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Show Tar sands bill approver The House of Representatives in wSngton last week gave voice vote JSSS to legislation permittmg he leasing of federal lands for the producgion of oil from tar sands. The legislation is of major concern to Utah since90 percent of the nation star sands deposits are in the Beeh.ve State. Tarsandsarefoundin22ofthestates and according to Rep. Jun San tin,, D Nev who was floor manager for the bill the tar sands potential is between 15 and 30 billion barrels of oil. Rep. Gunn McKay, D-Utah, the sponsor of the Tar Sands Leasing Bill told his House colleagues that tar sands had long been used to pave roads in he Uintah Basin of his state but unfortunately, un-fortunately, that is all the federal government has allowed us to do with it." The House-approved bill amends a 1920 law to permit a combined hydrocarbon lease that would allow leasees to extract oil, gas or tar sands from the leased federal property. The maximum size of the new hydrocarbon lease would be 5,120 acres. Another provision is that a competitive com-petitive hydrocarbon lease involving tar sands can be extended for not less than five years beyond itj term of five years. Still another states that there no leasing in the national par' "unless otherwise permitted y The Interior Department hJ moratorium since 1965 onthek tar sands for fear of conflict conventional oil and gag i bill, according to Mr. McKjT pected to remedy the V' Department's inability to fcJ L sands as a separate resource Besides Mr. McKay and Mr t, a major speech in supp J j measure was made by Marriott, R-Utah, who descriL , legislation as "extremely for the future security of the Mr. Marriott, a cosponsoroftL said 80 percent of the nation's Ut deposits were on federal lands j, legislation provides a much neei, vehicle for the development of tar sands. " J "Let's unlock this great potential," said Mr. Marriott. Mr. McKay described thele as 15 years overdue and promj' with enactment, "We will soon s produced from tar sands." |