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Show U o rotor Mm Ifod on toTOonElo looeing A 15 year moratorium on federal tar sand leasing has been lifted and the BLM in Utah has been directed to prepare to lease tar sand tracts. Officials are instructed to begin meeting with Utah state and local governments, industry, environmentalists and other parties to determine deter-mine their interest in tar sand development. Baseline data will be collected for expected preparation of an environmental impact statement. state-ment. There are an estimated 30 billion barrels of tar sand oil in the UjS. with about 75 of the resources on federal fed-eral lands - with 90 percent being in Utah. The U.S. Geological Survey Sur-vey will make a formal finding find-ing of designated tar .sand areas within Utah, and the BLM will analyze those areas prior to a decision. The tar sand could provide pro-vide an additional energy source in helping to meet the national goal of 500,000 barrels a day of synthetic fuels by 1987 and two million mil-lion barrels a day by 1992. Areas containing tar sand will be excluded from the simultaneous oil and gas leasing program and from over the counter oil and gas leasing until two months after enactment of H.R.7242 or Congress adjourns. Due to the preparatory work necessary, nec-essary, BLM director for Utah, Gary Wicks, said it will likely be more than a year before any leases can be issued. Five general areas, all in east central and southern Utah are considered the most likely to be involved. They are Asphalt Ridge, Sunny-side, Sunny-side, the Tar Sand Triangle, Circle Cliffs and P.R. Springs -Hill Creek. Any tar sand leasing must be on a limited basis until we gain a better understanding understand-ing of the environmental consequences con-sequences of tar sand development. de-velopment. ' WANTED: Someone totrav-el totrav-el to St. George on Wednesday. Wed-nesday. Could be arranged arrang-ed so you have a couple of hours for temple work or other business. Contact Red at the NEWS, or phone 387-2881. |