Show Oil OH Shale Hearing Heuring Gets Favorable Testimonies Here Testimony given at the US U.S. Department Depart ment of Interior oil shale environmental statement hearing here Thursday was unanimously favorable for a prototype site development of oil shale in Uintah County THE PROPOSAL would make six acre lease sites available in Wyoming Wyoming Wyo ming Colorado and Utah for privat 1 oil shah shah- de cle development Included is the l Ledge area in the southeast corner of Uintah County which holds the states state's heaviest oil shale Hons Five of the six persons who submitted submitted sub sub- statements to the hearing held in the Vernal Junior High School gave strongly favorable testimony and the sixth speaking from an environmental viewpoint merely indicated the ecological cal studies arc are not complete THIRTY FIVE PEOPLE attended the tha hearing conducted by Dent Dalby of the Department of Interior Others on the hearing pan panel l included John Donnell Donnell Donnell Don- Don nell US U.S. Geological Survey Hal Booker Docker Bureau of Sports Fisheries and Wildlife Wildlife Wildlife Wild Wild- life Steve Utter US U.S. Bureau of Mines and Henry Ash chairman oil shale task force Gordon Harmston state director of natural natural natural na na- na- na tural resources represented Gov Calvin Calvin Calvin Cal Cal- vin L L. L Rampton Hampton at the hearing HE TESTIFIED that there is more oil and gas activity in Uintah County at this time than in any comparable area in the world Utah can only advance advance ad ad- vance as its natural resources are developed developed developed deve deve- loped he said We were instrumental in preparing the environmental statement and feel we can fulfill the requirements Continued on page B 8 8 Oil Shale Hearing Continued from pago 1 Utah has feet acre of oC Colorado Colo Cob rado redo River water of oC which acre acre- feet Ceet arc to BO go o into the Central Utah Project We wish to be he certain water will will be here to develop these hydrocarbons bons said Mr Harmston HARMSTON SAID negotiations with Mexico will depend on salinity of oC water water wa ter offered them Any development of oC the oil 01 shale must be subject to rigorous rigor ous Otis controls he added Oil shale development would require enormous amounts of oC water which would be taken from the Colorado River liver and then replaced Utah would take lake an allotment allotment allotment allot allot- ment of water from Crom the river which continues on through Arizona into co Bert Berl L. L An Angus us Uintah County commissioner commis stoner said sold he and his fellow commissioners commissioners commis commis- support orderly and planned development deve of oC oil shale with adequate environmental environmental en en- safeguards HOWARD R R. R State Committee Commit tee on Environmental Problems of oC Oil Shale said a committee of the to Utah Legislative Council has prepared a com corm comprehensive mined land reclamation bill for consideration by the 1972 Legislature It would create a state stale entity to regulate re mining operations of all types that disturb the land he said It requires reclamation of mined lands and proposes standards standard for such work said no definite plans have been developed for study of specific environmental environmental en en- problems but that it is likely some studies may begin in Utah in late 1972 or early University 1973 under auspices of the of Utah engineering engineer engineer- in ing experiment station The studies would be part of a survey of oC clean elean energy sources initiated by the National Science Foundation BUELL BENNETT Vernal City manager manager man man- ager agel represented Vernal City and pledged pled pledged ged strong support for oil shale development development develop develop- ment with environmental safeguards Glenn II 11 Cooper Vernal Chamber of Commerce also was favorable Charles R R. R Henderson C. C R R. R Research Research Re Re- search Co said he about is optimistic the potential for restoring plant life liCe on spent shale residues after making studies stu stu- studies tu dies of the situation MANY PEOPLE think oil shale because be cause e of its tremendous calculated potential pot is a great reserve Henderson said This if a fact But if we found ourselves with oil imports cut off the water requirements alone would defeat the massive development for an acute energy crisis Oil shale hale source and development deve leve should not be delayed until a crisis Shell Oil Gulf Oil and Skyline Oil were all represented at the hearing but withheld statements which they said would be presented at the hearing in Salt Lake City AFTER THE hearings are arc complete environmental problems will be considered considered consi consi- dered and a final report will be issued |