Moab UMTRA Project Impact Analysis

Economist John Krantz has put together an economic impact analysis, specifically examining the job creation associated with ARRA funding for the acceleration of the Department of Energy's Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA).

For a direct link to the study:

http://jobs.utah.gov/wi/pubs/specialreports/utaharraimpactanalysis.pdf

The study can be found with other Workforce Research & Analysis publications at:

http://jobs.utah.gov/wi/pubs/publicat.html

Construction set to begin on new clinic

Construction will begin soon on a new physician clinic adjacent to the San Juan Hospital after ground breaking ceremonies were held on December 8.

Construction crews, under the direction of Tri-Hurst / Hogan Construction, will begin work as soon as bonds are sold to help fund the project. It is expected that the Utah Community Impact Board will purchase $1,180,000 in Lease Revenue bonds this week.

Tri-Hurst is working toward a mid-October 2011 completion date for the 10,440 square foot, two-story clinic. It will feature a lobby, ten provider offices, ten examination rooms including two larger treatment rooms, and a small classroom for education programs. Eaton Architects designed the building. More than $1 million of the construction costs will be paid to local contractors and subcontractors. San Juan Record

County general plan group discusses business sustainability, diversity

Members of the Grand County General Plan Update Working Group tentatively agreed this week on language for goals and strategies to support business sustainability and diversity, to facilitate business development, and to support development of an expanded electric power distribution system. The working group will continue to refine goals and strategies into a comprehensive plan during future meetings scheduled every two weeks between now and Nov. 11. That plan will guide preparation of a future land use plan, said Gabe Preston of RPI Consulting, the contractor hired by Grand County to complete the project. Dates and agendas for the meetings, along with reports and drafts of all documents are available on the planning and engineering section of the Grand County website, www.grandcountyutah.net. Moab Times-Independent

Construction crews busy in Monticello

This year, more than one dozen city streets are being rebuilt in Monticello, with new drainage infrastructure and road base. The goal, according to City officials, is an additional 30 years of life for the streets. The project was made possible by the City, the Community Impact Board and the San Juan County Transportation District.

In addition to the road work, crews have been hard at work building a significant addition to the Pinto Substation east of Monticello.

Work continues on the construction of a new runway at the Monticello airport north of town. The new runway, on the east side of Highway 191, will eventually replace the current runway on the west side of the highway. San Juan Record

Report: Abandon Utah's oil shale, tar sands

As Gov. Gary Herbert prepares today to stage the first of four statewide forums on Utah’s energy future, a Rocky Mountain environmental group has some advice: Forget oil shale and tar sands. Western Resource Advocates issued a 38-page report Tuesday on the energy and water inefficiency of either potential fuel source. The title: Fossil Foolishness: Utah’s Pursuit of Tar Sands and Oil Shale. The Boulder, Colo.-based legal and policy group commissioned a Boston University geographer to analyze the energy return on investment for oil shale. He determined that most research indicates that, at best, making fuel from the rock would generate twice the energy content of what it takes to produce. That compares to a 20-to-1 ratio or better for petroleum.

Additionally, the advocates insist, these potential fuel sources are too polluting and water intensive to win a place in Herbert’s vision for a clean-energy economy. They argue they also would require too many public subsidies to meet his test for market solutions. The Western Resource Advocates report cites state and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation estimates that Utah will exhaust its remaining share of Colorado River water by about 2020 — even without giving over any of it to new energy development. Utah’s potential for developing 634,000 barrels of oil a day by mining and then cooking oil shale would require somewhere between 90,000 and 150,000 acre-feet of water. An acre-foot, roughly 326,000 gallons, is about enough to supply two households for a year. While not armed with as much research about Utah’s tar sands, the environmental group believes that potential energy source faces similar efficiency issues. Salt Lake Tribune

Energy startup defends oil-sands project in Utah

An energy startup from Canada on Tuesday defended its plan to launch the first significant U.S. oil sands project in eastern Utah, after opponents argued it would dig up fragile topsoil and pollute groundwater. The criticism against the Earth Energy Resources Inc. project came during an informal hearing before the head of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas & Mining, who is considering whether to uphold his staff's approval of the company's operating permit. The Calgary, Alberta-based company insisted it won't pollute anything and will leave Utah's oil sands as clean as beach sand after processing with a citrus-based solvent.

"It will be a good project for Utah," company vice president Barclay Cuthbert testified. "We'll be providing energy that will be used in the state." The private company with 411 shareholders says it will turn out 2,000 barrels of oil a day after raising $35 million from private equity groups for the plant. Opponents said an oil-sands operation that produces so little petroleum isn't worth doing, given the potential damage to public lands. State officials responded that their job was simply to ensure Earth Energy follows environmental rules. Forbes

Road building in Monticello begins

On Tuesday, July 6, crews from the LeGrand Johnson Construction Company of Logan and Moab began rebuilding ten streets within the City of Monticello. Their first target is Second North from the highway to the elementary school. Installation of new sewer and water lines is part of the contract. Those streets which have infrastructure that should be replaced within a few years will have new utility lines installed concurrently with this road construction so that the new roads will not have to be dug up again. City officials state that roads built to the specifications called for in the contract should last for 30 years. The total contract is for $2,000,000. Funds came to the City from the CIB (Community Impact Board), with $1 million an interest free loan. The other million is a grant. San Juan Record

Huge electrical construction project beginning in Monticello

One of the biggest construction projects in San Juan County in years has started just east of Monticello at what is known as Rocky Mountain Power Company’s Pinto Substation. Easily visible just south of U. S. 491 as motorists exit Monticello headed east, this huge humming 345,000 volt behemoth which looks like a space station from another planet is being added upon to the tune of “many millions of dollars.” How much, the company would not officially say. But those in the know, estimate the addition to be in the neighborhood of $25 million. When completed in the spring of 2011, the addition will make the substation complex almost twice as big as it is now. The Pinto Substation east of Monticello is one of the ten largest in the state and handles all of southeastern Utah. San Juan Record

Russell Industries Increases Interest in Payday Mine Claims

Russell Industries, Inc.'s legal action against US Minerals, et al., to recover and perfect full title to all outstanding interests in its 60 Payday Uranium and Vanadium Unpatented Mining Claims was successfully completed last week. The claims are all situated in San Juan County, Utah. "The successful resolution of this matter will now enable us to seek the necessary strategic alliances needed to maximize the economic potential of these mining rights," said Rick Berman, CEO. Russell Industries is a developing alternative and renewable energy company. The Company is the majority owner of 255 unpatented Uranium mining claims in San Juan County in Southern Utah. MarketWatch

Solar/wind project gets conditional use permit

San Juan County has given its blessing to a combination wind and solar power project proposed in the TARB area northeast of Monticello. The REDCO (Rural Energy Delivery Companies Alliance) project could result in the construction of a 50-megawatt wind power plant. A recent study by Utah State University indicated that the project could result in a $1.3 million increase in property taxes, including $800,000 a year for local schools. The study added that the construction phase would result in the creation of more than 50 jobs. Ongoing operations would generate approximately $150,000 per year in land lease payments. San Juan Record

County concerned over tar sands mining; discusses possible potash mining venture

The mining industry in Grand County is slated to experience an upsurge if a proposal for a tar sands mining operation, and possible plans for a new potash mining development become reality. Officials with American Potash Company told county officials this week that a new mining operation, although not imminent, could create an economic boon for the county if that operation comes to fruition. The Grand County Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to send a letter of concerns to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining regarding a large mining operation designed to recover oil from tar sands deposits in Uintah and Grand County. That operation has been conditionally approved by UDOGM, which will require the company to make payment of a reclamation surety bond in the amount of $1.7 million in order to begin operations. Moab Times-Independent

Legislature passes 2-year extension of trust fund programs

The Utah State Legislature has passed Senate Bill 237, which provides for the continuation of college level financial aid to Utah Navajo students and the continued use of funds for pre-approved housing and other projects until 2012. Governor Gary R. Herbert signed this legislation into law on March 25, 2010. “We were happy to work on this bill. It was the right thing to do and now the Utah Navajos can continue their education and complete badly needed housing projects for another two years,” said David Hinkins Orangeville, sponsor of the bill.

“As a former education administrator, it’s satisfying to see our efforts resulting in meeting some of the educational needs of our Navajo constituents” said Christine Watkins (D) Price, who managed the bill in the House of Representatives. The State of Utah-Navajo Trust Fund (UNTF) administered these programs until 2008, when the UNTF was dissolved. A transition organization – the Navajo Royalties Holding Fund (UNRHF) – was established to administer the fund until a new trustee is designated by the U.S. Congress. The UNRHF was scheduled to wind down college financial aid to new college students by June, 2010, but now the UNRHF will continue to serve Utah Navajo students for the next two years or until a new trustee takes over, whichever comes first. San Juan Record

State issues conditional permit for tar sands development

The quest to become the first to develop tar sands for oil extraction in the United States may begin in Moab’s backyard. The state Division of Oil, Gas and Mining has conditionally approved an application from Earth Energy Resources, of Alberta, Canada, to develop a tar sands mining operation in Uintah and Grand counties.

The state agency will require Earth Energy Resources to post a $1.7 million reclamation surety bond, and told the company that it must comply with the regulations of “all local, state and federal agencies with jurisdiction over any aspect of the operator’s mining operations,” according to a letter from UDOGM to the Grand County Council.

Council members did not discuss the environmental impacts of the proposed development, which straddles the Grand and Uintah County border. On its website, Earth Energy states that its process “is a revolutionary and swift extraction process that uses little water and leaves behind no toxic chemicals or tailing ponds.” Moab Times-Independent

Monticello to have $2 million for roads

Monticello residents who have dealt with two years of road work should prepare for another summer of construction after the City of Monticello has secured $2 million for road construction. Approximately six months ago, the San Juan County Transportation District agreed to provide $100,000 a year for the next ten years to the cities of Monticello and Blanding. The City of Monticello used the agreement to leverage a $1 million loan and an additional $1 million grant from the Utah Permanent Community Impact Board. The loan will be paid with the funds from the transportation district. San Juan Record

Business owners raise concerns about temporary business permits

Moab City Council members were met with two sides to the issue of moved-on business permits at their meeting Tuesday night. Four businesses petitioned for temporary business permits on Tuesday’s agenda. A moved-on structure permit allows a business to take up temporary residence on the property of an existing permanent business. A number of current and aspiring entrepreneurs are petitioning for permits extending seven months or more, through the duration of the local tourist season. The contention centers on whether the temporary businesses are held to the same code compliance requirements – such as health codes and required parking – as permanent business structures. Long-time business owners told city council members this week that they believe it is unfair to allow the temporary businesses to move in during the prime season after the permanent businesses have put their financial and emotional lives into starting and maintaining a business that serves the community year round. Moab Times-Independent

Duchesne School Bond Fails

Voters rejected Duchesne County School District's proposal to borrow $49 million to build and upgrade schools, according to unofficial vote counts.The bond failed by a healthy margin with 1,699 "no" votes and 1,175 "yes."The bond would have paid to replace 50-year-old Altamont and Union high schools, refurbish elementary schools and build a new elementary school in Roosevelt. And unlike two larger school construction bonds that passed Tuesday, the Duchesne proposal would have cost taxpayers an average $168 per year, possibly more if home values fall as some have predicted.Salt Lake Tribune