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Show SALT FLAT NEWS JANUARY 1971 M 1VU 5 oss Discloses Federal Insight to (Editors note: Sen. Frank E. Moss, recently granted the Salt Flat News a lengthy interview. What follows is a D-Uta- h, portion of that interview dealing with the area of western Utah and, in particular, the salt flats. While realizing Sen. Moss is but one member of Congress, we feel his comments will show to the reader the relationship of federal actions to the vast area of western Utah. In addition to me many committees and subcommittees of which he is d member or chairman, ranging from the Commerce Committee to the Committee on Aging, Sen. Moss is a member of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, vice chairman of the subcommittee on energy, natural resources and the environment and chairman of the subcommittee on minerals, materials and fuels.) NEWS: Will the Great Salt Lake deiert be utilized as a dry land recovery site for manned space craft as proposed in a study prepared by the Department of Labor Security, Economic Research Division, in 1962? SEN. MOSS: Well I certainly hope so and I believe it offers the best area really available in the United States. Going back several years, Ive known of the study conducted by NASA and by the military to determine where there might be a suitable corridor end a wide enough area for land recovery of space aircraft, and the most promising of any area seems to be this corridor out here in western Utah and eastern Nevada where we have a vast open area for recovery. So, I believe that this is coming. Ive thought for a long time we couldnt continue to always land in the ocean. Were going to have to find a land recovery area. Sd this is not but only suitable terrain-wise- , its close enough to other trans-- " portation means and city areas' that it seems to me ideal. SEN MOSS: Its true New Mexico was also considered as an alternate site. One principal problem, or at least one thing which was a variation, was that White Sands lies closer to the external border of the United States, and therefore by misdirection, we might land outside of the United States. Now, Mexico is a friendly country and at the present time theres no reason to believe it would pose any problem. But at least it would be simpler if the recovery would be entirely within the United States. NEWS: You say youve dismissed this with certain parties in the Air Force. Has anything conclusive been decided or is it still pretty much up in the air? SEN. MOSS: It, too, is still in the study stage, which means there hasnt been a decision on it. But the degree of detail used in talking about it indicated it had very serious study. What is being done to the protect ecological balance of NEWS: the salt flats from commercial exploitation? There have been some problems in relation to the water table of the salt flats. NEWS: How soon do you think any work will be done on development of this area in Utah? SEN. MOSS: I really dont SEN. MOSS: WeU, Im afraid that not enough attention has been given to the ecological , very well. (Since the interview was conducted, Air Force officials have made disclosures of the study for a land recovery area salt al tionEd .) you cited? SEN. MOSS: Theres a study which I became conscious of about four or five years ago and it was conducted by the space agency and the military. NEWS: We have heard White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico was also being considered. of these things we dont know and we ought to know if we can find them out. the aerial testing of nerve gas at nearby Dugway. The Army, while not admitting blame, compensated sheep owners for their loss-E- d.) NEWS: How informed is Presi- dent Nixon on the affairs of Dugway Proving Ground? SEN. MOSS: My guess would be very little. I dont believe much is being said about the Dugway mission. Of course, the NEWS: Are you kept well informed personally on what occurs at Dugway? President did approve the policy of terminating all biological warfare but we still have chemical experimentation going on. I doubt the President is very well informed on it. SEN. MOSS: I can go out and they will disclose information to jme. I have that clearance. But I have so many other assignments don't get to Dugway very NEWS: A reference has been made to the disease tagged VEE being endemic to the state of Utah. If, as alleged, the condition was a direct result of testing at Dugway, why is this allowed to happen if the state iEWS: In the event of the resumption of open air testing, balance out on the salt flats. The mining that is going on with the drainage ditches and the carrying of water through these ditches undoubtedly has disturbed the balance a considerable degree in the salt flats area. The federal government, which is the owner of most of the land, and the state ought to be making a very serious effort to determine whether this is causing deterioration and will bring on damage to the salt cover and the use that is being made of it largely as a testing area or a record testing area for land is iften. SEN. MOSS: I suppose its ignorance and lack of information. We don't hear about it. We dont get any kind of public reports on it. Consequently, its ignored. There ought to be a full dis- semination of information. NEWS: NEWS: What is the status of having commercial aircraft use Wendover Air Force Base? NEWS: The Great Salt Lake until recently has been considered a geologic white elephant in the eyes of researchers. Would you favor a research task force set up similar to the International Geophysical Year (IGY) with a mission to study the Great Salt Lake for the benefit of scientific knowledge and economic management? SEN. MOSS: Weve also had a lot of discussion on this problem. This now appears to be a possibility, a better possibility than weve had for some time. The runways and the aprons and the other portions of the airport have remained in remarkably good condition at Wendover. Of course, its used off and on by the military for various exercises. Theres even talk of increased military use. Were placing a center out there now. I think what we ought to do, and I certainly have advocated this before, is to have civilian use along with military. Theres no reason the civilians and the military could not both use the airport and certainly it offers an alternate field for times when the weather is bad in the Salt Lake Valley or on the West Coast. Wendover is nearly always in a good, clear weather situation and is most valuable as an alternate. SEN. MOSS: I would welcome such a study. The Great Salt Lake is unique. Its the only thing like it in the Western Hemisphere and I guess the only other lake similar to it is the Dead Sea in Israel. I would like to see a full and complete ' scientific study of the lake and all of the ecologic and geologic circumstances that surround that body of water. Were beginning to exploit the brines of the lake to quite a high degree and we ought to be able to project to know what this is going to bring to the lake. Are we really going to dry it up or will the what controls or protection do Utahns have from such fallout? directly affected? speed. - NEWS: What was the study that lake stabilize at some point? All have any information on which to base it, but I have a feeling theres quite a bit of pressure on to develop a land recovery system and therefore I would hope there would be some firm decision made shortly so that we could try land recovery. The Soviets seem to do land recovery semi-offici- s Would you be in favor of such dissemination? SEN. MOSS: Yes, I would. I feel that the military owes people a full disclosure of all the facts and the only excuse there is might be a strategic matter in making a disclosure to a potential enemy, and I cant say that the spread of a disease would be that at all. 1 certainly do not excuse the military for its policy of hushing up and keeping classified a lot of information. We had that problem on the sheep kill a couple of years ago. The real problem is to get SEN. MOSS: The Public Health Service and other federal agencies, in addition to the military, agreed upon some criteria for protection so there would not be another occurrence similar to what happened on the sheep kill. The military has some very strict rules laid down as to the type of day and the weather conditions and things are certainly much better than they were before. Whether theyre strict enough or not I dont know, but they have at least .been approved by the Public Health Service and so Ill just have to rely on them at this point. NEWS: What have you been able to do to assist the Indians in Western Utah? SEN. MOSS: I've been able to do some work on the schools out there. They have a father unique problem, the Goshutes, in that theyre right on the state line. Some of them are residents of Utah but a larger number of them are residents of Nevada. We have tried to work out the problem by bringing the students to one school, which would have more adequate facilities and teaching staff. We did get some agreements worked out which will improve the situation somewhat. Im sure it needs further improvement, but at least weve made some progress for the Goshutes. the military to admit what happened, even to disclose what occurred. And steadfastly to the end they kept insisting they were not responsible for the ieath of the sheep. . . (The sheep kill referred to was the death of about sixty-fou- r hundred sheep in Skull Valley, which was allegedly caused ay T MEWS Photo by H. Lauflhnor |