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Show April 21, 1969 OIL & MINING JOURNAL Page 4 $70 million plant (From Page 1) crease U.S. production of this d, primary metal by more than said. Rowley Ths commercial venture to produce magnesium metal, which is lighter in weight and stronger than aluminum, has been under study for more than five years. Rowley said that processing facilities will be added as technical and market feasibility is proven. Among the possibilities will be magnesium oxide, gypsum, potash, potassium sulphate and salt cake. Lithium compounds containing about 500 tons of lithium per year will be recovered in the initial production. Longer term possibilities include. the use of locally-producchlorine in the development of For the present, National Lead plans to sell most of its chlorine one-thir- by-prod- uct by-prod- uct ed petro-chemica- ls. production. Ralph M. Parsons Co., Los Angeles, will design and build the project under direction of National Lead. Rowley credited H-- K Inc. for its pioneering efforts in the development of the plant, and Ramp-ton- 's persistence for the consideration given to placing the entire project in Utah. Originally, only production of magnesium chloride was to be done in Utah. This product was then to be shipped to the Pacific Northwest for electrolytic reduction to magnesium metal. However, feasibility studies showed that with electric energy being made available by Utah Power & Light Co., it was possible to place the entire prod' uction in Utah. The project represents realht com ization of the long-soug- E.R. ROWLEY, foreground, board chairman of National Lead Co., announces the firm's plans to build a major metals and minerals complex on the shores of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. In the background is Utahs Governor Calvin L. Rampton. mercial potential of Great Salt Lake, Rowley said. Facilities to be constructed include solar ponds to produce a concentrated magnesium chloride solution and spray-dryifacilities to dry the solution to a powder. Two plants will be built--on- e to produce magnesium metal and the other to produce chloride. It is estimated that the plant can be built within a 24 -- month operation period and full-sca- le can begin six months after construction has been completed. The present free world production is approximately 162,000 tons annually, of which the U.S. and Norway account for 80 per cent. Most of the Norwegian production of 32,000 tons is exported to Germany. The other 20 per cent produced by Canada, Italy, Japan and others, is largely consumed internally. Of the U.S. production of 110,000 tons per year, neara fourth is exported. ly ng a-b- out U.S. faces decision on miner trespass WASHINGTON The NixonAd-mlnistratifaces a ticklish decision on whether to press trespass suits against scores of Colorado uranium miners encouraged by the government itself during the post-w- ar on uranium boom. An Interior Department source says the decision is likely to come in a relatively short period" because the statute of limitations runs out In 1972. Involved is an estimated $9 million worth of uranium taken out of public lands on the Colo rado plateau, much of it sold to the federal govenment when it was stockpiling nuclear fuel after World War II. The Atomic Energy Commission has held throughout the dispute that lawsuits should not be filed since the government encouraged the mining and bought much of the uranium. But the Interior Department has held at least up until the new Republican administration took office that whatever the government involvement, the fact AEC aide sees TUCSON, Ariz An Atomic Energy Commission official says nuclear explosives may be used soon in mining copper ore. AEC Commissioner Gerald Tape told 200 scientists recently is the miners trespassed and they should be sued. Secretary of Interior Walter J. Hickel must decide whether to uphold that stand. Then the Justice Department must decide whether to take suits it already has to the courts. content." Tape told the University of Arizona symposium on education for peaceful uses of nu st clear explosives that the "Potentially, the nuclear Mitch Melich, recently confirmed solicitor of the Interior Department, was assigned last week to rep- resent the department at meet- ings of the Public Land Law Review Commission. assessment of a wide spectrum of fedeal land law. Melich said that he would name Roland Robison of Ogden as a deputy solicitor in the Interior Department. Robison, currently an aide to Rep. Laurence Burton, is expected to start work at the ah, The Commission is trying to complete work this year on its department LOS ANGELES New govern- restrictions make drilling for offshore oil in the Santa Barbara Channel unprofitable, six oil companies contend in a $230 million damage suit against the United States. The suit was filed last week in U.S. Court of Claims in Washington D.C. by Pauley Petroleum of Los Angeles and five other firms conducting operations in the channel off the California coast. A Union Oil Co. well located in the channel ruptured Jan. 28, Bits For All Type! Of Malai, flurrying CMtncUoo. imLiniTiu HELICOPTER He estimated the cost of oil would be lowered to $1 a barrel with the nuclear explosive methods. The commercial rate of oil is currently about $3 per bar- rel. McFarland - Hullinger Sid Hullinger - ORE Latest , Most Modern Equipment SERVICE HAULING Dependable. Strike 915 No. Main St. P.O. Box 238, Tooele, Utah 84074 A tions were announced. oil with value of more than $1 trillion from the oil shales" in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. Henry Coffer, vice president of Geonuclear Corp., said the first nuclear shot would be fired this May near Rifle, Colo. MININS CONTRACTORS UTAHS FIRST of beach. Pauley Oil said it discovered new oil formations at its two leased sites just as the regula- The AEC reportedly agrees with Interior that the discovery requirement was often not met but that since the government did not pay attention to it during the boom years, it should not base a suit on it now. The Interior Department began administrative proceedings to make the miners stop operations on the federal land in 1950. The suits, if pressed, would be for recovery of dollar value of the uranium taken. "FET" McFarland spreading an oil slick over 800 square miles and befouling miles leases." bear uranium. AaO May 1. ruling by Interior Secretary Walter J. Hickel Feb. 17 made the oil companies liable for any future leaks. The suit claims this ruling places a "burden on such operations which effectively precludes plaintiffs from the exploitation and development of their rights as lessee under the out land and found later that it did indeed futonn af M Rack Drlir Offshore oilers sue ment ex- plosive technology could make available 400 billion barrels of Mitch on land review Utahn AEC to use the explosives to develop oil properties. UK BITC ners simply staked mining of copper has been working on programs KKIMI WASHINGTON from acquiring mineral rights. Senzel said the AEC could have put mining operations on a legal footing simply by leasing land to the miners. But Senzel said that was not done. An Interior Department study in 1962 indicated that 148 uranium claims should be reviewed for detected or suspected tresAnother issue is "discovery." It said a number of passing. Evidence of mineral discovery other claims should be invalidated outright. is required of claimants but duIrving Senzel, who was closely ring the uranium boom many mi U-bla- the explosives can "fracture low grade copper beds for subsequent in place leaching of the copper involved in the issue as the Bureau of Land Management's assistant director for lands and minerals, said the federal land involved was given a status which in effect was to prevent anyone Free Dialing from Salt Lake: KELSEY-ELLI- S Salt lak. Airport . Long Distance: Dial: Tooele . 359-20- 05 mmmmammsmmmmiipiwm 363-168- 882-010- 3 3 |