Show Federal funds needed for fr basin development Uintah County Commissioners Commissioners Commissioners Com Com- missioners Vernal City Council Uintah School Board and nd in fact many of the people Of or the Uintah Basin are taking a hard look at the early costs Involved for the oil shale development to be prepared for foran foran an influx of construction workers and permanent employees em em- L ESTIMATING THE TilE front end cost and who should pay the bill very important to everyone A look at some of the front end cost estimates just to get et a perspective has been made by bythe bythe bythe the Uintah Basin Energy yo Planning Council The estimates for roads and bridges to the oil shale tracts is isten isten isten ten to fifteen million dollars The new schools needed will be beat beat beat at least ten million Adding to or construction of new sewer and water facilities will be ten million There is no estimate available as yet for engineering and planning of new or expanded expanded expanded ex ex- communities A total front-end front cost of oC forty Corty million dollars is a reasonable estimate and is comparable to cost figures being used by the Federal Office of Management of the Budget The costs are indeed large but so can the return benefits to the communities the state and the na nation lion when oil from the shale is flowing from the Uintah Basin to other parts of the nation for their use TIlE THE DECISION to lease oil shale land and create an anoil oil shale industry in the Uintah Basin was' was wasa a federal action taken after the Department of Interior determined it was Inthe in inthe inthe the Na National interest to do so The Federal government therefore should carry Its fair Cair share of the costs We are a self self- reliant people used to taking care of our own problems and insist on being in the responsible responsible responsible sible position of making decisions affecting our own future This does docs not mean that Federal Assistance should be refused the Energy Council maintains TIlE THE OVERALL Economic Development Plan for forthe forthe forthe the basin is a plan that assembles the projects the local people decide they need and want and in the sequence that t they dictate The preparation of an Overall Economic Development Plan has been underwritten by Uintah County Vernal City and the Uintah School District Each entity has agreed to share equally in paying for professional planning f for r preparations of an overall economic development plan The total County plan will then be combined with the Duchesne Co County nty and Daggett County and hopefully the Ute Tribe The combined plans will comprise the for the Uintah Basin The plan will set up a district board boar comprised of at least 51 Continued on Page 1 16 I Federal funds needed Continued from Page 1 percent local elected officials a representative of industry I business professions finance union underemployed and a minority group and will te De called the Uintah Basin Economic Development District Board TilE THE TOTAL plan can then be submitted to the Economic Development Administration If approved the district would have official EDA status and be eligible for forr federal funds to assist in financing the projects described or inventoried in the Overall Economic Development Develop Develop- ment Plan Much public input has already been received at the Uintah Basin Energy Planning Council Office Uintah r County Building Vernal Duchesne County is updating their inventory of projects received from pu public lic and local government input Uintah and Daggett County do donot donot donot not presently have an so sopia pia plans ns must be assembled A designated EDA district makes the district eligible for Federal funds that are not available to c counties pot not in a qualified district kl 1121 III |