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Show THE ZEPHYR MAY 1993 PAGE 34 with our ideas. They belong to quite different As Valery said, "Events play are never quite as we expected. species and even when seeming to bear out our preconceptions folks in the Special Services Road Foreright is a dream from which the event wakes us." The District 1 refused to wake up, and in their dream, were insisting in pouring another $114,000 the District Road Board's down the drain. The County Council has no choice but to for cause, and appoint a members authority to handle public money, remove the Road Board new Road Board which can satisfy the legitimate obligations of Special Services Road District 1. feedback ze the readers respond Dear Jim, In the Grand County Council meeting of March 10 the Grand County Special Services Road District 1 representatives and supporters nice again claimed that it is crudal to pursue getting a from BLM for the Book Cliffs Highway route selected by the Board; to protect our investment in getting it; and that abolishing the Road Board's authority would impWil receipt of federal funds by the county. We also heard a new one: that the County Council was a bunch of "nummies" who were abandoning valuable expertise out of ignorance. From where I sit; the Road District's fixation on pursuing the Book Cliffs Highway reveals an unshakable, unrealistic mind set perilous to the public interest. The theory that building a highway over the Book Cliffs would result in economic benefit to Grand County was perfectly legitimate. Many of us had our doubts about it, but wished to see the theory tested. In scoping hearings for the Environmental Impact Statement, we emphasized the need for analysis on the Highway, in order to test the theory that the road would be beneficial overall The Iaft Environmental Impact Statement on the Book Cliffs Highway project found no predictable economic or other benefit from the road which would justify its environmental and for the highway. economic costs. The BLM's intended decision is to deny granting a The vast majority of public input supports that decision. In a meeting with the Grand County Council, the Moab District BLM said it would cost another $114,000 to address all the issues the public identified as not fully dealt with in the DEIS. Information on most issues requiring further and Zephyr. We can confidently study has already been published in the EIS that documented information from further work will strengthen the BLM's case for predict Despite this, the Road Board acts as if only additional investment in the denying a EIS is needed to obtain the Thus, investing more public money in road studies is a waste. Additional investment in the EIS buys the BLM more authority to say "no" to the highway Even if building a paved highway into the Book Cliffs would stimulate extractive industry, y tax revenues and employment, the being pursued by the Road Board is the wrong one for this purpose because: The Geophysical reports done on the alternative Book Cliffs I lighway routes recommended against the route chosen by the Road Board as the worst possible because of instability which will destroy a paved highway. If one examines the location of the hydrocarbon deposits in the Book Cliffs, particularly oil shale and tar sands which may indeed represent a "mineral bank" in the next century, the Book Cliffs Highway is not located to efficiently access these deposits. The Road Board has claimed for years that trying to direct mineral lease money from UDOT to anything but a Special Services Road District could lead to either loss of UDOT funds (some $325,000 per year), or the $310,000 in going to Grand County from BLM. In fact, we were told by Mark Walsh of the Association of Counties in 1988 that some counties (e.g., Summit) never formed a Special Services Road District. The UDOT money went to a Hospital District in one county and a Recreational District in another from the beginning. The UDOT federal mineral lease money counts against the PILT money only if the funds go to the same legal budget entity in a county. The PILT money goes to the county general fond. Therefore, if the mineral lease money goes to any special services district that has separate budget or taxing authority from the county general fund, PILT money is not imperiled. The "nummies" on the Grand County Council checked with various state authorities to be sure of this interpretation. The "experts" with the Road Board never did, did not understand, or did not want to. Thus, the Road Board and administrator insisted on spending funds pursuing their Book Cliffs Highway as a done and desirable deal ignoring researched information demonstrating the project is undoable and undesirable. If this isn't malfeasance in office, I don't know what is. right-of-w- ay right-of-w- cost-bene- Sincerely yours, Lance Christie Moab ay fit right-of-w- Times-Independe- ay nt right-of-wa- y. right-of-wa- y. right-of-wa- y. right-of-wa- -- -- Payment-In-Lieu-of-Tax- right-of-w- Dear Editor Jim, You have failed in your mountain biking venture as a result of several crucial strategic errors. This is a spiritual defeat. First, you must understand that mountain biking is like taking add. (You remember add, after eight hours of bad craziness don't you?) As an advocate explained to me after I took it-I was not enlightene- d- it is necessary to repeat the experience. Again and again. The path to enlightenment is long and arduous. Get back on it. Arc you familiar with the phrase "hiked into the ground? Dave Foreman speaks erf this of our time and the process in regard to Arne Naess, "the most distinguished man behind Deep Ecology." Hiking might work, but note how much quickly you found yours df in intimate contact with the sacred earth as a result of biking. See? Mountain biking is a direct and powerful avenue to close intimacy with the interior of our planet. Perhaps you did not crater enough. Never mind scenic views. You need to get down. This is the route to Deep Ecology. Last, I notice your omission of the most important aspect of mountain biking in the narrative of your failed expedition. Clothing. Clothes make the man, Jim. Consider Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Royal Robbins. Who are these men? Famous adventurers? Deep Ecologists? No, they are wealthy dothing manufacturers. The path to enlightenment leads through the garment district. I am certain you were improperly dressed. Probably wearing some Jewish work clothes like Levis. You need to wear a skin-tigpermeable material, bright as the country you ride through. Lycra, Jim, lycra. For this last and crudal reason, I am sending, in a separate package, a set of recyded lycra. Wear it in good health, and Go For It! and ht es ay Sincerely, Michael P.Cohen Cedar City, Utah Editor's note: Thank you for the fine letter and the lovely used Lycra outfit as well. And too..jny favorite color . Just one question; did you wash this stuff before you mailed it? JS. Dear Jim, A little bit of reporting from the Cafe at Thompson. A Price area Steep and Cattle Company now winter their sheep in Thompson and Sego Canyons. The sheep leave droppings in the ruins of the old town of Sego where coal was mined for the railroad. Also the sheep graze in other areas and the sheepherder has set up camp by the pond where people swim. The water is pure because it comes from the overflow of Thompson water from the tank. The place is high, the area primitive and rocky, and is a popular place for the locals and visitors. The topic of conversation this morning was the dead sheep, rotting now, left by foe bank of the pond. I brought up the question of Giardia and the safety of foe swimmers. Apparently the fence had rotted. Who was to blame and who would remove foe sheep carcass? The herder was no longer there; he was shearing. WHO RULES " WAYNES WORLD?" there's a Deity around here boys ... "If it's me." -- The lime-gree- n K-A-- Goddess Gena feArfe 1 MOVNT-Ar-l 391 S. MAIN ST. N &IKET0UR4 259-74- 23 featuring: or 800-451-11- 33 SALSA - SUNGSHOT - BONTRAGER EAT CHANCE - TREK - SCOTT Wets not worth. |