Show i Oil shale office key to tract development in new ne industry A small but widely widely talented talented team of scientists has a big responsibility in con con- connection with the oil shale industry's developement in Utah and Colorado As shale oil projects progress the group will get high visibility to match The U US So Department of Interiors Interior's Oil Shale office is based in Grand Junction Colo The acting chief is geologist Eric Hoffman deputy manager in the Interior Departments Department's Minerals Management Service The Oil Shale Office takes direct con con- control control of the oil shale leases after they are awarded to companies by the Bureau of Land Management The jurisdiction of the Oil Shale Office so tar far includes tracts a V-a and Vb U-b in Utah leased to the White WhiteRiver WhiteRiver River Shale Oil Corp and tracts C-A C and Cb C-b in Colorado Lease Ca C a belongs to the Rio Blanco project lease Cob C-b belongs to the Cathedral Bluffs project Gulf Oil Co and Standard Oil Co of Indiana are backers of the Rio Blanco project Occidental Petroleum Corp and Tenneco Inc are backers of the Cathedral Bluffs project The companies leasing the four tracts submitted detailed development plans to the oil shale office for approval follow follow- following following ing two years of environmental assess assess- assessment assessment ment work said Hoffman But those plans arent aren't necessarily set setin setin in concrete he added So companies present changes in their plans to the federl feder Shale Oil Environmental Advisory Panel which in turn sends recommendations recommendations to the Oil Shale Office The Panel which met in Vernal last week has performed in an advisory role 4 I 1 vf ia r rY Y a ap p t tY Y S S 4 t i v J Jt t I l t Eric Hoffman took over as chief of the US Oil Shale Office in September from Peter Rutledge who accepted another Interior Department job in Denver fr ft r the Interior Department since February 1974 Weve gone back to the lease terms to assure ourselves that they're ade- ade adequate adequate quate said Hoffman We also keep fairly loose tabs on what industry's do do- doing ing We try to get all the information we can get our hands on II Study done with the four tracts leased so far will enable the Oil Shale Office to have input with the decision to award two leases in Colorado early next year Hoffman said The Oil Shale Office with 14 members is unique he said because of the wide range of people in physical and biological sciences The Oil Shale Office has been enforcing ing lease terms since 1974 Hoffman doesn't know if the office will have that function once the shale oil industry as a whole reaches the production stage Eventually the prototype program will come to a logical conclusion A lot would depend on the ultimate organization tion of the Minerals Management Service he said The Minerals Management Service was created in 1981 from the Conserva- Conserva Conservation Conservation tion of the US Geological Survey Hoffman said the Oil Shale Office is widely known in Colorado because pro pro- projects projects have progressed further than in utah That may change as the White WhiteRiver WhiteRiver River project moves ahead The Oil Shale Office will provide as much information to the for work on an impact statement that will establish regulations for shale oil leasing Hoffman invites public comment The address is North Street Grand Junction Colo Cob The phone number is |