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Show niiiniiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiniiinniii niiuiimiiiiuiiii iiiiimiiiiuiiiiiiiiini uuiihiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuihiiiii. Western Resources WRAP-UP 1 1 n it i : i n n i j i j j r 1 1 1 1 1 m f 1 1 m 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 u 1 1 n j s s J j m u 1 1 n 1 1 1 1 1 1 m ; m t i r : : : : s s : : i u 1 1 1 1 u 1 1 m i u m lllllllllllillllllllllil"":-- CUP bill progress By Helene C. Monberg, Vernal Express, Washington, D.C. correspondent The House bill (HR 3960) raising the ceiling on the Colorado river Storage Project to complete the $1.3 billion Central Utah Project (CUP) is moving in the House. Chairman Morris K. Udall, D-Ariz., of the House Interior Committee on Sept 25 sent a letter to the House Rules Committee asking for a rule to bring the CUP bill to the House for debate. de-bate. The bill is sponsored by the three-member three-member Utah House delegation, Reps. Wayne Owens, D, Howard D. Nielson, R, and James V. Hansen, R. It cleared the House Interior Committee on Aug. 1, and the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee reported on the fish and wildlife features of the bill on Sept. 13. The House Rules Committee is expected to act on Udall 's request directly. The Senate CUP bill (S 2969) currently cur-rently is hung up in Committee. It was not included in the big omnibus water bill (HR 2567) which was reported re-ported out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on ScpL 19, largely because it has reclamation reform tied to it. Several Utah and other Congressional sources told Western Resources Wrap-up (WRW) in midweek mid-week Sen. Jake Gam, R-Utah, is attempting at-tempting to get reclamation rcfoin. stripped from the Senate bill, so that it might be added to the omnibus water bill now awaiting Senate action. ac-tion. To date, the leadership of the Senate Energy panel, including Chairman Bill Bradley, D-NJ., of the Senate Water and Power Subcommittee, has no plans to bring up CUP in full committee without reclamation reform, WRW was informed in-formed on Sept. 26. The Senate CUP bill is caught in a crossfire between Sen. James A. McClure, R-Idaho, the retiring ranking rank-ing Republican on the Senate Committee who opposes reclamation reclama-tion reform, and Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., of the House Water and Power Resources Subcommittee, the most ardent advocate ad-vocate of reclamation reform in Congress. Reclamation reform was added to the Senate CUP bill by Utah's GOP Senators, Garn and Orrin G. Hatch, as a concession to Miller. But McClure won't bend in his opposition opposi-tion to the reclamation reform provisions pro-visions sought by Miller. Miller put thru the House by voice vote on June 14 a reclamation reform re-form package preventing large landholders land-holders from receiving subsidized water from the Bureau of Reclamation. Another problem for the Senate CUP bill is its cost. Reclamation Commissioner Dennis B. Underwood testified before Bradley's Subcommittee on Sept. 18 the proposed work on CUP would cost "at a minimum $679 million in additional federal funding," fund-ing," mainly to construct the irrigation, irriga-tion, drainage and other municipal water features of the CUP Bonneville Unit serving the Salt Lake City area, and $240 million to settle the water rights claims of the Northern Utc Indians of Eastern Utah. These Administration CUP cost estimates totaling $919 million are considerably higher than the $679,854,000 estimates by CUP backers and the Utah Congressional delegation, who note the latest version ver-sion of CUP provides for 35 percent cost-sharing by state and local interests. inter-ests. Garn is particularly upset about Bush Administration opposition to CUP, on which he was notified only the night before the CUP hearing, he testified on Sept. 18. Special education records to be destroyed The confidential special education records of students graduating from high school or discontinuing special education before 1985 will be destroyed after Nov. 1. In accordance with federal statutes, these records are kept for a minimum of five years after completion com-pletion of the student's special education edu-cation program. Unless otherwise requested by parents, guardians or former student of legal age, special education record from before 1985 will be destroyed after Nov. 1, 1990. Several reasons exist for destroying destroy-ing the records. Foremost is the storage program that would be created cre-ated by keeping such bulky records indefinitely. Another reason is the need to maintain confidentiality when continued existence of the outdated records serves little or no logical purpose. Finally, even for person with legitimate legit-imate interests in the student's status, sta-tus, such outdated records may be potentially misleading when considering consid-ering current functioning. Parents, guardians and former students stu-dents of legal age may request copies of any special education records on file. Anyone with questions ques-tions regarding this policy and its implementation may contact Mary Swanson at the Uintah School District Office, 789-0020. Vernal Expre Wednesday, Oct. 3. 1990 7 flndusttiry gives reason for sDnairp gas price fincu'eases Since the invasion of Kuwait, Aug. 2, the price of gasoline and oil has been climbing. About a week and half ago, Saddam Hussein threatened to blow up Saudi Arabia petroleum wells if military action were to occur. The price of crude oil jumped to $40 a barrel. In order to understand the rising prices, the situation must be explained according to the oil industry. First, around the first of July, oil was about $15 per barrel. The average aver-age cost of gasoline in Utah was 'around $1.05. Then late in July the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) ministers minis-ters held a meeting to increase the price of oil per barrel to $22. The price of gasoline was beginning begin-ning to increase before the Middle East situation and the United States was on a shortage. But with the invasion, the world market became scared and the U.S. feared an additional addi-tional shortage of oil. Prices climbed. Many people questioned why the prices at the pump climbed immediately immedi-ately after a crisis in the Middle East. Speculation was that it takes weeks for oil purchased there to reach U.S. shores. According to the Texaco affiliation, it is explained as follows. "Most crude oil is bought and sold under contract. These contracts typ ically specify that the price will be based on the prevailing market price at the time it is received by the buyer, not when it is shipped. Therefore, oil shipped from a Middle East port weeks ago, and arriving at a U.S. port today, is most often paid for at today's market prices." A representative from the Utah Petroleum Association (UPA) said that retailers in Salt Lake City have storage capacity for approximately two to five days, and there is less in refineries. There is no storage room for oil and companies buy in advance to keep demand in stock. Oil prices will continue to fluxu-ate fluxu-ate as the world market buys and sells said a representative for the American Petroleum Institute (API). UPA said that what most people don't realize is that consumers are not paying the full price of what oil is costing. One barrel is 42 gallons and for each dollar per barrel companies com-panies pay slightly under 2.5 cents per dollar. So if one barrel was $22 at 2.5 cents then there is an additional addi-tional 55 cents in feed stock, not including transportation and refining, refin-ing, add this to the average cost before the crisis and consumers should be paying $1.60 now. What does all this mean to the Uintah Basin? People can only make educated guesses as to what could happen. UPA speculates that if the prices become stable, then the Basin economy econ-omy could . increase substantially. Owner's royalty will increase and the producer will get a better price. API says that they have a predicted 10-20 price increase in production for the Basin in 1991. As one retailer retail-er said, "Vernal doesn't know how good it could get if prices were to continue to increase. This could be real positive for Vernal." UPA states, "No one will come if the price isn't stable. It is still more expensive to drill in the Uintah Basin than somewhere else. Until companies are quite sure of their investments, they won't come and explore." API has said there has been no influx of permits to drill and credits 1 this to the expense. But if the prices stabilize there are new techniques of horizontal drilling that can be economically eco-nomically feasible for this area. Consumers will probably continue to buy gasoline and retailers will continue to sell. "A lot of people on the retail end have no idea when the price of gas will stop going up and what prices will do. We take the blunt of it and I don't blame the consumer," said one retailer. The Uintah Basin can't have both. If prices drop, the economy might not increase. If the prices become stable and continue to increase, so could the economy. Moon Lake to absorb rate increase Beginning Oct 1, the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) implemented a 46 percent rate increase to its wholesale customers. cus-tomers. Moon Lake Elcctric's wholesale purchases furnished by Western represent a significant amount of the power used by Moon Lake's consumers, but only account for a small portion of the Cooperative's overall power costs due to the low cost of hydro electric energy. The good news to Moon Lake Electric consumers is that the Association's financial position enables the increase to be absorbed by Moon Lake rather than being passed on to consumers in the form of a rate increase. Moon Lake Electric General Manager, Grant J. Earl, stated that, 'The Association is very sensitive to any upward adjustments in its power costs, especially those which' have the possibility of creating financial hardships among the Cooperative's membership." Moon Lake has known for some time that Western would seek a rate adjustment adjust-ment the latter part of 1990. Western's problems surfaced as the region began to experience long-term long-term drought resulting in less power production at Western's facilities. In addition, Western has had to upgrade existing power facilities and also conduct environmental assessment studies, both of which have added greatly to their on going operating expenses. Moon Lake is currently developing develop-ing operating budgets for 1991, and it is anticipated that current rates will be sufficient to provide adequate ade-quate revenues. Wildlife preserves proposed A group of Utah Citizen and organizations orga-nizations such as the Utah Wilderness Asstx'iaiion arc proposing propos-ing two wildlife preserves in Utah. The preserves arc the former High Uinus Primitive Area and City Creek Canyon cast of Salt Cake City. A report. Wildlife Preserves in Utah, prepared by tlic Non-consumptive Wildhfc Group of Utah, is part of an attempt to broaden wildlife management priorities M include the intrinsic and ixm -consumptive values tif wildlife, father than the traditional emphasis on harvest or tale. Proteviion tf i!J!ife, predators and nun pamc animals, would be hi highest management priority in the preserve. Non consumptive, aUh.iMc" wiM!;fc fncpfaro vkni.M rjiij!avi?ej. Nil hunting, tt.ippnp. punml, lviit:np, tiering w ti.-u.iv.tv.cm i4 any Kind would be a"n-cd m t!c jtr-rms. AU jproei would ptntrtlfd, f ;:.!:. if the if ft. .'.fx C'-n U'.i (t-xutint, itttU;.!.ng no:rx, f.K (as( iw, ) fc i.tt ! i: si r;h m I i-J.ir.g V.d r :cd ha t would be stopped and a effort would be made to allow native fish populations to recover and develop. The group projects that providing the areas will increase the age, size and number of hunted species populations. popu-lations. The preserves could act as a cushion against periodic over-harvest of some species due to imprecision impreci-sion in harvest management, sponsors spon-sors of the proposal suggest. The area in the old Primitive Area includes 247.000 acres of US Forest Service lands. The Ciiy Creek drainage area is about 15,(XQ acres of National Forest lands and Salt Laie City. It is opctied that the resents w ill increase wiL'Nfe, rvpulaSions and t!l a!) provide excellent opportunities opportu-nities fof Ue people tf t'tih to vcw IMUiifC. $i;-ponefS of l!iC pmjvr.il Jinnl iii Sun Kivcr Game Reserve uJiin IhC Mi ManJ-.all Wilderness Atc4 in M.-r.ur-i, c-u!!;-.5ird in 1911, is fi.n ; .e ( how ptr-x-fvc mould he mapped and ohat K-ne-f.'.i t,m t Oprtlrd, Ik rc--rrvc las tr.r fi.w 4 tvr.liPg hy pfpvidii hsir.ul '3 ;rtr!.;S of impitunl f.vr.c V'C tp.i.i!.tjf of hunt ing opportunities in the regions surrounding sur-rounding the reserve is excellent because of the protection and security secu-rity afforded to big game within the reserve. 1 ' 3 MONTH ckJ bassctl mix needs twrr.o How "bout yours? Cal Iho Animal Control ClicllCf Ot 700 SC0 1. SPECIAL PKEPUULICATION SALE X t. ) ( in; - X,, -II- jp-" 6 t ii JWfH-i- - Ml n 7 VTRNU TAPFPSACU 4 Si Fe'e?te Go against Ihe grain. Cut down on salt. JUj.rvj Mi 10 ymjf tood touM hi,! ye.vs from rKv'? fcal cc"-.;:.!ju'os o h-jh ;!.xvj pfC".'MJf(, a con- r? : on V z vh tc -. yr(;r t-.k c-l h-p.rt C '-f "o.?. c3 -( r I . J if-" for Uintah County Attorney The candidate with extensive experience in criminal and civil trial work. Experience & Qualifications: D.A. University of Utah in Political Science & Economics, 1982. Low Decree, Northwestern School of Low, Lewis & Clotk Coilccc Portland, Oregon 19SG. Private law practice in Vernal for the last 3 12 years. former Special Prosecutor for the Uintah County Attorneys office - felony & misdemeanors. Local counsel for the Uintah County Sheriff's office, Utah Local Governments Insurance Trust & Uintah County Pea J Dept. employees. Law clerk Utah Energy office & Utah Altcrncy General's office, Natural Resource Division, Counsel to numerous local individuals & small businesses. Experience & Leadership to end the Legal Stalemate in County Government ha Ver-al ire C :'-' O- C, , ) AmoHconHoorl ' A,;ocia?ion |