| OCR Text |
Show Basin energy council hears study reports Presentations on the Uintah Basin transportation plan progress, oil shale impact study and energy development draft study in Eastern Utah were presented at the Uintah Basin Energy Planning and Development Council meeting held Monday in Vernal. Brad T. Barber, Assistant State Planning Coordinator, explained development scenarios that project population, employment and number of households in the Uintah Basin in a medium and high range of development. develop-ment. The preliminary study projects the normal baseline growth of the area and from there adds oil shale and electric generation plant impacts from 1980 through 2000. The peak of the impact in the high development forecast was listed at 1990 when a population of 68,304, em- ployment of 28,986 and 20,946 households will be reached. After the peak a marked decline was projected by the planner's report. "The projection is made based on the knowledge we now have, as we get more information our projections will change, explained Sheila Conway, state energy office planner. The development develop-ment scenarios projected by the state were based on an oil shale production of 113,000 and 177,000 barrels per day. A presentation by Gary Jones, representing A. P. A. Planning and Research, gave the second population study in relation to towns and the factors 'a new town would have in dispersing the popuation growth for the Basin area. The highest population figures in the A.P.A. study occur during 1990 with a projected growth in the Roosevelt, Myton, Duchesne area of 12,000 and 36,800 in the Vernal, Ashley Valley area, and 4,500 in the Rangely area. With a new town having a population of 6,000, these figures were reduced to 10,600, 32,400 and 4,300 respectively. Jones said the people coming in the area for energy development will locate near the industry and in the larger communities com-munities where services already exist. Fifty miles' is the maximum distance workers will usually travel to their jobs. After 1990 the operational stage will take over and the construction workers will move out, causing a population decrease, said Jones. A progress report on the transportation tran-sportation study being made by Wayne T. VanWagoner and Associates was made by Gordon Alderman. An inventory in-ventory report on recreation traffic, general overall traffic volumes, origin of destinations and public transportation tran-sportation data is being gathered and studied, said Alderman. The Basin traffic volume has been growing at about 5 percent per year, whereas the state has been growing at 3 to 4 percent. The oil shale impact study for transportation tran-sportation is about the same as for other studies. Alderman reported. Neal Domgaard, Uintah County Commissioner, conducted the energy planning meeting. Dick Merrell, coordinator for community and economic development. Sheila Conway and Buzz Hunt, assistant to oil shale and tar sands state energy office attended at-tended the energy meeting from the state. |
