An assessment of oil shale and tar sand development in the state of Utah: Phase 1

This assessment is the result of an interest and commitment by the State of Utah to both promote development of its vast energy resources and to manage the impacts associated with such development. As the development of Utah oil shale and tar sands became more imminent a specific proposal to study the impacts from this impending development was made to the Department of Energy. It was noted during the discussions leading to the research contract for this assessment that, "...it appears that a great deal of information is needed to assure that such development will proceed in a manner that benefits the citizens of Utah and the nation." It is in this context that this assessment is being conducted. Phase I of this assessment, which is the subject of this document, is a description of the potential development scenario as revealed through individual project proposals and as considered likely to actually occur by 1990 by the Department of Energy in concurrance with the State of Utah. The scenario developed in Phase I is then to be used as the starting point for a detailed impact analysis which is the objective of Phase II of this assessment. The Utah Energy Office has undertaken the task of compiling all the information provided by the individual company proposals and the Uintah Basin Association of Governments into this Phase I document. The work for Phase I was done by Buzz Hunt, Jeff Burks, and Rod Millar of the Energy Office Staff with help from Rick Anderson, a research intern. The Energy Office Staff wishes to thank the many reviewers of an earlier draft for their many helpful suggestions and comments which contributed to this Phase I effort. We also wish to acknowledge the help in providing information and guidance from Chuck Henderson, of the Uintah Basin Association of Governments, Jim Bunger, the Utah State Science Advisor, Howard Ritzma, of the Utah Geological and Mineral Survey, Brent Jones, of the Utah Geological and Mineral Survey, for his help on the graphics in this document and the individual company project managers for their cooperation in providing details on their proposals. Finally we wish to thank Patti Wardle for her excellent typing and retyping of the manuscript and her good humor when confronted with our constant revisions which followed each retyping.