Show I State Acquires Asp Asphalt Rid Ridge ev n In in The State of Utah has ed acres of land involving involving ing the rich lich Asphalt Ridge it was reported Tuesday at Vernal Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Skillet Bonfire Room MAKING THE report was Charles R n Henderson a mem- mem member member ber of Utah State Slate Land Board He said that a process had been proven for takIng oil out of asphalt and he anticipated that developments would get underway in the summer of 1967 lie He estimated that the poten poten- potential of Asphalt Ridge was great great- greater er than all of the oil produced in Utah to date Mr l qualified his remarks by pointing out that individual areas of asphalt need particular operations HE RE REPORTED PORTED that a simi simi- similar similar lar development In Sunnyside Carbon County was proceeding very well The process involves drilling one hole on each acre of ground over the area and then extracting the oil No strip mining is planned for Asphalt Ridge the state official said One of the legal problems to tobe tobe be worked out is the royalty rate he said If Federal leases are applied the 12 percent rate will ill be pegged he stated HE WARNED that no indus indus- industry try will invest heavily in the development of the bituminous sands until the legal problem of the leases are resolved Among other difficulties to be overcome he listed water sup plies and transportation About 2660 2600 acres of the area are not leased and there is a legal problem on the definition of a lease he said A public hearing on the trans far fer of the Asphalt Ridge land from the Bureau of Land Mana gement Bement to the State of Utah was held in Vernal December 29 1965 at which time both state and local I officials present present- presented ed the proposed change of land landownership landownership ownership TH THE E LANDS were transferred ed cd to Utah in partial satisfaction tion of land due the state as a result of the Statehood Enabling Act explained R D Nielson state director for Utah Congress authorized the state to have four sections in each township Before title to some of these sections could be pass pass- passed passed ed to Utah withdrawals were made for such purposes as na- na national national parks and forests There There- for certain certain sections within those withdrawals could not be trans and the state is permit permit- permitted permitted ted to select other available Continued on page 8 Asphalt Continued from page 1 lands in lieu of those sections This they did at Asphalt Ridge Subject to valid existing rights title to both bath the surface and mineral rights in the Asphalt Ridge land was transferred by BLAt to Utah Mr Nielson said This transfer will satisfy part of the states state's indemnity sel sel- sel selection rights the off official cial noted A- A ALM A LM ELD FIB FIELD data data report has stated that Considerable effort and money has been ex on research and deve deve- developments of the deposits in the general area of Asphalt Ridge This together with knowledge ge from work done on deposits In other locations reasonably assures the technical success of ofa ofa a well planned and properly fl fi effort to exploit these de posits the report concluded |