OCR Text |
Show 'New oil shale bill goes vo Mouse Panel for debcove By Helena C. Monborg Washing'00 Correspondent Special to the Vernal Express. sWashington-The comprehensive oil ale bill reported out of the House Min-s Min-s Subcommittee on June 25 is heduled to be taken up in the House terior Committee on June 15, under rrent scheduling. This will give the Administration and ingress enough time to work out the rucipation of the governors in the oil e leasing process. At issue is not the vernors' participation per se, but the tent of the participation. IiCarrey E. Carruthers, Assistant In-ot In-ot Secretary for land and water, is Ifheduled to meet with representatives 'CRep jy Kogovsek, D-Colo., and rhaps also the representatives of $ps. Dan Marriott, R-Utah, and Hank own, R-Colo., on July 9 to hammer r t Administration's position on this eint. Carruthers testified on June 25 the (ministration opposes concurrence by j governors of Colorado and Utah in s & designation of tracts in Western Zlorado and Eastern Utah to be leas-j.'. leas-j.'. He made the statement in reply to a ;:des of questions asked him by ."igovsek, at the request of Gov. iVchard D. Lamm, D-Colo., and Rep. !'nothy E. Wirth, D-Colo. In effect, '"mm wants a veto on tract selection. Jjhairman, Jim Santini, D-Nev., of House Mining Subcommittee urged "'Administration and Kogovsek to get ether on language acceptable to !-lh. Current plans call for Kogovsek to sh for language which would require Secretary of Interior to state why he erruled a governor's opposition to ising specific oil shale tracts, in the honal interest, backed by Congres-f Congres-f oal approval of the Secretary's posi-j posi-j n. This would amount to a state veto i ho it is not so characterized by govsek and Lamm. tiogovsek threatened to offer an ', lendment in committee to require ite concurrence of lease tract signation at the June 25 mark up of r i new oil shale bill, jointly sponsored Santini and Marriott. Kogovsek told s correspondent prior to the July 4 & jak that he had not decided what to . Such an amendment would have dif-v' dif-v' ulty getting thru the House Interior mmittee. X lie states, the Friends of the Earth r DE) which has been tracking oil !F Je leasing proposals, and Wirth and u'- iovsek would like to see oil shale sing "plans included in the local - reau of Land Management (BLM) . ns. This also will be the subject of cussion at the July 9 oil shale A eting. Kevin Markey of Friends of " ! Earth testified at the June 25 hear- J; of the Senate Energy and Mineral r sources Subcommittee that no addi-nal addi-nal action should be taken on the pro-;.. pro-;.. ype oil shale leasing program X rted in 1974 or new oil shale legisla- n until "improvements are made in : BLM's land use planning process in lie country, on-line experience with Sal oil shale facilities, and a com- ihensive evaluation of the need for it leasing. "Currently, BLM land use ' ins are not meshed with the pro- ype leased tracts, FOE claims. t appears a new oil shale leasing bill is on the way, despite the delay cautioned caution-ed by Friends of the Earth. The new Suntini-Marriott combined bill provides for the sole new oil shale legislative proposal sought by the Administration: Ad-ministration: off-tract leasing. It would authorize a second lease to oil shale lessees to provide space for putting up retorting facilities and disposal of spent shale from the least tract being mined. It would also provide for several provisions pro-visions not sought by the Administration, Administra-tion, including authorizing the Secretary of Interior to lease tracts larger than 5120 acres to support a commercial com-mercial operation, allowing for multi mineral leasing in oil shale country, and raising the statutory limit on leasing leas-ing by one entity from one per state to two per state and four nationally. The Senate Subcommittee plans to hold hearings on similar legislation by Sen. Henry M. Jackson, D-Wash., on July 17. Carruthers told the House Mining Subcommittee on June 25 the Administration Ad-ministration plans to continue the Department's prototype lease program up until 19113, with the possibility of leasing leas-ing up to four additional tracts "if the opportunity presents itself." Carruthers Car-ruthers told this correspondent on July 1 he had assigned his deputy, David Russell, to work on designing a permanent perma-nent oil shale leasing program to put into in-to place late in 1983 and 1984. But such a program would require both legislative authority and the preparation of a new environmental impact statement with full public participation before a new program could be launched, Carruthers stated. While proposing a leasing moratorium, the FOE conceded in its June 25 testimony that off tract leasing is necessary for "achieving maximum recovery rates-up to 450,000 barrels of shale oil per day eventually at minimum cost-to clarify the Department Depart-ment of Interior's authority to enter into in-to multi-mineral leases and to authorize by-pass leasing of small federal tracts that would not otherwise be leased. |