count~') is no\\ creating a surge 01 growth in Ihe
<br />Glenwood Spnngs are.l (Garfield Count\,)," reports
<br />John Gilmore, a DRI economist. According 10 .1 DRI
<br />working paper on thp impacb ot intensive oil-shale
<br />d{>v(.lopment, the three oil-shale counties will have a
<br />combined population oi 14i.000 people b\' 198i, with-
<br />out an)' oil-shalli' dp\elopmenl. If the total indu<;trv is
<br />pushed to lhe Intt>rior Dept.'.. goal oj 1 million barrel..
<br />pE'r day bv 1985, 160,000 ('\tra people will bp .1dded to
<br />that population.
<br />Some Colorado residents h.nE' ('\pressed !he hope
<br />that this inilu\ 01 people 10 north\\p<,lern Colorado will
<br />help beller balance the slate.... rapid population
<br />grO\\ th. In the oil-..hale region ilst.'It, man\' people hail
<br />lhi", industrial surge as fhp long-a\\.1ited sour('e 01
<br />mane\' that will lmpro\'e thpir live.,......~ Hollis ,\\. Dole,
<br />mana~er oi the Colon\ group, nOles, Qil ,hale \\itl
<br />bring local residents ".1 ta\ basp that lhe\ have hoped
<br />\\Quld come lor a long lime" and th.1t will bring a
<br />multitude oi np\\ ..er.ices .1nd i.1rilitie.,. And. oi
<br />coursf', ne\\ job.. at beller wage... art' e\pecled, too,
<br />"The indU<,frv," ;,.1\S lim Gigou\. dir('(\or 01 Club 20,
<br />an organiZ.11ion 01 bu..ine....men from 21 \\'e;,tNn Slope
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<br />Colorado countie." "will create a tremendous number
<br />01 lobs," .1nd should help r.1ise the median family
<br />income 01 the area, which is now at a low 57,500.
<br />Some observers claim that new job opportunities are
<br />nol needed in the area and in iact, thaI the oil-shale
<br />industry will not employ local residents, But Don
<br />McSparran of Colon\" S.1ys: "Manv olthe young people
<br />are now leaving Ihe art.'a because they can't find jobs,
<br />So why not train the kids coming oul of high school
<br />.1I1d college for the oil-shale induslry?" McSparran S.1ys
<br />that without..uch lraining programs, "Practically all our
<br />emplo\ees will come from the outside," But he adds
<br />thai Cotony is working with loe.11 colleg€'s to start
<br />vocational training courses, which the ('ompany will
<br />probablv help set up. Stitt, of course, the ojl*shale
<br />indu<'lrv will ha\'e to imparl large numbers of workers
<br />to build and run their plant..., .1nd local residents vie......
<br />this jndustrial wave with two minds.
<br />Jim Gigou\ explains thi... division oi opinion: "The
<br />bulk 01 old-time residents leeb an oil-shale industry is
<br />hE>alth\ for the rpgion, but Ihe nt.'wcomprs, whQ came
<br />here ior tht, clean air, lack at congestion and so on,
<br />look with disfa\Or on it. Unfortunatelv," he says,
<br />"mo..t of the people who have mo\"ed in here recently
<br />are not dependent on the econom\" of the Mea for their
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<br />Thousands of workers wI/I be Involved in oil-shale develop-
<br />ment over the long term Loca! observers say growth will
<br />change the economies_ lifestyles and even the aftltudes now
<br />found in the predominantly rural area
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