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Show Emery County Progress Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday October 5, 2004 3A Summit Continued from PAGE 1A. fuel supply. When the price of coal is high and the market is tight, owning your own coal mine provides security and stability. Currently spot coal is about $30 per ton and two years ago it was about $15 a ton. The coal mines provide stable costs not impacted by fluctuations in the hedge market. When coal costs are high the company can ramp up production and reduce purchases when coal prices are down the company can reduce production and buy more coal on the open market to maintain being a low cost power producer. In 1972, Utah Power pur- chased the coal mine, which operated on a room and pillar system. In 1977, the company made a significant investment in coal when it purchased the Deer Creek and WilbergCottonwood coal mines. The WilbergUottonwood Mine produced 40 million tons since its purchase until it ran out of reserves and was closed. The Deer Creek Mine has produced 83 million tons of coal since its percent purchase. Seventy-fiv- e of the coal produced by Deer Creek is utilized by the Hunting-to-n Plant and the other 25 percent is trucked to the Hunter or Carbon plants. In 1992, Trail Mountain was purchased from Arco and the coal was utilized at the Hunter Plant. In 2001, the production ceased at Trail Mountain when additional coal leases couldnt be obtained. Currently the Deer Creek Mine is expanding into the Mill Fork reserves. Reserves in the Deer Creek mine will be exhausted by the middle of 2005. .There are four small Ion gw all panels left in Deer Creek. The Mill Fork reserves will secure a coal supply for the next 5 years. There are tw o seams in the Mill Fork reserve. The development of the first long wall panel in the new resen es began last month. Plans are to invest $70-8- 0 million into this facility over the next five years. Deer Creek will be updating its infrastructure, conveyors, electrical system, water system, computer monitoring and also investing in standard equipment replacement. These expenditures will improve efficiency and safety. Plans are still in the works to open a new portal in Rilda Canyon which will reduce travel distance in the mine 6 miles. Offices and a bathhouse are planned for the proposed Rilda facility. Accessing the new reserves from the Deer Creek side requires 12.5 miles of underground travel. With the new fa 12-1- 5-- cility at Rilda, it will save two hours of travel time per day. The new facility is significant to cut travel time and for the safety of the mine and its workers. It will offer alternate escape ways for workers. Planners of the new facility are optimistic that there will be minimal impact on wildlife and water resources. Extensive studies have been completed and are ongoing to ensure that all envi-ronment- al issues are ad- Hunter plant and it employs 10 people. King reported that PacifiCorp has been heavily involved in o e mine site which demonstrates PacifiCorps commitment to the environment. A 26 acre site has been reclaimed and over 100.000 tons of waste coal was equipment will stay at the Deer Creek facility to .reduce environmental impacts at the new site. Hopefully the new7 facilities will be constructed in the next couple of years King reported. removed from the site and King reported that Trail Mountain might eventually be reopened. Back in 2001 when production stopped, the company couldnt acquire additional leases because of environmental issues. The original issues are still there, said King. The BLMs consultants were concerned that mining a portion of the Cottonwood tract could cause seismic problems for Joes Valley dam and reservoir. Currently a mine plan is being worked on that leaves coal to protect Joes Valley. Reserves there are expected to be lower than originally thought, and the seismic issue is yet to be re- coal from Deer Creek and i optimize generation at the dressed. All maintenance on solved. At the Cottonw ood Coal Processing and Blending Facility, Commission SUFCO and other sources is blended to optimize eoal quality to in turn optimize power plant performance. The blending facility is a key facility to 150.000 cubic yards of material as used in regrading the valley. Also, native vegetation including pinyonjuniper seedlings fun e been planted. We believe that one day ou will never know' a coal mine was there, said King. King spoke of the impact PacifiCorp has on the local economy. In 2003, PacifiCorp payed $11 million in property taxes and other taxes and $7.4 million in coal royalties. They are the largest employer in the county and pay $32 million in w ages per v ear. We are a er in the county and w e recognize our responsibilities. We mine is just a The old road leading to the site at the a acre 26 trail now. PacifiCorp has reclaimed w Des-Bee-Do- ve mine. Old Photos by Corey Bluemel big-pla- appreciate the relationship yye have yvith the Emery County commission, public health department, sheriffs office, public lands department and others. We look fonvard to the future as partners in making Emery County a great place to yyork andliye, said King. PacifiCorp is proud of the reclamation work at the old mine. This photo looks into the canyon where the Des-BeDove mine was located. e- Continued from PAGE 1A. McCandless could help things move in a positive direction. She said that six businesses ha e recently closed in the county and 17 new businesses have recently opened in Carbon County. "We need to keep small businesses here, Earl stressed. We need to stop people from going out of the area to shop. We are closing out our audio department at Earls Furniture and Appliance because we cant buy our items for w'hat sells theirs for. Emery County is a golden opportunity. We need to give financial help to our businesses to make them successful. They just dont have the support they need to succeed. Earl suggested going after money and grants to help our local businesses Wal-Ma- rt tioned as being available to handle such a concert with seating for approximately 2,500 people. With a full house at $20 per ticket the concert could break even. Kofford said the question is if the county w ants to sponsor such an event and spend the money to back up the endeavor. Also, sponsors for the e ent could be obtained. Kofford suggested maybe looking for someone less expensive than 0 Sawyer Brown in the price range. It was also suggested the college be contacted to see how the concerts they have sponsored in the past have been supported. Sharon Earl said, If you put a committee together you could do it, one time we filled the $20,000-25,00- audi-toriu- m with the group the grow. Commissioner Gary Kofford brought up an idea during the citizens concerns. He said the fair board has been kicking around the idea of a name brand entertainer for the county fair for next year. It is an aggressive, adventuresome and also scary idea, said Kofford. The group Sawyer Brown was mentioned as being a ailable for the Friday night of the fair at approximately $45,000. The Spartan Center was the location men- - Knudsen Brothers. Earl also reported that the chamber of commerce is going to have a hiau with Hawaiian dancers and food on one of the fair nights in conjunction with the lamb fry. Earl also said, This is Emery County and people just dont think you can do things like that here (concert), but it can be done Rob Midgely airport manager, mentioned that Sawyer Brown had come to the community of Torrey, and that community is smaller than Emery County. He suggested contacting them and seeing how' successful it w as and how many people attended. Leslie Bolinder, commission secretary, said other counties that have bignanre entertainers at their fairs, add the item to their- fair budgets. If they get the money back OK and if not OK because it has been budgeted. The decision must be made on how much to spend on the Emery County Fair. Commissioner Kofford said one concern he has is the expense of people going to the rodeo and other activities and if the concert would take away from whats already going on. Commissioner Sitterud commented on how well the rodeo did this year and that next year they are looking at obtaining a grant to purchase portable bleachers to accommodate bigger crowds. Midgely reported on the fuel He said that sales at the 3 cents from every gallon of fuel sold will come back to the county from the state. Commissioner Ira Hatch reported on the approval of the grant with the Utah Department - About the BRPT: The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) is an independent nonprofit certification board that seeks to cultivate the highest professional and ethical standards for polysomnographic technologists by providing an internationally recognized credential - the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT). The credential represents the highest standard in the field of polysomd program of its kind. Currently, there nography and is the first are more than 5,000 polysomnographic technologists certified by the BRPT internationally. Additional information can be found at www.brpt.org. NCCA-accredite- For more information about HOSPITAL , call. 435-636-48- 62 also be installed at the airport after the yy idening is completed. The grant obtained by the county is a 9010 match yvith UDOT. It was noted the airport w ill be closed for approximately one month for the improvements and should be operating again by Nov. 15. Nielsons will be laying the asphalt for the airport project. ork-ingo- road and the preliminary road Con-strueti- Commissioner Hatch re- ported that he and Bevan Wilson had attended the joint highn way committee meeting for roads. The county is online to receive $250,000 for location. He said the. commissioners participated in the Peach Days and Melon Days celebrations and there were good crow ds at both ev ents. Green River Mayor Glen Dale Johnson said they are non-urba- t looking at expanding Melon Days next year. Commissioner Kofford said he had attended an open house for the Ferron fire station and another open house has been , planned during fire week on Oct. 8 from 8 p.m. He said it is a . state of the art facility and some-- . thing Ferron and the county can be proud of. Commissioner Sitterud re- ported that the economic summit held in Castle Dale was a big success. Sitterud reported that j the gas plant has sold in Green River and will create 0 good jobs for Green River. The economic development council will .j help with some of the cleanup work to the site. The new boat ramp at Joes alley is being worked on cur-;- J 6-- t 10-2- rently. The next commission meeting is Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. in the commission chambers at the county building. 3 ashion at its bestM Downtown Price Check out our new line of Wayne Woodward with Castleview Hospital has earned the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) credential. This credential marks the highest standard in the field of polysomnography. Waynes achievement of the RPSGT credential represents a commitment to the highest professional and ethical standards for public health and safety. Registered PolysomnographicTechnologists pledge to adhere to the ethical and professional guidelines of the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists Standards of Conduct. By obtaining this credential, Wayne is signifying to the general public, coworkers, employers and other medical practitioners that he has the necessary clinical experience, knowledge and education in sleep technology. With more than 40 million Americans affected by sleep disorders, it is important for patients to seek out sleep clinics that employ Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (RPSGT). The RPSGT credential is a symbol for quality, responsibility and credibility, indicating that the credentialed technologist has a level of experience and competence aligned with an international standard. Castleview Hospitals Sleep Disorder Center, from the Temple Mountain road to Goblin Valley. This is a 5050 match and the county portion of the match w ill come from Emery County Special Sen ice District 1. Hatch also mentioned the improvements to Goblin Valley campn ground. He said they are w the permittingfor the new implements w ill air-por- t. Castleview Sleep Disorder Center Director earns highest sleep technologist credential CASTLEVIEW of Transportation aeronautics division for upgrading the Huntington Municipal Airport. Funds hay e been secured for a grading and drainage project and also w idening. New lighting , Hoodies from. Hurley-Billabon- g Guys & Gals sizes small through extra large Just Arrived - New styles & finishes in Hurley, Silver, Levi, Manager, Roxy, etc. them out. Sizes 1 thru 15 Gals Jeans j |