Show Pr Problems l in oil shale Hf industry told officials Officials of the White River Oil Shale Project met with Uintah County Commissioners and Vernal City officials Wednesday of last week to Share some of the current problems and uncertainty of opera operation tion II Synthetic fuel development needs encouragement but lately everything has been going backwards for form us stated Earl Ramsey program director for White River Shale Project a consortium of Phillips and Sun Oil companies who bid million for two tracts in Utah known as asUa asUa asUa U-a U and U-b U to the city and county leaders present at the meeting Congressional help is needed but this being an election year we dont don't expect much stated Ramsey About million is needed for the technical demonstration alone When the products from the industry are regulated and the costs are not oil companies can not afford to take the risk Involved involved involved in In- in developing oil shale explained Ramsey UNLESS SOME kind of federal type grant-type money is made available such as the Energy Resource Development Act ERDA to provide the means of demonstrating the technical problems the oil shale industry cannot move forward Ramsey pointed out Tremendous amounts of front- front end money is needed to get the project on commercial production We want the project to go and we will do everything we can to make it go Ramsey explained The crucial turning point willbe will willbe willbe be June 1 1977 when the fourth optional lease payment is due At this point the project can be abandoned and the fourth and fifth lease payments amounting to 48 million mimon will not have to be paid If the project continues the last two payments can be used to develop the lease Ramsey said a detailed development plan for Cor the lease obligations is planned to come out about this April and then public c hearings will be held in inVernal inVernal inVernal Vernal and Salt Lake City about two months later AFTER TilE THE detailed plans are submitted the initial mine access phase can start for a single retort operation n phase which will last about seven ye years rs The commercial operation phase is planned to start after the single retort phase has been completed and andis is estimated to be about nine years after the beginning of the single retort phase until the first up start-up of the commercial phase White River Shale is anxious to drill a mine mite shaft and open a a room to see what the rock looks like Ramsey explained This summer five additional core holes are planned to obtain the underground information needed The mine shaft is needed to give some Utah shale to test in already operating retorts and also give some spent shale to experiment with in DURING TilE THE single retort phase very little impact is expected about people to start the operation and for a year two operational period Everything is dependent on government help Ramsey stressed If we dont don't get help the project will not go he said Lyle Blanchard manager of offsite engineering for White While WhiteRiver WhiteRiver River Project discussed access road routes into the tract site Only one-fourth one of a mile of road is needed to be built for the demonstration phase 1977 82 The demonstration phase time can be used to plan other roads into the area In conclusion Ramsey stated The problems will be solved but they are not within our reach right now this is the reason for the current pessimism concerning oil shale |