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Show Council Approves East Clark Bench As Site For New Kaiparowits Town East Clark Bench received approval as a preferred townsite for the proposed Kaiparowits Power Plant here Thursday. The vote was four to one by members of the Kaiparowits Advisory Council executive committee to recommend the East Clark Bench over the Fourmile Bench site. Voting in favor of the proposal were Fred Harris, representing the Five-County Association of Governments; state Senator Dixie Leavitt of Cedar City; Garth Jones, state representative, Cedar City; and Merrill MacDonald, Kane County Commission chairman Wallace Ott, Garfield County commissioner, voted against the East Clark Bench area State Road Commissioner Clem Church, Panguitch, urged the support of all concerned areas now that a decision has been made. "We will do everything In our power to speed the project and will stand behind the decisions that have been made to organize a good community," he said. Laurie llolley, president of the Cannonville Town Council gives the Four Mile Bench appeal during a meeting of the Kaiparowits w Advisory Council executive committee in Panguitch Thursday. Group approved, by a 4-1 vote, to choose East Clark Bench as townsite. Gov. Calvin L. Rampton had favored the Fourmile Bench townsite, arguing that workers would live in Page, Ariz., if the site were established at East Clark Bench. Council members, however, felt that lower development costs, less environmental impact, availability of water and closer proximity of social services would be realized at the East Clark Bench location. There is no ground water supply at Fourmile Bench, according to Pete Bradley of Kaiser Engineers, the firm which will develop the townsite. The cost of bringing water to the town would be $31.2 million less at the chosen site, he said. A lack of topsoil at the Fourmile location also was a consideration, Bradley said. He estimated it would cost $100 million more to excavate that site because of a lack of topsoil. The advisory council was told that amendments to the clean air act, now being considered by Congress, would have an adverse effect on the Kaiparowits project and others now being considered. If passed, the bill would make more stringent requirements regarding air pollutants. The council passed a resolution opposing the proposed amendments to the Air Quality Act. Jack Carlson, undersecretary in the Department of the Interior, noted that the amendments could effectively kill the Kaiparowits project if passed. He said he would take the findings from Thursday's meeting back to Washington, along with a favorable report on the efforts ot the council to prepare tor the future townsite. |