Show P This week we feel like blaming all of our problems onto the so-called so en ens The high cost of almost anything we buy today can be blamed one way or another onto the many regulations that have to do with our ecology or environment After listening to others complain about delays and added costs due to environmental restrictions we had one hit us that caused us to wonder how much farther can we go We had the problem the other day of running out of gas in our truck when we knew we still had a full auxiliary tank Even ven when we poured gas into the main tank it would suck out into the auxiliary tank and there it would stay no way to get it out We got our outfit to a garage and got it fixed All it needed was two 20 valves that apparently had worn out 20 valves w we moaned back in the good old days all we needed was an off and andon andon andon on valve to turn from main to auxiliary gas tanks Oh we cant can't install them that way anymore due to pollution and smog control it now takes about six lines for gas air and vacuum where only one used to do the job A whole new ne system has been devised to get gasoline out of a gas tank so o it will not cause pollution we were told This seemed to go along with a vague recollection we have of the emission controls that are now required on all automobiles that at first cut the gas mileage way down But now the manufacturers are whipping this problem by making smaller cars with smaller engines Well the thing that kind of burned us was the fact that it cost us 53 to fix a problem that shouldn't have existed in inthe inthe inthe the first place and to think that we paid 20 apiece for two fancy plastic valves where one copper 2 valve did the same job 10 to 15 years ago All this in the name of progress justified because of the danger of air pollution Another needless environmental cost was demonstrated at the Red Wash oilfield oil oilfield oilfield field last week We had several phone calls saying that there was a crew of men melting the snow looking for arrowheads a few miles away from the Chevron office at Red Wash Upon investigation we found that Chevron wanted to locate a couple of drilling rigs on sites they had chosen but before they could move onto the locations the areas had to be checked for artifacts endangered species or other environmental damages that may be caused by placing oil rigs on these locations What made it obvious was the unusually deep snow in the area The snow had to be removed so the scientists scientists scientists could examine the drilling sites for scientific data Chevron also had to hire a geologist of their own to assist Large hot oil steam trucks were rented to melt the snow when small butane burners failed to do the job In Mondays Monday's Deseret News an environmental environmental environmental en en- writer tells of the possibility of the White River Dam project near Bonanza endangering the The project Deserved a tough critical review before the Legislature passed it It did not get one because the states state's environmental safeguards were ignored was the opening paragraph of ofa a story telling how important this area was to wildlife and fish no one has heard of Before the White River Dam project this area was unknown to most people and those who were familiar with it knew it was a desolated arid expanse of nothing Another project that came to our attention this week is a proposal by Dinosaur National Monument to a portion of the highway leading into the Jensen quarry area which is being eroded by Green River A public notice from the US U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been sent out to the public saying there are n no no known endangered species in the project area and that the the preparation of an Environmental Environmental Environmental En- En impact Statement is not anticipated but those who have public input should submit it on or before Feb 27 n Before a bridge is placed over the Green River to give a direct route to Bonanza an EIS will probably have to tobe tobe tobe be made It was pointed out to the County Commission that a bridge may have some environmental effect on the habitat of the Colorado longtail chub humpback chub and the humpback sucker all of which are rare and endangered species that have been found somewhere sometime in the Green River It Is no 00 wonder we throw up our hands when someone mentions a request Coran for Cor foran foran an Environmental Impact Statement The EIS for the Alaskan pi pipeline line took over 20 volumes cost millions and took years of time An EIS can kill any project no matter how haw badly bailly it is needed or how beneficial it may be There must be a balance between our economic needs and the preservation tion of cur wr environment both extremes are pot not in the best interest of mankind We need the necessities and comforts of life Ufe at t a price we can afford and still leave our environment in a condition that is not detrimental to mankind But Dut the environment cannot remain the same W With th advances in technology and needs our environment is constantly con constantly changing The big question is if our environment environment en en- is being endangered now who can afford to enjoy it if we keep spending the billions and billions of dollars to preserve it Sounds like some som of those far out far ut TV shows involving life on other planets doesn't it |