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Show January 1st is the time to assess the past year and to predict the future. 1980 was a year of many starts but few finishes. In fact; most of the headlines of 1980 will be headlines in 1981 - 82 and 83. Now just why editors feel they should analyze the im -portant stories of the past year and make predictions for the next is beyond me. But we suppose that the vacuum vacu-um cieaceti beivfcsn CiiJiit-m CiiJiit-m as and New Years produces few headlines. - 0 - MX was the big story last year and will continue to be, at least In Nevada and Utah for several years. Butwe'll bet that it will be June before it gets the go ahead from the' Reagan Administraton. But even that won't end the controversy, except in Utah and Nevada. Anti-MX'ers will continue to rant and rave long after the fact. But most Utahns and Nevadans will accept the decision, de-cision, and work to mitigate the impact as best they can. And while Governor Matheson will have to eat the MX along with the Weteye bomb, he'll win a lot of federal moneys for the Wasatch Was-atch Front, and forget all about the rural areas that get the impact. 0 - We predict that oil and gas will get a lot of attention in the west desert in 1981. There is speculation that the west desert is an extension of the Overthrust Belt. They may be right, but the reason reas-on wildcatters will zero in on Beaver, Millard and Juab Counties, is to look for oil before MX covers it up and keeps them from exploring. And it will be oil and gas exploration that provides the impact on these rural counties coun-ties in 1981, not IPP and MX. And there won't be any front money, mitigating funds, or anything else. If just one wildcat well comes In, we'll be on a roller coaster bigger than MX and IPP combined. But because of planning for MX and IPP we won't suffer as have other oil and gas boom towns. - 0 - IPP will suffer more delays de-lays and won't start construction con-struction in 1981. In fact, inflation may just postpone post-pone it indefinitely. 0 Phillips Petroleum will start their drilling program early in 1981, and geother-mal geother-mal activity will continue until fall. But there will be delays in starting UP &L's first geothermal power plant. The excuses given will be legitimate enough, but the real reason is that UP&L already has more power plants under construction (Continued on Page 2) f HERE'S MORE ABOUT Just Between You And Me s'Ts "Red" Wilson than they need. They don't want to get into geothermal yet. - 0 R & R. Industries won't get all their government grants and will abandon their plans for a gas-o-hol plant at Sulphurdale. - 0 -Mllford will get the final grant from FmHA and be able to complete the water project. And grants will be completed for the new Industrial Indus-trial park. It's these two projects that will spur growth In Milord for the next few years. - 0 - The hostage situation will be resolved In 1981. But not without difficulty. The Ayatolla will lose power in Iran, and this will determine deter-mine the fate of the hostages. - 0 - The Tigers will begin to get things together by the Round Robin, and will assume as-sume their place as a Region Re-gion 12 basketball power next season. The Beavers will struggle all the way to the 1-A Basketball Bas-ketball finals, but if they don't win the double crown this year, there will be several dry years in both football and basketball. - 0 -Inflation will continue to escalate through 1981, and' unemployment will be widespread wide-spread throughout the country. However, Utah will escape most of the unemployment, unem-ployment, and Beaver County will prosper from economic boosts unrelated to MX. And property values will drop in 1981 in Milford, as speculators tire of waiting for the boom and try to move their property. - 0 - All in all, Beaver County will be a good place to weather we-ather the storm of high inflation in-flation and unemployment. And while we don't anticipate drastic changes, the economy eco-nomy will creep along with slight gains, but few setbacks as there will be nationally. So there you have ye ol' Ed's predictions for 1981. Some you'd find on any list, and others are long shots. Happy .New Year! |
