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<br />that the people of Colorado ..hould be allowed 10 vote <br />on full oil-shale development. Othero; o;ay that such a <br />o;uggeslion is not appropriate bccause of the national <br />implications of the energv crunch. And <itill others <br />comment that local environmental. economic and <br />social problem... will not be the on Iv etfeCls of an <br />oil-shale c;urge. In tact, "There's a general ft'eling thaI <br />we Olav be the nnl\' boom area in Ihe world." sav.. <br />Halligan. <br />But to avoid rn.l..c;ive ..ocial and t.conomic problems. <br />the boom must be carefully planned for. and tht. <br />burden of plannm~ fall... <;quarely on the local govern- <br />ment. Thus "The rountip.. are gelling together to deal <br />with oil-shale problt.m..... reports Cigou:>.;. I\;t.w plan- <br />ning organization... and the oil-shale companie... art. <br />generaling a fountain of new reports, impact analv...es. <br />and rt'commendation<i on how 10 cope with the <br />growth. And more .lOd more planning partners Mt' <br />joining the efiort. Most r€'centlv, regional ft'deral <br />agency chiefo; promi...ed assistance in <,olving expecled <br />socioeconomic problems from oil-shale development. <br />Nevertheless. the job to be done j... immt'n<;e. and <br />the planners face several major hurdles--one oi which <br />is disbelief. For the pasl50 year.... peoplt' in the rE"gion <br />havE" been repealedly told that oil ...halE" is "on the <br />verge of development." ~ow. like the contemporaries <br />oi the boy who cried \\'oli. man\' no longpr bt'lieve iL <br />"Some oldtimer.. don't believe that oil ...hale is ft'a- <br />sible," sav~ Cigou:>.;. ..It i~ a big problem to gel the local <br />people to recognize th.lt oil sh.lle i~ reallv coming." <br />And, as Gigoux emphasizes. the planners "do need <br />help from Ihe public." <br />And. local planners must prt'pare not only tor oil <br />c;halers but also for coal and uranium miners. "I think <br />the oil-shale pt'oplt. are doing a good job (of planmng) <br />trom the micro-standpoint." savs Cigou.... "Sut no one <br />has expanded to a plan considt'ring the impacts oi <br />macro~d('\'elopmt'nt oi all our energ.. re~ources. \Ve <br />can't make rational decisions without looking at all <br />de\'elopments. " <br /> <br />"Oil Shale City": a model for Grand Valley creared more <br />than 15 years ago by Cornell UniverSity srudents, <br /> <br /> <br />fi,~ <br />.q</ <br /> <br />Oil Shale and WY::>MING <br /> <br />"Oil ~hale i~ really Jusl <br />a peanut in term... oi the <br />re..ources \H'alreadv <br />have." savs Dan .\liller. <br />!\t'ologisl with Ihe Wy- <br />ommg G(>{)logicdl Surve\'. <br />\Vhen placpd beside olht'r l'nerg\' resource.. in Iht, ..tale. <br />shale oil pale.. in sl~niiicann'. Va..l deposits of (-oal, ior <br />example. lie under large dfea~ ollht' stale. And the rush <br />on c(Jal producliun. and othpr minerdl resources. has <br />alrpad\ ..pI 0" a booming econom\- and a good 1.1'" base <br />ior Ihl' ~tale. So a~ Miller S.lYS. ....hilt' Ihe people 01 <br />\...'vomml; .He "\('1"\' plea..ed" Ihat oil shale is finallv <br />coming of age. "it i... Juq one more minerai fesource {or <br />Wyoming." <br />Wvoming'.. shale deposiT.;, in laCl. are ..mall in (om. <br />pari...on with Iho..e oi neighboring ..I.ltes. Inlerior Depl. <br />e<itimatt'~ call ior 5 pPfft'nt 01 the IOtal shalp-oil produc- <br />tion to come lrom lhis <;1.11('. Millt'r dt'SCfibe.. \-\\oming's <br />Shdlp region a... "a va..!, barren prairie land. .I de..erl. <br />Thpre are no resldt'nls .11 .111 \\ ilhin 3\1 miles of the .'HPiI <br />lhdl \\ould be den'loped." <br />In tt'rm.. 01 dp\'plopment, the \\\oming oil-..h.lle dl'- <br />po~i!s will probablv be extractl'd bv in-situ proce....es, <br />bt'rau;;.l'. .\1il1{'f ('xplaln... "Th{' beds here are perlpct ior <br />IO-..ilu:' Manv oil-...hale t'~perls, howe\er, wonder i{ lhe <br />depo..il.. C.ln be dpvelopt'd at all b{'cau~t. waler is a <br />major problem in tht, \\\ominj; oil-shale arpa. In-..itu <br />proces...es do u<.e It'..s wate! Ih.m abo\t'-ground dp\-pl- <br />opmenls, bul ...Iale ~e(Jlogi..l'" don't know if tht' oil-;;h.lle <br />.lrea \\ill bp able 10 gel am \\atef. Coal devt'lopments in <br />tht' region pump thelf \\-aler up from the Grt'en River. <br />hut ....tiller ;;.lV<'. "Tht' high e1eva!ion 01 Ihe oil-..hale land <br />mdh'" it \ en' dml(ull. .lnd P\pemivl', 10 u..p Green <br />Rin.r....alt.r... <br />So .\\iller .ldds. oil-sh.lle d('\'t'lopmt~n1<i "v\ould need <br />ground\\alef." But. "The region i.. \irluallv unexplored." <br />\liller e\plains. "~o \\1' don'l h.1\(' .1n\ inlormalion on <br />ground\\alt'r. And" ht, continue~. "Ih{'r(' IS no t'xplora- <br />lion going on ior ground\\att'f:' <br />Local rt'<.idenh Ollhe Wvoming oil-..halp region. .\\il. <br />Ipr jPt'b. generalh "know-or Ihink-\en little about oil <br />..hdle." And loglcJlI\ "0. fPsidenl.. 01 Ihe area ha\e Olher <br />energv-re..ourn' booms to con..ider. Rock Spring.., Ihe <br />c(}mmunit\, do..e..110 tht' ..hall' depo..il;;, i.. alread\ <br />caught up 10 a boonHo....n <.\ndroml' cau;;.t'd bv coal <br />production. -\nd \\illel ..av... no pLIO;;' are belOg madp <br />for .10\ in-coming oil-...hale \\orl..er<. "all ...hale," hl' <br />t"plain... "i.. ..1111100 lar in Iht' luture 10 he 01 much <br />concern to\\\oming:' <br /> <br />l\tcLTl\'l \\hT 1l1'<__H\\.o.Wo.. 101TlO' FI.b"...... l~r.. 25 <br />