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Show Kaiparovnts Project May Be Revived. Bennett Says Sen. Wallace F. Ben-net, Ben-net, R-L'tah, today expressed ex-pressed hope that President Pres-ident Nixon's call for a relaxation of air quality qual-ity standards to help meet U.S. energy needs will breathe new life into the proposed Kaiparowits power plant. In a Senate speech, the L'tahn also said the President's plan may result in a more reasonable rea-sonable and practical", air quality plan for the wasatch Front cities in the state. The President said in a new State of the Union message delivered to Congress today that he had asked his top energy ener-gy advisor, Gov. John Love, to meet with state officials to seek a temporary modification modifica-tion in air quality standards stan-dards to meet critical fuel and power needs. Sen. Bennett said that while details of the proposal pro-posal are not yet available, avail-able, "the tone of the President's message would seem to have a significant effect" on both the Kaiparowits project and the controversial contro-versial air quality plan suggested by the Environmental Envi-ronmental Protection Agency for Utah's cities. Applications for construction con-struction and operation of the Kaiparowits plant were rejected by Interior Inter-ior Secy. Rogers C.B. Morton last June for environmental re; sons. Sen. Bennett and othei state officials have asked the secretary to review the decision. "Up until now I have not been optimistic that the ruling would be reversed, but the President's Pres-ident's emphasis on the need for new power sources and the need to utilize our vast coal resources re-sources will hopefully breathe new life into Kaiparowits, "Sen. Ben-net Ben-net said. He said he is asking the other members of the Utah Congressional delegation to rejoin him in requesting the Secretary Secre-tary to "reconsider his decision in light of the policy outlined in the President's message." He said he is sending similar letters to Mel-vin Mel-vin Laird, the President's Presi-dent's chief advisor for domestic affairs, and Gov. Love, the administration admini-stration energy advisor. Sen. Bennett said the new policy may also af-fact af-fact the EPA's air quality qual-ity plan for the Wasatch Front, which contained controversial restrictions restric-tions on parking and g a s o 1 i n e rationing. Public hearings on the plan were held in Salt Lake City on July 27. "It is not yet clear whether the relaxation of air standards as proposed pro-posed by the President will include both stationary sta-tionary and non-stationary sources of pollution, but I am hopeful that the spirit of his message will result in a more reasonable and pract- ical plan for implementation implemen-tation of air quality standards in the Wasatch Front area," he said. Sen. Bennett said the President's overall message "represents "re-presents a challenge to the Congress to face up to its responsibilities in a number of critical legislative areas which have been buried under the obsession of Watergate." |