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Show lisk Hails Mmmd if Idi fmh lusa interior Secretary Suggests Defense Plant 170! Use Power From Dam; Area Seen As idea! Recreation Snot Another hurdle was negotiated Tuesday toward the building of Echo Park dam on the Green river, when Secretary of Interior In-terior Oscar Chapman announced announc-ed in Denver that he had given his approval of its construction, "because it will generate power for a vital defense plant," he said. He declined to be specific about what plant he had in mind. The building of Echo Park dam has been actively opposed by conservationists because the dam will alter Dinosaur National Nation-al monument. Sec'y. Chapman termed himself in his Denver announcement as a conservationist conservation-ist and said he made the "tough" decision to okeh the dam because be-cause of an unidentified defense plant. The announcement that is heralded her-alded by civic, business, oil and agriculture leaders as one that will boom the Uintah Basin's varied resources, will also create cre-ate a new tourists' and sportsmen's sports-men's paradise. Development of the Basin's vast phosphate, oil shale, and gilsonite mining properties pro-perties was also forseen following follow-ing Sec'y. Chapman's announce ment. B. H. Stringham, former Vernal Ver-nal mayor and chairman of the Colorado River Development Association As-sociation of 21 Utah counties, enthusiastically en-thusiastically accepted the glad news and stated the association and the people of the Basin will go ahead and "give it all we've got." Promotional and educational educa-tional work will begin- at once to acquaint the people of Utah with benefits to be derived from the proposed power prc ject, Mr. Stringham said. "Although Michael Strauss, commisisoner of reclamation, had intimated Echo Park dam would be built as a defense project, pro-ject, this is the first time Mr. Chapman has said so," Mr. Stringham declared. Mr. Stringham listed the. following fol-lowing benefits from the project to the people of Utah: 1. Power for "the vital defense plant" Secy. Chapman had in mind. This might include development devel-opment of three mountains of phosphate at the damsite into munitions. Monsanto Chemical Co. already has a large portion of this tied up, Mr. Stringham said. 2. Power to be moved to the "Wasatch front" the Provo and Salt Lake City areas, which is contemplated. This would mean more defense plants could be operated m those areas as well as in the Uintah Basin itself. 3. Changing of the Dinosaur National Monument from a dry. inaccessible area into one of the most beautiful parks in the nation na-tion surpassing in beauty and grandeur, the Hoover dam and Lake Mead area. 4. Planting of fish by the State Fish and Game Commission Commis-sion would give Utah anglers one of the finest fishing spots in America. In addition, a variety of other projects and possibilities, some of which already have been partially par-tially worked out, can go ahead with the building! of the dam. Mr. Stringham said. |