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<br />
<br />This special issue oi hE'cutive West rt'prt'sents a first in the
<br />magazine publishing businpss. The entire is'iue is dt'voted to
<br />one singlp sUbll"C1-a documentarv on oil shal(>-and no ad-
<br />vertising is includt'd. .I\1or(' than 3 months 01 intensive f'ditori-
<br />al research is behind This issue, and it rf'prt'st'nts a unique
<br />communication enOrl to bring logether a lruh authOritative
<br />summar, on this criticallv importanT .;,ubWc!. To repeal. the
<br />Februal)' issue 01 ht'cuti\{' West is The fir!>! at its kind-a
<br />BENCHMARK. Olher Bf'nchmark editions of hecutl,e West
<br />w~ i1Ji~\ ~om time to tlmt' a.. important subject.. warrant
<br />wch speciallrt'atmenl.
<br />The task given to the editors oj Execulive West for
<br />l,be preparation of this doc-umentary was unusually on-
<br />erous. So much has been written and said about the
<br />subject by both thp professionals and the p.utialhl-
<br />intormed that the delicate line of iact!> has become
<br />badly obscured. Emotion has, in many cases, become
<br />more compelling than knowledge, And biases, on both
<br />sides of the considerations, are getting more and more
<br />out oi per..peclive. Much money is involved-both in
<br />needed invf'stment and tht' opportunitv ior proiit.
<br />Much risk is involved-both monetarily and in the im.
<br />pact on our ('nvironment, yet much opportunitv exists
<br />for the beneiit of the area involved, the economy oi
<br />our country, and the iuture sE'curity and independence
<br />oi our nation. And finally, politics at all lev{'ls must
<br />elbow in to protl'Ct on the one hand the presen! and
<br />fulure rights of the citizenr) and, on the other, 10 take
<br />fult advantage oi Ih{' new situation to unseat certain
<br />power structures and create new ones,
<br />Out oi the tens oi thousands oi words wrilfen on this
<br />subfE'Cl, on'r a pNiod oi more than 100 years, the
<br />editors had to comb out what, in their opinion, is the
<br />essenct' oi the curren! situation. ThE'\" werE' not inler-
<br />ested in developing a technical documentarv-<,uch
<br />speciiics are well compiled ior the proiessional and the
<br />scholar. Thev were not intprestpd in dl>veloping a docu-
<br />m(>ntal) th,lt either proved a case for oil shale, or a
<br />case against Ihe development oj oil shale. Rather their
<br />objective was fa bring into iocus tht. me)nV tides that
<br />are running ior and ag.ainst this dramafic new E'itort.
<br />The readt'r mav te('lthat undue empha..is has been
<br />placed b\" thl' editors on the problems conironting this
<br />nev\ induqn. The editors worried about this. jor b\
<br />explaining \\ h\ and hO\\ oil shalE' is challenged, thE'
<br />very expmition at such challtmges ma\ give new argu-
<br />ments to lho...e who oppo<'e dl>\"elopment. But to con.
<br />ceal such arguments would not in the iirst place pre.
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<br />32 [\(Cl.'ll\f W!"l Bl'CH\\.",~ [[)llIO'- f..on,,,,, 1<1.4
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<br />serve the editorial integrity of this documenlary. and, in
<br />the end, the entire credibility of this work could be
<br />seriouslv criticized. It would sen.e no useful purpose.
<br />The documentarv therefore is journalistically un-
<br />prejudiced-as much as is humanly possible when the
<br />input of a number oj serious individuals is balanced
<br />out. However, th{' Publisher is permitted to speak his
<br />own opinion-in his own column-and the iollowing
<br />paragraphs summarize such personal biases.
<br />I am concerned with this country's irantic desire to
<br />see that no one makes a proiit anymore. The current
<br />cry as I write this is that the big oil companies have
<br />been given a rich bonanza in the sale of the experi-
<br />mental It'ases. Politicians, particularly, are taking full
<br />advantage oj big numbers to try to prove lhey will keep
<br />any "windfall" irom happening. In addition, efforts are
<br />underway to insure that no one "will get rich" in this
<br />eHort, by planning special excess profit tax plans.
<br />I wonder where our country would be if public opin-
<br />ion, as voiced through its government, had provided
<br />that no one would "gel rich" from gold in the 80s, or to
<br />in<,ure Ihat the railroads didn't get special treatment
<br />when Ihey went Wes!. or even back in Columbus' day
<br />when Queen Isabt'lIa had to agree thai the intrepid
<br />navigator could have 10 percent of everything he
<br />claimed for Spain r
<br />We are forgetting that America is a capitalistic country
<br />based on Ihe fact that unusual re\-vards go with unusual
<br />risks, or unusual efforts. or unusual creativity-or even
<br />unusualluclc And the day we nail. closed the last exit
<br />that keeps a companv or an individual irom "getting
<br />rich"-then America, as it was built, cea..es 10 exist.
<br />I hope thai the major oil companies, the contractors,
<br />the supplil?rs and the men and women who are going
<br />to devote untold hours of work and worry wilt get
<br />rich-very rich. ,\1any won't, because in our capitalistic
<br />s~'st('m, more iailthan succeed. And those who fail
<br />won.1 be subsidized-or thanked-by the government.
<br />And interestingly enough, when some get rich-so does
<br />the nation. Not iust bv laxes, but rather irom the in.
<br />novation.. that bring a mvriad of new jobs, new futures
<br />and beller living conditions ior all.
<br />,'\Jo one is smart enough todav to ~no\\' what st'lI-
<br />sunicienC\ in energy wilt mean to our grandchildren.
<br />The loss oi a canvon iilled \\ilh waste from oil-shale
<br />mining mol' be the tradeoff in saving a nation from
<br />foreign economic domination in 2020. Our grandchil-
<br />dren would probablv think that is a good trade.
<br />I am jor oil-shale de\elopment. because I think it \\itl
<br />be done right. \\itl creale more opportunities than
<br />problem.., and, in the end, will keep America strong ior
<br />another generation.
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