Utah's energy role will have impact on State Utah s deposits of coal, oil shale and uranium will require the state to play a major role in attacking worldwide energy problems, prob-lems, a University of Utah engineering seminar was told Tuesday. Dr. Ellis L. Armstrong said coal and uranium, with some help from oil shale, will be required to " fill tl le gap " as the world exhausts its dwindling oil and gas reserves. "We can't put our heads in the sand and enjoy the quality of life Utah how provides and expect the problems of the rest of the world to go away," said Armstrong, an engineering consultant and adjunct professor of civil engineering. Armstrong served as U.S. Commissioner of Reclamation from 1968 to 1972 and was chairman of the U.S. Committee of the World Energy Conference from 1972 to 1974. In prepared remarks, Armstrong described energy en-ergy development and availability as central issues in international gelations and national J.l'.TWJUWMWa MUHMH i in ill i II In iiiii growth. "Where there is population popu-lation growth, there must be energy growth," he said. "There is no way to back up a civilization without with-out destroying it." "We've got to more efficiently utilize our energy ener-gy resources, but along with it, because of population popula-tion increases and increased in-creased expectations in developing countries, we have got to get going with increased production." Armstrong said that because be-cause Utah is a rich source of energy in the form of coal, uranium and oil shale, the state "faces the tough problems of growth ahead, whether we like it or not." The world's energy needs will impact heavily on Utah, Armstrong added. add-ed. A native of Cedar City, Utah, Armstrong served as a consultant or engineering engi-neering administrator on some of the world's largest lar-gest water resource projects, pro-jects, including the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project and the High Aswan Dam in E- gypt. Armstrong told an audience aud-ience of engineering students stu-dents that while environmental environ-mental safeguards should be attached to every project, pro-ject, they should not be applied unreasonably, as they have in some instances instan-ces in the past. "Some of the standards that have been established estab-lished are beyond reason. Some of the standards for clean air, for instance in the oil shale areas, have exceeded the natural conditions con-ditions that now exist," Armstrong said. He repeated his recom mendation dating back several years that a pro- gram be expedited that will lead to the production I of 50,000 to 100,000 bar- I rels of petroleum daily J from oil shale. ! The civil engineer add- ed, "We need to get going i with a full scale com me r- j cial-size oil shale develop- I ment to get production I bugs worked out and to ' determine the engineer- J ing needed to resolve environmental concerns." Full coal production across the nation is rapid- j ly becoming a necessity, I Armstrong explained. He I estimated that worldwide production will have to be ! increased five to six times j by the year 2020 to stay in line with needs. j Armstrong believes that I breeder reactors those I which produce more atom- ic fuel than they use will . eventually play a role in i meeting the world's ener- gy needs. Most experts, he ex- j plained, are convinced I that the breeder reactor is I a must for those countries J who must rely almost J entirely on energy im- ! ports, such as Japan and i Western Europe. "The big concern with I plutonium and its control I is one of the areas that does require continuing ! attention. However, I be- lieve the risk here is less i than the alternative of energy shortage," he I said.