Show First bids on oil shale lands opened in Denver The first bids on development of oil shale on public lands in Colorado under the U. U S. S Department of the Interiors Interior's prototype leasing program were opened Tuesday in Denver PRESIDING OVER the opening of bids for the right to develop oil shale deposits on acres of public lands was Jack Horton assistant secretary of the interior for forland forland forland land and water resources Also on hand were U. U S S. S Bureau of Land Management director Curt Berklund and state and local officials Portions of the tract located in Rio Blanco County in northwestern Colorado are arc said to contain one million barrels of oil per acre PROSPECTIVE bidders were reported to include the Union Oil Company Mobil Oil Corporation Sun Oil Company Occidental Petroleum Company the Colony Development Operation of Atlantic Richfield Company and others Unter Interior Department plans construction of oil shale development facilities is not expected until after a two to three year period of exploratory drilling planning and other predevelopment predevelopment predevelopment pre- pre development work FEDERAL officials envision a per day production plant in operation by 1978 By 1979 production of oil from shale is expected to total barrels per day Bids are to be accepted on a second tract of public land in Colorado on February 5 5 That tract also in northwestern Colorado contains acres TWO acre tracts in Utah are also open for bidding Bids on those tracts are to be opened March 5 and April 2 Bids will be opened d on two other tracts of oil shale land in Wyom Wyoming in May and June |