|
<br />The - U.S. Forest Servlce II Intimately COD-
<br />. ceMled ad affected. So II the Colondo Gllme,
<br />Fl&b stili Park'- Department.
<br />'. Both of lhese agencies, while not adopting a
<br />firm position on the over-aU project &'I yel, are
<br />: bJtl!l'Venors in the case in the inlerest of fish
<br />and wildlife and scenic values preservation.
<br />
<br />.;
<br />",,.,. Oil Interests Worried
<br />
<br />Some oil interests are worried for a differ-
<br />ent reaSon about effects of the project:
<br />. They've ra.i.~ed questions as to whether the
<br />water 1ropoundments for power and resull9 on
<br />II::r'e&n [lows in the Whzte River dramage may
<br />affect future water supplies for an oil sbale
<br />industryinlhe Piceance Creek drainage.
<br />. Thus, the proje<:t s~nrors face some zeriGUll
<br />problems.
<br />. Countering the opposition arguments, Bran-
<br />1I8l1 and his associates in~ist that the bold and
<br />well-eDgineered !lcheme to develop ODe of the
<br />. belt remaining n}'droelectrie sitf!$ l.n the lI.!I-
<br />)! tfon 8lKl. tap a vast reservoir of cheap power,
<br />V"'1lI1ll nOt. harm the scenery, the wildlife or
<br />:j;~ .' ecru.ogy Of-the Flat Tops,
<br />r '.. Wherever there Is disturbanee. of fisheries
<br />i, : Ii1lakes (lr streams, the fisbery ,valUe:! will be
<br />:.;.:::.rtPw:e~'thaiJ repJacP.d. $('v pco(nise, I .Iuid the
<br />,;:."... 'Wllder:tles! values of the Flat 'tops IllIId wlld-
<br />.,' life babitBt will be unharmed. \
<br />. There I~ a reody market [n the Midwest tor
<br />the tremendous QuantiUes of cheap power the
<br />area can produce and the nation needs that
<br />powtl', thry contend.
<br />Let', take a look .t the Flat Topl Primitlva'
<br />Area and the Sweehnter Lake eavil"ons.
<br />. U.S. ~ carries i13 traffic immediately to the
<br />north and lnterst.ote 70 moves lit an east-west
<br />, path to the lOuth. Thf!:'le two major arteries
<br />b are _cOn,nected on either side by heavily used
<br />;~. '~dQ.'1B9ud131.
<br />
<br />k:
<br />;:. ~
<br />
<br />I ~\:.,;,.
<br />~~~.
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />,
<br />"
<br />y
<br />
<br />,.
<br />
<br />Island of Wild.rn...
<br />lD. the center of tbl!!e concrete and asphalt
<br />slr:Ips lies the Flal Tops, the ertraorrli.Dary 1lJ.
<br />land of wilderness 1lI. !.he WhIte River Nation-
<br />al Forest
<br />'Ih8 Flat Tops was given primitive ~tah.tll
<br />MardI 5, '19.12, by order of ilia agriculture
<br />~, Since Ulat lime, lhe area of some.
<br />J17,800 seres has beef! administered and pro-
<br />tected under the ,guidillg principles of tnIe wil-
<br />. demess.
<br />The Wilderness Act of Ole 89th Congress
<br />makes it mandalory that this area be eurnin:-
<br />ed for reclassification and addition to the Wil.
<br />.'demess System as the "Flat. Tops. Wilder.
<br />Dess." .
<br />Th. dominant physical feature Is the Whilil
<br />River Plateau, origin of a number oJ tribu-
<br />taries 01 the Colorado River. Hf!lI:dwatel'! of
<br />the North and &ruth Forks of the White River,
<br />Bear R1vfr and Sweetwater Creek fOnD here.
<br />They create a scenic pattern of heavily tfm.
<br />bered drafnages.
<br />The perimeter of this plateau Is aharply de-
<br />1Inea~ by sheer, volcanic' escarpmenl::9.
<br />.'I'ralliJ climb, In places pr'@Cipitou&ly, from 8.000
<br />to U,OOG feet. Over-all, a~erage t!evation II
<br />
<br />late Regional Forester AlJe~ ~S. Peclr, a dedi-
<br />caLed conservationist, decided that 110 road
<br />should UlYade !.be lake vicinity:
<br />AccordIng 10 Arlhur Carbart, famed West.
<br />ern nal-1Jralist now runnrng the Denve- Con.
<br />servation Library C~ter, tlm was the first
<br />applicallOlJ ol the "wilderness concept."
<br />
<br />Article Written on Subject
<br />Mrs. Lois Phillips Hudson, an author N!sld-
<br />lng in Boulder, wrote an article entiUed "Th.
<br />Benevolent Wreckers" in the April 4 issue of
<br />The Nauon which synthesizes the views of ap.
<br />ponenls of the projected big power project.
<br />Mrs. Hudson claims, among other t h ! n g ll,
<br />that a permnnent, far-reaching human en-
<br />croachment of the Flat Tops oouJd result ill.
<br />a decline ol wild animal population, that the
<br />While River elk herd numbering 18,000 could
<br />be serious!:; affee:ted, as well as the deer ~d
<br />Rocky Mountain sheep.
<br />She asserts that due to concess:lorur made to
<br />private interests lD the Wildernes!l Act hy U.S,
<br />Rep. Wayne N. ASpinall, 0-0110., chairman of
<br />the HOllSe Interim:. Committee, the mea.sure l5
<br />severely lim1I:ed In this power to protect the
<br />wilderness.
<br />ThUll, she Ii'ays, the Forest Service ball a
<br />JaniS" ~..y to go 1I'itb the I'1.iIt Top, 1Il Its In-
<br />COrporat.ioD into the wilderness system from
<br />primitive status "and the power company may
<br />win belore the race has run its: first lap:'
<br />The Colorado Game, Fish and Park.ol ne:.
<br />partment WeDt to court to find out U it could
<br />require the company to release minimum
<br />flolVs In sustain fisb life In the streams af-
<br />feeled by the POWf!1" 'PTojecb. The ColOT'lloo
<br />Supreme Courl rnled that the company was
<br />requiN!d by law to relHse from iLs several
<br />proposed dams only the amount of water pre..
<br />viously adjudicated to ranchers along the
<br />streams.
<br />
<br />Plan HU9. and Complex
<br />
<br />~ pGwer developmemt scheme 15' buge
<br />and compler, Indeed.
<br />The Sweetwater pumped storage bydroefec.
<br />hie project incorporating fi~e dlllllS and stor.
<br />age reservoirs is merely one phase of tbe
<br />over-Illl undertaking of MoUlll.aiA ~ Midwest
<br />Power Pool.
<br />This projecl would lenent.e 1 million tfIo-
<br />watts of e1ectnClll eaergy to he aset:! far peak-
<br />iag demUds. II II tied' in witll . P"*cted
<br />Jarle coal-fired Iteam plaat at Oak Cn!d!; La
<br />Routt CDWlty c1.esilal!d to leDerata 1.5 milllod
<br />kilowatts of firm power.
<br />The stea.m plant w<lUid stabili:ze the output
<br />of the entire development, provide power for
<br />the constant and steady demand I:hrougbout
<br />the day and furnish power for the two pumped
<br />storage features of the ~droeleclrJe plants al
<br />mghl
<br />Tbe total combined power OIlt of all the In-
<br />staUations--therrosl and hydroelect:rte-would
<br />be more than Is currently produced by all
<br />the present power lnstalJatio!l.!i II Colorado,
<br />public and prIvate.
<br />The project, engineered by Van Sickle .As-
<br />sociates me., Denv~ eonsuitinJ engi:llten,
<br />
<br />
<br />'to.
<br />
<br />
<br />This il Sweetwater Lake, lite of the propos.d pumped ItO(<:Ige project
<br />for gener<:ltion of electricity. It is outside Ih. Flol Topl primil..... area.
<br />Sweetwaler Lok. II considered one of the best areOI in the United Stal.J
<br />for luch a project. PlanJ now call for the enlarg.ment of the loke.
<br />
<br />ha~ asSured financLIlg from the New York In.
<br />'Y'i!.<l.trnent banking firm 01 Kuhn, Loeb & Co.,
<br />according to Brann13n.
<br />'The componE".nt cotpo/atiOl1! of the pool (IS-
<br />serted1y have spent in excess of '1 million i.a
<br />~gstudies,acqlli.'llriOf1:'l of water rights,
<br />reservoir &nd power sites, location of available
<br />coal depos.il.'1 and in plaoning the extensive
<br />transmission facilities.
<br />. Brannan said there .'S an a~sured marlcet
<br />Lor all Ute pv...'e,' u,a( CMD ~I: "tWUI.'ql.
<br />
<br />$283 millIon. Tbe annual openblll C'OIUI will
<br />In arGUnd $65 millio-D."
<br />Of the total estimated construction cosl'l 01
<br />all the facilities, the power pool places the
<br />Oak: Creek thennal plant at ,UlI million;
<br />stage.!! I and % of the Sweetwater pumped
<br />storage project at 545 millioo.; stage 3 of t:his
<br />development at $611 mlllJ08, Other cost! will
<br />include transmission. line.'l and !lUh.stations.
<br />AmQrtiz.ation of thee cost! include interest at
<br />'~.';j pt:r cool' -, .-.... !'
<br />Direct revenues' to the state and county
<br />goverlllJ)ents during the COILStrlJction 01 the
<br />projects were estimated sa follows: county
<br />lare!! to go to Garfield, Rio Blanco, Eagle,
<br />Routt. GraDd, Jacksoll and L2r1mer (,ount!es,
<br />$4 million; Colorado sales tal:, $2 million;
<br />Colorado income lax $500,000.
<br />Totill annual tares and royalties to tJI.
<br />state for the first 50 years of operatiOIl- were
<br />estimated at $5,537,000.
<br />The major initial feature 01 the bydroel~-
<br />mc iDstallatiOM would be tile conversion of
<br />Sweetwat2r Lake, oubide lhe primitive area
<br />of the Flat Tops, into . pumped storage
<br />project The &cky MountaiD Power Co. hall
<br />fi.lingB . on unappropriated water oJ both
<br />
<br />r.rget D.te Is Listed
<br />Assuming IJuit the FPC grants B llcens.
<br />for the underWring this year, the sponSOJ'3
<br />hope to make the first. power available from'
<br />the project in 19711. An ettensive transmis.sion
<br />line is planned to transmit the power from
<br />nortbweslem ColOl"ado into Nebraska and part
<br />of Kansa.'l and to connect the pool with thlt
<br />U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's power projects.
<br />Bra1tna.D asserts "/.be projecl5 will mean
<br />JGM to.- . iO-yeu coastrucl:Ion period for ap-
<br />proximately 3,000 people. They will mean laeal
<br />purchases or abovt "1 mUlion and Plymmt
<br />in tan, to Ute ,tate of CoIondo durinJ .
<br />5O-)'f!lU' amortDatlo. pmod III appro:dmately
<br />
<br />......""'...,.,." """1-""" u,"" /IIu:... ........,LHIf"y W rf!-
<br />ports, the Fore:st Service Isn't reqisling the
<br />first and secoDd stage!' of the Sweetwater
<br />Project hut bas reservalions about lhe Los
<br />Solar intrusion into the Flat Tops.
<br />The Colorado Game, Fish and Parb Depart..
<br />ment I. worried .Mat the effectB GI. fishing
<br />.P"tam. and lak~. Official, I8Y flllCtwdiu,
<br />lakel lad!. IilS wiD be created are IUIJ1!'llductln:
<br />The deparfmeut also I. diltmted OVer effectll
<br />01. IDeb: hure COIIlIIZ'1lCtlOD acdvjty OD wlJdllfe
<br />oftbe~on.
<br />Concerning tbese problems, Brannan says:
<br />"We bave proposed to go as far as possibre,_'
<br />to pN!vent our P~J!".ct from be.lng a detrim~~ .J
<br />to the lIN!a. This includes not only buildllJ.l[
<br />alternate spa'l'l'l1ing lakes. already surveyed. .......-'
<br />. CJ
<br />Put lines Underground ( .)
<br />"To the extent Utat Los Solar 1S in the Pri.lJ:!..~
<br />ltive area, we've agreed to put our condUitS
<br />and lines underground. We will maintain con.
<br />trol over access roads that are needed alld
<br />puvent peopl~ from using the road.'! wbere
<br />they aren't permitted to go by auto.
<br />"No one can logkallY challenge tM tns\alla.
<br />tion at Sweetwater Lab and, actually, the
<br />Los Solar poW'f!r plant i'I outside the pr1mItive
<br />area. The onlY thing Insid~d g a mJle
<br />11I~!V_~.l' t~ ~.,.... .........!'...,h ,iP An ,I' ;'''1'f.
<br />harm the wiMtmesa 01' wil' In pUUcu-
<br />lar.
<br />"Moreover, the complex of reservoirs will
<br />store some HiO,OOO a~&-feet of llddiUonal wa~
<br />ter aMUalJy, most of which' wiU be available
<br />fo; use in the s8me watersheds 1:0 support the
<br />vital development of Colorado's huge reserves
<br />of oil sh.a(e. Flow!l of the White Rivet" won.t be
<br />affected."
<br />Ert.ended bearings on the vast underUlking
<br />hlUl been scheduled to start in Washingtnlil be-
<br />fore the }O~ederal Power Conuni.'lsion (In May
<br />23. H()-'Rever, the hear1n1P have M'\II' been posi-
<br />poned until July 6. Colorado game and fisb
<br />people have requested lbat the bearing.! be
<br />transferred to Denver.
<br />Mrall"bJ1e, I.be deblUe goes a:a.
<br />
<br />M."~
<br />
<br />
<br />.
<br />
|