On the way to the Paraho Project. SHALE COUNTRY is provided as a public ser­ vice by the leaders of the oil-shale in­ dustry. Published monthly as a source of information for those interested in indus­ try developments, SHALE COUNTRY is made available to shale-area residents with­ out charge through various community out­ lets. However, should a reader wish to receive SHALE COUNTRY each month for 12 months through the mail, please send your request to Mountain Empire Publishing, Inc., 231 Detroit St., Denver, Colo. 80206, along with a check for $4.00 to cover costs of postage and handling in the United States. Outside the United States, the cost is $10.00 for regular mail or $21.00 for air mail. SHaLe counTRY Volume 1, Number 8 August 1975 CONTENTS 2 Guest Editorial Ace in the Hole 3 Looking Ahead Assessing Health-Care Needs in Colorado's Shale Country 4 A Look At Coming to Terms with Net Energy 7 Situation Report First of Its Kind: A look at Russia's shale industry (p. 10): in shale country, Harris Environmental Advisory Panel Sherman speaks out (p. 18-19); so does OSEAP (p. 7-9); the animals. however. don't have much to say (p. 17). 10 Potpourri Shale in Russia-It's Different 11 Community Profile Fort Duchesne: From Indian Lore to Oil-Shale Tales 13 Environment Seed Source Blooms in Shale Country 14 Real Eslate Corner Carroll Jones: Landman with a 'Way' 15 Newcomers The Utah Process: Crystal Ball Shows Many Futu res 16 Vignette John Jones- From Anvil Points to Anvil Points 17 Photoessay 'Capturing' Shale Country's Animals-On Film 18 Voice of the People Harris Sherman: 'Oil Shale Must Make Sense for the State' 20 Letters to the Editor Edward S, Safford, Publisher and President Gregory A. Williams, Executive Vice President ~ A PUBLICATION OF Alys Novak, Vice President and Editorial Director ~ MOUNTAINEMPIREPuBLISHING,lNc. Richard L Ronald, Vice President-Sales PHOTO CREDITS Jonijane Paxton, Managing Editor Front Cover, Paraho; p. 2, AShland; p. 3, Rangely District Hospital; p. 4-6, photos: Jerry Peters, Evelyn DiSante, Associate Editor Colorado School of Mines, diagram: Arco; p, 7-9, Carol Edmonds; p. 10, Ray Lewis; p, 11-12, Carol Edmonds; p, 13, Soil Conservation Service; p. 14, Rio Blanco; p, 15, Utah Dept, of Kathy Carlton, Assistant Editor Employment Security; p, 16, Carol Edmonds; p, 17, Ecology Consultants, Inc.; p. 18-19, Colorado Dept. of Natural Resources; p. 20, Ollabelle Berry; Inside Back Cover, Ecology Ray Lewis, Art Director Consultants, Inc. Brian Novak, Production Consultant SHAlE COUNTRY © 1975 by MOuntain Empire Publishing, Inc, Air rights reserved, Material from this magazine Catherine Kilker, Circulation Director may be reprinted, with credit line to SHALE COUNTRY, Mountain Empire Publishing, Inc. Published monthly. Executive and Editonal offices, 231 Detroit St., DenV'er, Colo. 80206 (303) 388-5931. SHALE Carol Edmonds, Regional Editor COUNTRY is '.iupplied to residents of Western Colorado and Northeastern Utah and to others outside the shale area with a special Interest in the industry. Third Cl.ass Bulk Postage 'paid at DenV'er, Colorado. SHALE COUNTRY is sponsored by Ashland Oil, Inc" AtlantiC Richfield Co., Guff Oil Corp., Shelt on Co" Standard 011 of Indiana, Sohio Petroleum Co" Sun Oit Co., The Oil Shale Corp. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of specific The Regional Editor can be reached at: individuals and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the publication'S sponsors or the oil-shale industry as a 3154 Lakeside No. 304 whole. Postmaster: Please send all maU, address changes, (with old address. new addtess atlld zip code), subscription Grand Junction, Colo, 81501 orders. undeliyerable copk!s and form 3519 to SHALE COUNTRY, 231 Detroit 51./ Den\ler, Colo. 80206. (303)242-3905 --_..... _------------­ Shale Country August 1975 1 Guest Editorial rates of consumption, that is about a essential to our future economy both as Ace in the Hole 20-year supply of oil and 30 years of gas. a fuel resource and as a hydrocarbon By Charles D. Hoertz Energy conservation of a strict and resource. Primary, of course, is direct General Mgr., Synthetic Oils Dept. stringent order is obviously necessary. utilization, but conversion of coal re­ Ashland Oil, Inc. The thoughtless waste that marked the sources into gases and liquids is an al-. cheap energy years is no longer toler­ ternative that holds great promise. able. But even with tough rules and However, not a single commercial Five-card stud is a fascinating game. A effective voluntary action, the demand coal-conversion plant has yet been lot of luck is involved, of course, but for energy is expected to continue in­ built in this country. judgment and decisiveness are the pri­ creasing. Next, the use of nuclear energy for the mary factors in separating winners from Returning to the poker table-it's easy generation of electric power in the fu­ losers. The successful poker player to compare five-card stud to our national ture is inevitable. But, instead of prog­ makes the most of the cards by carefully energy problems. Over the past few ress, nuclear-energy development has and promptly determining exactly how years, the oil-producing countries have met many setbacks. to use his hole card. taken care of the dealing while the con­ Finally, oil shale has been virtually It would be frustrating today for a suming nations, including the United ignored by the deSigners of our nation's good poker player to be asked to move States, of course, have watched the energy program. Oil shale is far more to some theoretical planning room cards fall one by one-and the upcom­ than simply another energy resource. where the nation's energy dilemma was ing card could be additional price in­ The Green River oil-shale deposits con­ being discussed. Contrast his reasoned creases, or even the threat of another oil stitute the largest known reserve of hy­ aggressiveness with this paragraph from embargo. drocarbons in the world. These are a recent Washington Post editorial: Yet, we do have an ace in the hole-if needed now, and soon will be needed "A mood of dangerous indecision we'll only play it. This hole card is our more than ever to meet many everyday seems to have seized the country in indigenous resources of coal and oil needs dependent on oil and gas. It is everything that touches energy and shale, and our prospects for nuclear absolutely essential that we move ahead transportation. The choices are too hard, energy. If these resources are developed in utilizing this valuable resource. and the common reaction is to try to in a prudent manner, coupled with strin­ As many are aware, an oil-shale plant push them away. They are too costly, too gent conservation, we can regain the has been fully designed by the Colony disruptive, too unfamiliar, too heavily initiative essential to maintaining Ameri­ group and construction could begin freighted with ideological overtones. can standards and freedoms. within months after a "go ahead" deci­ The country, in general, and Congress, First, effective utilization of coal is sion is made. This decision awaits only in particular, are merely procrastinating. reasonable assurance that this pioneer­ There is a terrible temptation just to sit ing effort will not result in a financial tight and hope somehow those hard disaster for the companies that have so choices will evaporate and let us retu rn diligently pursued the development of to the happy days of 2 years ago when this important technology. everybody thought there was an unlimit­ What is needed today is a national ed supply of cheap gasoline." energy policy that will proVide such as­ let's review briefly. In 1974, the Unit­ surance. If it is provided promptly, a ed States imported about 37 percent of 50,000 barrel-a-day oil-shale plant can be its petroleum needs. Crude oil costs in commercial operation within 4 years. have about tripled since late 1973; the The lessons learned from this first plant OPEC price is about $11 a barrel at the will be invaluable in further determining tanker loading area. the potential of our vast oil-shale re­ It also should be noted that the U.S. serves. Geological Survey recently reduced its Failure to take decisive action to pro­ estimate of the nation's undiscovered oil mote the development of this and other to 127 billion barrels or less from earlier potentially important hydrocarbon re­ estimates of 200-400 billion and its esti­ sources would be tantamount to lOSing mate for undiscovered natural gas is now our poker game by default. In short, the trimmed from 2,000 trillion cubic feet to cards have been dealt. Now is the time a maximum of 655 trillion. At current to use our ace in the hole. 2 Shale Country August 1975 Loo~ng Ahead hospitals, nursing homes, mental-health able number of people require care. He Assessing Health-Care and public-health nurses and ambulance has to know the other physicians in town Needs in Colorado's services. Miller emphasizes that no as­ and how they get along and that there sessment of the adequacy of the facilities may be specialists available so that he Shale Country has yet been made by CHP. He adds, can refer patients. There has to be a "The assessment we are now doing is good quality, accredited hospital avail­ Last month, SHALE COUNTRY exam­ actually a resource assessment-a head able. And, finally, he has to personally / ined health-care facilities and resources count.