Show Lloyd Comments On Bureau Action In hi Oil Shale A new tack steered by the Interior Department will delay delay de dc- de- de la lay for at least several additional additional addi addi- months the opening of or western oil shale lands according according ac ac- ac cording to Rep Sherman P. P Lloyd Utah It-Utah MR lUR LLOYD said the Bureau Bureau Bureau Bur Bur- eau of or Land Management 1 had prepared a draft of proposed regulations governing oil shale leasing on the public domain But the Secretary of the Interior Interior In In- declined to issue the proposed new rules for comment com corn ment Mr 11 Lloyd said Instead the secretary has called for public comment on oil shale development by Feb 1 without reference to any specific specific specific proposal UNDER T THAT AT approach Interior Department regulations regular regula g a- a Hons cant can't be published Until after the Ute Feb 1 deadline for lor comments BLOT I officials had hoped their proposed n s s s' could be exposed for public scrutiny in the late summer or early fall Industry comment comment com com- corn ment would then have been solicited and regulations redrafted redrafted redrafted re re- re- re drafted to permit sigl signing of leases early m in 1964 WE WI WILL be at least several several several sev sev- eral months behind that schedule schedule sched ule under the procedure adopted adopted adopt ed by the secretary Mr 11 Lloyd said The in industry d us t ry appears greatly interested in this new venture and I hope that the department will act promptly to open these idle and rich deposits MR LLOYD said that development development development de de- de- de of an oil shale industry in- in n. n in Utah Wyoming and Colorado may require congressional congressional con con- gressional action to remove the present statutory bar to leases of more than acres and to get a closer parity in inthe inthe inthe the depletion allowance allowed allowed allowed al al- al- al lowed for gas and oil wells and for oil shale Owners of wells presently receive a 27 per cent tax allowance for depletion depletion de de- of th the asset oil shale has a 15 per cent allowance The Utah Congressman said that he has not taken a position position tion on a statutory change but I am aware that thal there may be a problem and I would hope that the Interior Department review will be ex ex- so Congress may consider consider con con- sider any my changes in the law la next year car In fact there has been some talk of writing a distinct new law governing oil shale FURTHER delay in establishing establishing lishing national policy over these deposits closed by executive executive tive order in 1930 is not in the national interest and is certainly certainly certainly not in the interest of the western states stales which are arc so richly endowed with this untapped untapped un un- un tapped asset I am not criticizing the actions actions ac ac- ac of the Interior Department Department Department Depart Depart- ment but I am aware that proposed proposed pro pro- posed regulations were not published that the Uie machinery for getting regulations adopted adopt adopt- ed has been slowed and I hope that we can all work now for the early development of oil shale |