| OCR Text |
Show Bangely mayor tells Washington ommiee of coal and oil shale impact aid (Special to the Vernal Express) By Helene C. Monberg Washington-Mayor Peggy Rector of nely said here at a conference this t weeij communities in Northwestern Colorado and Northeastern Utah impacted im-pacted by coal and oil shale energy developments "are on our own in pushing for energy impact aid." In three ways, she told the press. First, we must negotiate the best deal that we can with the companies that come into uur area. Rangely has just concluded negotiations and received the first payment pay-ment for what she calls "up front" money ' to help her community cope with the construction con-struction of a new mine and spur line railroad near Rangely to provide coal to a new steamplant being built at Bonanza in northeastern Utah. Under an agreement that Rangely, Rio Blanco County and other local governmental govern-mental units worked out with Western fuels Assn., Inc., they will receive more than $5 million over a three year period in three equal amounts annually. Western Fuels made the first payment on about Sept. 24, Western Fuels said here on Sept. 29. "Secondly, we have to see that the state severence tax gets back to the pro-, per districts from which the minerals are extracted," Mrs. Rector said. They have to work with their state senators and representatives and with the governor to assure at least a significant portion gets back to the producing areas , she pointed out. "Thirdly, we have to push for energy impact aid at the federal level, and that's what we are doing now," Mayor Rector explained. She is chairman of the energy impact aid committee of the Colorado Municipal League. She brought with her a letter which she delivered to Sen. William L. Armstrong, R-Colo., to Reps. Ray Kogovsek, D-Colo., and Hank Brown, It-Colo., asking that specific language be included in the House passed oil shale leasing bill now awaiting mark up in the Senate Energy Committee, probably about Oct. 21. She was disappointed that Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., did not even mention . energy impact aid when discussing . energy developments with a Western ColL orado group at a two day conference here sponsored for the Western Slopers by Kogovsek and Brown. I It was particularly surprising to her that Hart failed to mention energy impact aid because he is the one Western Senator who has continued to sponsor such legislation since he has been in the Senate, and because the language which the Colorado Counties organization and the Colorado Municipal League want in the oil shale bill is precisely the same language in the Hart oil shale bill. Asked about this later by the press, Steven Saunders, Hart's natural resources specialist, said on Oct. 2 the language was developed for the Hart bill "after we checked with Jim Evans of Colorado Counties and Monte Pascoe of the Colorado Col-orado Natural Resources Department." Mayor Rector made her comments on Oct. 1 and Saunders was contacted on Oct. 2. The specific language sought to be added to the House passed bill by local areas in Northwestern Colorado impacted by oil shale and coal developments reads 1 as follows: "The money received by the United States from sales, bonuses, royalties and rentals of public lands leased leas-ed (under the 1920 Mineral Leasing Act) for the extraction and reduction of oil shale or of public lands leased under (the act) and paid to a state under this act shall be used by such state or subdivision of such state as the legislature of such state may direct for planning, construction construc-tion and maintenance of public facilities and provision of public services to prevent pre-vent and reduce adverse social. and economic impacts of operations under such leases." The letter sent to Armstrong and the two Colorado Representatives by Harry P. Bowes, executive director of the Colorado Col-orado Counties, Inc., stressed such language is necessary because the "priority for impact assistance contained in the existing Mineral Leasing Act is insufficient in-sufficient to guarantee that these funds will be used for the major impacts associated with oil shale development. No other program that falls under the leasing provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act will cause socio-economic impacts of the magnitude anticipated with oil shale development. The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has projected a possible shortfall short-fall of state and local revenues of up to $1 billion that will be necessary for the direct and indirect local government services ser-vices and facilities that will be necessary to serve the oil shale industry and the projected population growth associated with its development, ' ' the Bowes letter to Armstrong stated. Armstrong is now formulating a position posi-tion on oil shale legislation, but he told the Colorado group here on Oct. 1 he probably pro-bably would not sponsor any bill in addi-( addi-( tion to the off site leasing bill that he introduced in-troduced early in the year. He did not : comment on energy impact aid, nor was he asked about it when he talked to the Western Colorado group on Oct. 1. Assistant Interior Secretary Carrey Car-ruthers Car-ruthers told the Western Coloradoan on Sept. 30 he anticipated Interior would put a long term leasing program into effect ef-fect "along about 1983 or 1984". Interior In-terior wants new authority from Congress, Con-gress, however, before it launches such a program, and it is not presently supporting suppor-ting any specific legislation before the Senate. It does not favor Hart's oil shale bill, which provides for "phased in leasing" leas-ing" over a long period of time. |
