OCR Text |
Show Opinion and Commentary Express Wednesday, October 15, 1997 K-STRAWS by Jack Wallis i'ka AinnKiM' pop a fpli ow RVTUC MnkICAC CI kWMPl 7 V . Community Newspapers rnmunity newspaper readership bv The paper Association revealed the follow- concerning weekly newspapers: fnational survey found Americans are bd in local community news than any r news. spapers are the primary source of local corn- news in nearly two-thirds of households in ; where community papers are distributed. In 1996, there were 7.915 weekly newspapers with a combined circulation of 81. 6 million. Circulation of weeklies grew 2.4 percent from 1995 and is expected to grow 0.6 percent next year. Weekly newspapers have more than 150 million readers nationwide. 83 percent of community new spaper readers read every issue or almost every issue of their community newspaper. Advertisers spent S4.57 billion on weekly newspapers news-papers in 1996. up 7.5 percent from 1995. That figure is forecast to reach $4.9 billion in 1997. In 1996, consumers spent $432 million on weekly newspapers, up 3.2 percent from 1995. Consumers are expected to spend $437 million in 1997. By 2001, combined advertising and circulation spending on weekly newspapers is projected to reach $6.8 billion. The average price of one copy of a paid weekly newspaper is 41.5 cents. No wonder "You Gotta Be in the Paper." National Pork Since 1972 the National Pork Producers Council has celebrated October as National Pork Month. That's because it traditionally is the time of year when more pork products are available for consumers at the meat-case. meat-case. Approximately 23,000 retail food stores will take part in pork promotions this fall, according to pork council officials. Pork's role for breakfast includes bacon, sausage and ham as the most popular meats. For elegant holiday holi-day dining there is the "Rack of Pork, The Next Tradition." Eighty-six percent of consumers now recognize rec-ognize Pork, The Other White Meat thanks to the pork advertising campaigns. Some interesting facts about the U.S. pork industry included in the promotional program include: Pork is the world's most widely consumed meat. Pork accounts for 40 percent of the world's meat consumption. con-sumption. The U.S. pork industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that employs an estimated 600.000 people. Iowa ranks No. 1 in hog production. Rounding out the top five states are North Carolina, Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana. The No. 1 customer of U.S. pork is Japan, according accord-ing to 1996 USDA data. Rounding out the top five are Mexico. Canada, Russian Federation and Hong Kong. In 1996, the U.S. pork industry exported more than $1 billion worth of pork products. The U.S. pork industry has four trademarked pork cuts: America's Cut, Chef's Prime, Chef's Prime Filet and The Other Burger. Consumer awareness of Pork. The Other White Meat advertising is 86 percent. This is up from 64 percent in 1992. The pork industry goes all out to promote its product. PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR What is your opinion? The Express welcomes letters let-ters from its readers concerning any subject pertinent perti-nent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions as to contents, if not libelous or vindictive and of reasonable length (two typewritten double spaced pages). Letters must be submitted exclusively to the Express and bear the writer's full name, signature, phone number and address. Letters may be mailed, faxed at 789-8690 or through e-mail at editoreas-ilink.com. editoreas-ilink.com. The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on all published letters. All letters let-ters are subject to condensation. Letters express the opinion of the writer and are not necessarily the opinion of the Express Editor. PTA attendance Dear Editor. The last week of September the Ashley PTA had a PTA meeting at Ashley School to meet Superintendent John Gawrys. A school newsletter had been sent home to announce the meeting date and time and signs were put up at the schools. The staff of Ashley School was in attendance. However, only five parents attended the meeting. What does this say about attitudes and interests inter-ests of local people? Superintendent Gawrys was most gracious and spent an hour and a half talking to those attending. He stated he would gladly come again. Parents, I think you can do better than was demonstrated by your absence at that meeting. I think some correct priorities need to be set. Name Withheld on request Have an opinion? Express it in the mm Vephal Expi P.O. Box 1000 editorea8lllnk.com New types of fraud Fraudulent telemarketing of investments is spreading to new fields, announced Mark Griffin, director of Utah's Securities Division - from movie productions to Internet "shopping malls" to snail ranching - these, and the more traditional investment scams, such as pyramid schemes, are all on the rise. Griffin, also president of the North American Securities Administrators Association, joined Federal Trade Commission officials in Washington, to announce a coordinated law-enforcement sweep known as "Project Field of Schemes." The campaign throughout through-out North America, was designed to help slow down investment-related scams that are bilking small investors out of an increasing portion of the estimated $40 billion lost to telemarketing fraud every year. Twenty states and two Canadian Provinces joined in the sweep to bring 59 law enforcement actions against these schemes. "The tactics of investment swindlers are both powerful power-ful and effective," said Griffin. "Their pitch is usually a variation of the kind of claims we hear over and over: guaranteed high income, low risk, a track record of huge profits, and name dropping of respectable organizations organi-zations or people who supposedly are already on board. Our best advice is simple: Don't buy investments over the phone from people you don't know." The proliferation of fraudulent investment telemarketing telemar-keting in America is confirmed by representatives of the National Tape Library, (NTL), a national library of audio tapes of telemarketing calls maintained to assist civic and criminal law enforcement agencies. According to NTL librarian Sally Bailey, "The portion por-tion of tapes attributable to investment schemes have been increasing constantly during the last two years. These schemes are definitely an enormous consumer problem." One case, filed in connection with the sweep, involved two fund raising efforts by Las Vegas companies compa-nies allegedly connected to Utah film producer Lyman an Dayton. In an FTC action filed in Nevada Federal Court, tile ITC claims the firms raised money to fund Dayton film projects by misrepresenting aspects of the investment and Dayton's past achievements. The FTC complaint Mates that the telemarketers told investors that Dayton had won awards which he hadn't; that his past film projects yielded, on average, a fivc-for-onc Enron proposes 96 wells in Chapita Wells Unit Enron Oil and Gas Company is proposing to expand its natural gas operations in the Chapita Wells Unit, 30 miles southeast of Vernal, by drilling 96 additional wells from 1997 to 2001. About 31 of the wells will be drilled this year, with the remaining 65 being drilled over the next four years. A maximum of 40 wells are expected to be drilling during any year. It is anticipated that the development devel-opment objective can be met with a maximum of two drilling rigs operating oper-ating at any one time. The proposed wells would be drilling to depths ranging from 6.000 to 7,100 feet below the surface and would primarily pri-marily be 40-acre infill .locations within the Chapita Wells Unit. "Existing facilities and infrastructure infrastruc-ture would be utilized to the maximum maxi-mum extent possible in order to minimize additional surface disturbance, distur-bance, states the Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA). Drilling time for a Chapita Wells Unit Wasatch well generally varies from 10 to 14 days. The proposed project is solely comprised of the expansion of drilling activities inside the unit. Through May 1997, there were 98 producing, six shut-in or temporarily temporari-ly abandoned and 26 abandoned wells in the Chapita Wells Unit. Currently there are 13 wells within with-in the Unit that are located on Ute Tribal ground. An estimated 18 of the newly proposed wells would be located on Ute Tribal surface with the remainder on Federal or State of Utah surface. The transportation plan for the new wells would maximize use of the existing road network, minimize the number of loop roads, minimize the crossing of steep side slopes, minimize profiles and grades and minimize drainage crossings. In the EA Enron recognized that increased construction and operations-related traffic within the Unit could increase the potential for accidents with recreation-related traffic, particularly along routes accessing Fantasy Canyon and the White River boat takeout. To minimize the potential for vehicular accident Enron has agreed to: Improve sight distance along routes accessing Fantasy Canyon and the White River by implementing implement-ing constriction measure developed in conjunction with the BLM's administrative office. Such measure could include taking out high points on rises and by laying back cut slopes near blind turns. Post signs along routes accessing access-ing Fantasy Canyon and the White River warning motorists of heavy truck traffic. The BLM is taking comments about the adequacy of the analysis of environmental impact until Nov. 10. Comments should be directed to Scott Ellis, 1601 Prospect Parkway, Fort Collins, Colo.. 80525. Short-term visual impacts could occur during drilling operations. Tall drill rigs (derricks), work over rigs, associated equipment and plumes of dust and equipment exhaust could be visible from the White River during the peak floating float-ing season. Noise levels associated with these activities could be perceived per-ceived as a nuisance by boaters on the White River. Construction of nine well sites in proximity to the White River would occur from 1998 to 2001 under the proposed action. Throughout the day most natural gas wells undergo a process called "blowdown," which serves to unload formation water through a small orifice under natural gas pressure pres-sure of approximately 500 pounds per square inch. Such blowdown events would be intermittent and last no longer than 30 seconds, but the loud and sudden noise that accompanies blowdown events could be heard by and or startle nearby recreationists. Produced water blowdown from all producing wells located within half a mile of the While River and Fantasy Canyon, with the exception of the low volume wells, could be discharged directly into a tank. Improvement of this measure, coupled with the screening of gas production facilities in views from these recreational use areas, would serve to completely mitigate nuisance nui-sance noise typically associated with periodic blowdown events, states the DEA. return for investors, when the return was substantially less, or "no profits at all;" and that the fund raisers would raise no more money than a specified amount, which they exceeded by a wide margin, thereby diluting dilut-ing each investor's share of ownership and raising the projects' break -even point." Noted Griffin. "Dayton films are known for their family orientation. This was probably a substantial drawing card for telemarketers, and it demonstrates that no matter how legitimate the subject of the investment may appear, the way that it is sold may be highly illegitimate." Griffin had some udvice for would-be telephone investors; "Decide now how you will reply to all these calls, no matter what the pitch. The best procedure is simply hang up the phone." wm VERNAL Expi (ISSN 0892-1091) d U0 pm y oj o no wit a ltt t y out Ot time ewn US by l Vpi Ctpp! Putw9 CeM"y. M Norm Vmi A"v Uin IMQ't FVxtea pp'3 ( VwtvH man 0B POSTMARK tNt-jo to VtN4. tXttSS. P 0 ftm 10oO. ye" Wa" 0? J;VVt ... PuWV SlPron WiMMI t W Kat" taAMe Mt4 MT Ad") &MH WvfetjKOj Com !" I Cm" Arts VO, tp- tiAK 0c Pxr ?W 35 1 t A f?i wao & U 'p Axtn Nm Mtov ijcy tT AM."4 VcKtotSem Voice of Business Just say nuts to NAAQS by Thomas J. Donohue, President & CEO, U.S. Chamber or Commerce WASHINGTON - Government regulator regula-tor in Washington are trying to ram through some new and unjustified air quality rules that could derail what is today the most prosperous and productive economy in the world. The roles in question arc proposed changes in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that w mil J drastically lower the acceptable limits for oone. a component of smog, and fine particulate matter mat-ter (I'M), or microscopic sool. The Environmental Protection Agency sajs its new rules would cost only billion, while producing much mote in health benefits but the ogency's numbers are cooked. The president's own Council of Economic Advisors says it will cost more than $r0 billion just to meet the new worw standaid. ncscr mind the one for particulate matter. Escn worse, if these rules are allowed to stand, many communities across the country will be forced to impose on residents potentially drastic plans that could raise the cost of transportation, particularly the price of fuel, and prevent many new businesses from opening their doors. There is minimal evidence to show these new rules would have any measurable impact on air quality or on human health. It is yet another regulatory boondoggle in the making a bizarre and totally unnecessary scheme that will drive up consumer prices, force businesses into bankruptcy and strain the resources of state and local governments. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with the American Trucking Associations, the National Coalition of Petroleum Retailers and three small trucking truck-ing firms, has filed suit in federal court for review of the rules. We believe the EPA rules arc a clear violation of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Act. which requires agencies like EPA to analy the impact of their rules on small businesses and units of local government. gov-ernment. When a rule will have a significant economic impact, the agency is supposed to perform a full study and consider less cosily alternatives. The EPA did not do this. At the same time, we are working to persuade Congress to intervene, delaying the effective date of the new rules. Sens. James M. Inhofc. ROkla.. and John B. Breaux. D-La., and Reps. Ron Klink, D Pa., Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Rick Boucher. D-Va.. are rallying support for such legislation. In the House. H.R. 1984 would delay the standards for four years and require EPA to conduct further studies to assure protection of public health., The bill allocates S375 million to do this over the next four year. The measure mea-sure has wide bi-partisan support including Rep. John Dingcll. D-Mich., and the majority of the House Commerce Committee which has jurisdiction over the Clean Air Act. The air in our country is getting cleaner, thanks in large part to hundreds of billions of dollars of Investment Invest-ment by American companies. The task is not complete. com-plete. There's more work to do. But tough, effective standards are already in place. EPA' new rules will force companies as i matter of economic survival to move plants and good jobs out of our country to more hospitable locations. We mut not let this happen, particularly when the rules are based on junk science. POOR |