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Show U.S. Mineral Production Hits Record Year A record year in Utah mineral production, exceeding the billion-dollar mark, contributed con-tributed greatly to the overall record high achieved in total U.S. mineral output notes Carlton Stowe, Utah Geological Geologi-cal & Mineral Survey minerals min-erals specialist. The Department Depart-ment of the Interior reported today that total value of U.S. mineral output reached a record rec-ord $67.7 billion for 1976. Utah's mineral production in 1976 was $1,018,161,000. The Secretary of the Interior, Inter-ior, Thomas S. Kleppe, reports re-ports that the 1976 value of domestic raw mineral production pro-duction exceeded the 1975 value of $62.3 billion by nine percent. As was true in Utah, all three of the major mineral categories-fuels, metals, and nonmetals-increased in value. Petroleum production however, how-ever, declined in every major producing state. Oil and Gas drilling in the Rocky Mountain States declined de-clined by 18 percent during 1976 as compared with 1975, notes Mr. Stowe. According to statistical reports of Petroleum Petrol-eum Information Corporation, wells completed in the mountain moun-tain state number 3,737, 858 fewer than in 1975. Drilling in Colorado lagged by 12.6 percent, per-cent, Wyoming had a 23.6 percent decline and drilling was off in Utah by 39 percent. |