OCR Text |
Show Utilities Express Disapointment In Interior Department Decision S Los Angeles. June 1 3 Four electric utilities in-volved in-volved in planning the proposed Kaiparowits Power Project in Southern South-ern I'tah today expressed regret that Secretary of the Interior Morton has. in effect, rejected the project even before a comprehensive environmental environ-mental impact report prepared at a cost of $1 million was filed. Morion announced today that he will reject applications appli-cations for right-of-way permits to construct the coal-fired electric generating gen-erating plant on the Kaiparowits Kai-parowits Plateau for env ironmental reasons. The utilities Southern South-ern California Edison. San Diego Gas & Electric, Elec-tric, Arizona Public Service, Ser-vice, and the Sail River Project (Phoenix) said they were "surprised and amazed" that Secretary Morton would act before full reviewing a detailed env ironmental i m pact report which was scheduled sched-uled to be filed with the 1 n t e r i o r Department within the next 30 days. Because of the comprehensive com-prehensive nature and findings of the environmental environ-mental report, the participants parti-cipants intend to ask the Interior Department to reconsider its rejection of applications for the rev ised Kaipa row its project pro-ject on grounds that the rejection was based on earlier and somewhat outdated information. The report took a year and a half to prepare, cost approximately $1 million, and contains a different project scope and additional pertinent data which were not available to the Interior Department when it made its tentative judgement. The just - completed environmental impjc. 'S' report concludes that Kaiparowits power p-0' ject can be built with ac. ceptable levels of envir- on mental impact. tj delves deeply into alia.' '-" pects of the S1.3 bill:? ' project and covers ai - water, land, biological "y meteorological, archae- ological. and other fea- - tures where the pla-; n would be located. Edison, as projectma:.- T ager. pointed out that the 1 1 Department of the Interior's Inter-ior's own study S Southwest Energy Siuii :z Summary Report note that future power needs iv of the region will neees-sitate neees-sitate use of the ab'jnd- ..; ant coal resources in tt Colorado Riv er Basin, h fact, the 1972 document -.; states that: "Coal-fireo. 3: steam - electric poe: generation will provide 5 a major part of thepower :-: requirements for Phase ; II (1977-80) power- s plants." c At a time when this nation faces a severe f energy and fuel crisis when it appears it i!l ' be necessary to u'.ilire low -sulfur coal in the western United States to ' reduce importations of low -sulfur oil from oil-producing oil-producing export countries, coun-tries, the participants f believe it is vital total- ; a nee env ironmental judgments judg-ments with national economic, eco-nomic, energy, and na- : tional security needs. I: light of this and the en- ; v ironmental report, the utilities intend to seek reconsideration by the Interior Department. |