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Show ition rado By P. Solomon Babida Associated Press DENVER (AP) - A coalition of 10 environmental groups has filed a lawsuit seeking to block a sale next month of oil and gas leases on the Roan Plateau, an area with pristine backcountry that nearby residents, Gov. Bill Ritter and others hope to protect. pro-tect. The lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Denver asks a judge to issue an injunction injunc-tion to stop the Bureau of Land Management from offering the leases in an Aug. 14 auction. About 55,186 acres of public land on the plateau, about 180 miles west of Denver, are up for lease. Of those, roughly 34,000 acres are on top of the plateau, an area considered particularly sensitive by some because of the wildlife habitat, including Utah Rural Summit The 21st Annual Utah Rural Summit is scheduled to take place Aug. 7-8, at the R. Haze Hunter Conference Center on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City. This year's theme is "Energy, Education, Educa-tion, and Environment - Forces Shaping Rural Utah's Economic Future." "Energy development and energy policies - addressing such things as global warming, C02 emissions, and alternative energy ener-gy sources - will have a profound impact on Utah's rural economy," said Wes Curtis, SUU's director of regional services. "The same is true for policies that affect public lands management, and how we educate our rural work force. We are at a critical juncture in how Lake Powell vThe construction cost for the ' Lake Powell Pipeline Project has been recently completed and now stands at $1,064 billion. The updated cost estimate from June 2008 represents a good faith "snapshot in time," according accord-ing to state water officials. "Costs have risen sharply over the past several years, as they have for similar major construction construc-tion projects nationwide," said Utah Division of Water Resources Resourc-es Director Dennis Strong. The division is in charge of the pipeline development. Major factors in cost escalation include the cost of fuel, steel prices, other material prices and construction costs. Training That Works! ' 1 . v v '5 ... n- V-1 "i files lawsuit over gas drilling plan streams that are home to genetically geneti-cally pure native cutthroat trout dating to the last ice age. Environmentalists call it an "anchor" for mule deer and elk that spend summers there before venturing out during the winter. Hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts have opposed op-posed the BLM's management plan, which the lawsuit said could result in more than 3,000 wells on the plateau's top. Ritter's administration developed an alternate al-ternate plan that recommended more restrictions on drilling and phasing in leases rather than offering them all at once. "The public's call for an ecologically eco-logically sensitive approach to development of the Roan Plateau fell on deaf ears," the lawsuit said. A BLM spokeswoman said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. Oil and gas we address these issues." Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert will open the conference with a welcome wel-come address on Aug. 7. Dianne R. Nielson, energy adviser ad-viser for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., will discuss address the conference confer-ence on such things as the Western West-ern Climate Initiative, Utah wind and geothermal projects, and the findings of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Energy. Richard E. Kendall, who retired re-tired in December as the state's higher education commissioner, will address education challenges facing rural Utah during the Aug. 8 morning keynote address. Kelly Matthews, Wells Fargo's chief economist, will conclude the summit Friday afternoon with an economic forecast for Utah and Pipeline will cost $1 billion 'According to MWH Americas Inc., the preliminary engineering consultant on the project, the updated cost opinion is based on construction of the pipeline, an intake pump station, four booster pump stations, two regulating tanks, seven hydropower facilities fa-cilities and associated reservoirs, and power transmission lines. Because projects of this size take years to design, review and construct, cost opinions are frequently fre-quently reviewed and adjusted to represent current conditions. "Our goal is to maintain an optimal engineering and construction con-struction schedule to minimize the effects of inflation," Strong said. i ) ill , .: ', .. (P SOI "LJ lUI I I DI3NJG 1 1 il BASIN'S FUTUK 1968 'HMMh Vernal industry group Americans for American Energy said there's enough natural gas in the plateau pla-teau to heat more than 4 million homes for 25 years and provide $1 billion in tax revenue. "The public is being sold on this idea that if we slow down oil and gas development, that would allow renewable energy to take hold and we would soon wake up to this rosy renewable energy future," said Ken Wonstolen, legal counsel for industry group the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. As-sociation. "That totally ignores the scale of our energy economy and the time it would take to displace" fossil fuels. Steve Torbit of the National Wildlife Federation, one of the groups suing the BLM, said the area has survived the effects of humans because it was protected by its designation as the Naval Oil Shale Reserve. A 1997 law transferring that land from the slated for the nation. In addition to Nielson, Kendall Kend-all and Matthews, other speakers will include Matt Crow, deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Ad-ministration, and Jeff Packer, chairman of the Utah Rural Development Council. Crow's remarks will focus on rural and regional economic competitiveness, while Packer will report on the activities of the Governor's Rural Partnership Board. Breakout sessions will focus on Utah water issues, agriculture, agricul-ture, population demographics and public lands use, leadership training, regional planning and community planning assistance, tourism, conflict management, . The project involves approximately approxi-mately 139 miles of pipeline from Lake Powell to Sand Hollow Reservoir and an additional 35 miles of pipeline from Sand Hollow Reservoir to Cedar City. Pumping facilities at Lake Powell Pow-ell near Glen Canyon Dam and booster pumping stations along the alignment will lift water over the highest point. Hydroelectric generating facilities will capture the power of that water as it flows from the high point to Sand Hollow Reservoir. The hydropower will help defray project costs. When complete in 2020, the Lake Powell Pipeline is expected to provide Southern' Utah resi i j years of- - 2008 Express Department of Energy to the Interior Department directed that the area's energy resources be developed, BLM officials have said. Federal officials have said the management plan opening some of the public land to leasing was seven years in the making and is one of the most restrictive ever approved by the BLM. "It's an area that has not felt the impact of 20th and 21st century man," Torbit said, adding add-ing that the federation is not against developing the resources. "When the government decided to open it up for development, we asked for special consideration, consider-ation, creative management and thoughtful balance. "I don't think this decision was made in the state office in Denver, I think this decision was made in Washington, D.C." Jim Angell, managing attorney attor-ney for the Colorado Earthjus-tice Earthjus-tice office, said the oil and gas industry doesn't have enough equipment and manpower to develop what is already leased. "What's the hurry to get all this leased now?" Angell said. "I think that the Bush administration administra-tion is going to be leaving in a few months has something to do with it." Aug. 7-8 recreation, and economic development. devel-opment. Research presentations will include findings from the Utah State University socioeconomic study on Utah's economy, watershed wa-tershed management, livestock grazing, impact of off-highway vehicles, and tourism - the most comprehensive study of this type in the history of the state. In addition to SUU's sponsorship, sponsor-ship, the summit is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ag-riculture, Rural Development. Corporate sponsors include Cedar City's Econo Lodge and Quality Inn. Registration cost for the summit is $99. To register, call 435-586-5455 or visit utahreach. orgurs. to construct dents with unparalleled water supply security. "Our customers - those here today and our children and grandchildren who come after us - have a right to expect high quality water to flow. This project ensures that outcome," Strong said. r See us for all your insurance needs: OILFIELD BUSINESSCOMMERCIAL BONDS HOME AUTO LIFEHEALTH SEE US AT OUR COMBINED 3 Leavitt Group 205. 1 ?8i-oooo Insurance Agency of Vernal wwK.vernaiiitsurtiict.com Wednesday, Utah names director of coal mine safety Utah Labor Commissioner Sherrie Hayashi has named Garth J. Nielsen of Helper, as director of the state's new Office of Coal Mine Safety (OCMS). The OCMS was established at the recommendation of the Utah Mine Safety Commission, appointed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Hunts-man Jr. Huntsman appointed the commission following the Crandall Canyon Mine Disaster in 2007 where six mine workers and three rescue workers died. The OCMS exists to maximize coal mine safety, prevent coal mine accidents, and provide for effective coal mine accident response. Nielsen has been employed in the mining industry for over 35 years, most recently as director of mine development at Interwest Mining. At Interwest, Nielsen was responsible for recruiting, hiring and training employees. Throughout his mining career, ca-reer, Nielsen has had vast experience ex-perience in both ground control Firefighter hurt battling wildland blaze in ANF ByBedttLesw Uintah Basin News Service A wildland firefighter suffered minor injuries Wednesday while working on the Mill Hollow fire in Duchesne County. U.S. Forest Service fire information infor-mation officer Venetia Gempler, in a press release, said the man was injured in a fall. He was transported by helicopter to University Uni-versity of Utah Medical Center, where he was held overnight for observation and released. Fire officials did not release the man's name. "Safety of our firefighters and the public is our number one priority," said Kraig Carroll, safety officer with the Great Basin Wildland Fire Use Team. "Any time any of our people are injured we take it very seriously. The firefighter's injuries had the potential to be very serious and that is how we responded." The Great Basin Wildland Fire Use Management Team assumed as-sumed control of fire operations from Ashley National Forest personnel Thursday morning. The Mill Hollow fire has tf 1:? Vernal's finest Independent Insurance Agencies, t Schafermeyer-Leavitt b Service Insurance of Vernal are now at one location: 205 North Vernal Ave. The Uintah Basin can now enjoy professional insurance services from the largest and most experienced insurance team in eastern Utah. A5 and underground construction, which included longwall production produc-tion and supervision. "Garth's strong commitment commit-ment to mining safety is evident through his valuable experience with developing and implementing implement-ing numerous company safety plans covering all aspects of coal mining operations throughout his career," Hayashi said. "He is also experienced in working with mandates and criteria of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which will be integral with this position. His qualifications and experience bring great leadership and balance bal-ance to his position as Utah's first director of the Office of Coal Mine Safety." As director, Nielsen will be responsible for monitoring mine safety in Utah and will act as the state's liaison with MSHA as well. To contact the Office of Coal Mine Safety, call 1-888-988-6463. been burning since June 23 in the south unit of the Ashley National Forest about 15 miles north of Helper. It was sparked by lightning and has grown to 689 acres. Crews spent last week working on the eastern flank of the fire to keep it out of the Flat Ridge Spring drainage. The Forest Service is usingthe fire, which is burning largely in stands of beetle-killed Douglas fir trees, for "resource management" manage-ment" to reduce dangerous fuel loads in the Mill Hollow area. The blaze also is burning stands of sub-alpine fir, aspen, pinion juniper and sagebrush. "It's doing good stuff out there," said Ashley National Forest spokesman LouisHaynes. "It's low intensity; getting the beetle-kill taken care of for us so far." The Forest Service has issued road and trail closures east and north of Cat's Peak, including-.-Forest System roads No. 081, No. 074, and No. 076; and Forest For-est Service Trail No. 082. The Reservation Ridge Road has been reopened. As of Sunday night, 118 firefighters fire-fighters were assigned to the blaze. LOCATION July 23, 2008 - . |