Environmental group opposes tapping energy from oil shale, tar sands

SALT LAKE CITY — A new report issued by a regional environmental advocacy group says the pursuit of oil shale and tar sands development should be abandoned in Utah particularly because of impacts to water and air quality.

"Fossil Foolishness: Utah's Pursuit of Tar Sands and Oil Shale Development" was outlined Wednesday in a teleconference hosted by the Western Resource Advocates.

The group held the conference on the same day Gov. Gary Herbert is holding a public hearing in Price on his 10-year-energy plan — the first of four such sessions planned across the state.

"Our message from this report is that Utah's energy strategy" should not include the development of those two resources because tapping "dirty fuels" will not meet Herbert's objectives, said Karin Sheldon, president of Western Resource Advocates.

Sheldon said the report would be entered as part of the public record at Wednesday's hearing, which will also be attended by two members of the group who serve on the governor's technical advisory committee.

Of particular concern is the amount of water such resource development would demand, especially in Utah, the nation's second most arid state.

"They will use significant amounts of Utah's water supplies and do damage to Utah's precious landscapes," Sheldon said.

Such exploratory extraction has not been proven, the group stressed in the teleconference, and even large-scale production will not significantly contribute to the nation's energy needs.

As Herbert sets out to develop an energy plan designed to carry Utah into the future, Sheldon said the state is wisely considering the portfolio of resources available but stressed that public policy officials need to forego the "fuels of yesteryear."

Two companies are going through the regulatory permitting process for tar sands development and to extract oil from oil shale, of which Utah holds the nation's largest deposits.

A decision by the state mining director on the permit for the tar sands development proposed on the borders of Uintah and Grand counties is under review by the Utah Attorney General's Office and is expected to be released any day now.

"We are concerned about the exploration and development of these resources because they are so land-damaging, regardless of the technology that is used," Sheldon said.

Even though pressure for traditional resource development mounts each time the price of gas goes up at the pumps, the group said such pressure should be resisted.

"As the governor looks at the feasibility and wisdom of the potential development of oil shale, we know this stuff is not ready for prime time, which is further reason for him to look elsewhere," said Dave Abelson, the group's oil shale policy adviser.

The full report is available at www.westernresourceadvocates.org/fossilfoolishness.

e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com