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<br />
<br />Shale country
<br />Grand Junction in path
<br />of growing shale boom
<br />
<br />R)' RICH.-\RD ,J, ~'Il"'F.IDF:R
<br />Blld.JF;n" RO"'~:o.:
<br />Nrwr,Sr,,11
<br />Down the Colorado Ri\'cr from the
<br />rural parl~ of oil shale (.'ountr~' the "mil-
<br />lion dollar wind" rushes oul of twisting,
<br />craggy DeBeque Canyon and w:u'ms the
<br />Palisade peach orchards east of Grand
<br />Junction,
<br />But the ....1nd that staves off killino;: frnslS is
<br />changing. Experts sa)' Grand JunCtlon's air
<br />
<br />Fifth of a series
<br />
<br />pollution has caused subt]1" all('rations in the
<br />dimate. making the wind a littlf' ('older and
<br />Jess reliable,
<br />And the new chili is s)'mholic or the area's
<br />~adua] evolution, Grand Jun('tion is already .1
<br />big small to\\Tl, An oil shale industry in-IH'st-
<br />em Colorarlo ....111 force the painful transition
<br />from a big small t~Tl into a ('it)',
<br />New people and new businesses ....ill cro.....d
<br />quiet streets. As oil firms begin .....ork un planB
<br />In the Piceance Creek B:tsin. thl'Y'U oll('n
<br />brarl<'hes In Grand Junction. When the 100001']e
<br />in those plants need a p]a('e to shop. or to catch
<br />a plane, they'U ine\'itab]y head thl"re.
<br />OPTI.'\IJS.'\f A:\'O 01....'\1,\1:.
<br />And, althouRh the)' .....ant lhl' grc.wth in man)'
<br />.....a)..II. the to'oITl'S rt'Sidl'Tlts look to the future
<br />II;th a blend of optimillm and dismay,
<br />Grand Junction has a population o! 2UlOO
<br />now. Its climate is tempe.rate in ",'inter and hot
<br />and dr)'ln the llummrr. The a\'l'rnge rainfall is
<br />just o\'er E'ig-ht Inches a )'ear.
<br />The cit)' ~its In a hroad, flat valle)' at the
<br />cOrlnuenee of the Gunnison and OJlorado
<br />Rh'ers fianked on three- sidl's by scenic moun_
<br />lalnrici&es.
<br />To the north lie the Bookdiffs, rE'~embling a
<br />1'1)\\-' ot books stacked along a mountain ridge.
<br />Wild mustangs rOam the arE'a. To the east Is
<br />the flat-topped Grand Mesa, a nocnoalion para-
<br />dIse dotted with lakes, campgrounds, forests
<br />and pastoral high country vaUeys, The arid
<br />('anyontand of the Colorado Nalional )tonu-
<br />ment forms the sO\Jthern horiwn, and thp Co]o-
<br />rado Rh'er Valle)' exll'nds westward into Clah,
<br />The foundation of Grand Junction'-!I econo-
<br />m\' is an eleclronks industrv. ag-ricul!ure
<br />trnoot1.r sugar bt-elll, fmit and 'Iivl'siockl and
<br />touri-!lm. Since it was settled, the <'it). has ~n
<br />a lTansportalion hub. first for sta~t'('Oa('h lilWS
<br />th<'n rail traUlt', hlghwa)' traffic aod air traffic,
<br />It has the only jetport in Wl."Stem Colorado.
<br />AirendJ.'\t has gro....n to domi.nate the stale's
<br />
<br />eommf>rce west of the Continental Dil'ide. and
<br />it's the only candidate for urbani~atiOn bel.....ee-n
<br />[)e.nl'er and Salt Lake City,
<br />Grand Junction Officials haw bc-en "bmning
<br />all along for gro....'tb. Tourism is on lhe up...
<br />swinl{, as are eOrl\"entional energ)' industries_
<br />uranium, coa] and natural gas.
<br />(;JUnH,.\L mW"TII:'
<br />Yet the gradual grov.th (or .....hich of(icials
<br />have bf'.en planning has injected an air of com-
<br />placency into their thinking. They aren't sure
<br />just what kind of additional growth an 011 shale
<br />industry might bring to Grand Junction and
<br />they're hoping they won't have to do much
<br />additional planning to accommodate it. Unfor-
<br />tunate]y, they're probably wrong.
<br />Recffit gro....th projections b)' the State Dh'i-
<br />sion of Planning suggest that Grand Junction's
<br />(Condudf'd oD (.I31i;t' %'!)
<br />
<br />Legislative uC1it
<br />of $11 million tc
<br />
<br />B.v Sl:7_'\:'i:\'F: ".~IS'i
<br />N~w.St"l/
<br />A spedal legislath'e sulx'Ommittec
<br />assigned 10 study Den\'€'r's fisc;!l prob-
<br />lems recommended Wednesda\' thaI the
<br />slate pump more than $11 miliiorJ into a
<br />several sagging city programs,
<br />In a H-page report releasE'd by' Sen. Joe
<br />Shoemaker, R-Df"nver, the sul>commillres
<br />chairman, the group recommended that the
<br />19H General Assemb]y appropriate $11.U15.~66
<br />to help ease the cit)"s finan('iaJ bUfl1pn tor nine
<br />social and cultural sen1c('s.
<br />The hetti~t alloc:atJon would he $7.~ million
<br />for indil(ent health cart" programs at D"m-er
<br />General Hospital and the clt)"s nei,lthbl.lrhoud
<br />health centers.
<br />Another $1.7 million would be pi,>f'd inlo
<br />se\'eral of Do<>n\'l'r's cullural and l"'t'<"reation
<br />ser.kl"S, w~ch city orlicials note are widely
<br />used h}" non-Defl\'erites _ the art and hislo~'
<br />mtl<;('ums, the eltl....S mountain park system, the
<br />Rotanic Gardens, City' Zoo and the Denver
<br />5)mphon)'.
<br />The remainder or Ihr money ....ould 11:0 into
<br />housinfi:", empJo)Tnent and law entorceml'flt
<br />programs.
<br />The subcommittee's rl,>port was made to the
<br />Joint Bu~et O:ommitll'f', Ilohi('h is nnw in the
<br />process of drafting this session's appropria_
<br />tiUlUibill,
<br />
<br />0024
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