The Glenwood post., 1924-08-14

Of opposition to the situation that has
developed in conjunction with the
DeBeque oil shale interests. The idea
underlying Saturdays meeting is the
hope that Western Colorado stock In
terests may enlist the services Of their
county commissioners and assessors in
discouraging oil shale claimants from
taking up large acreages of pasture
lands under the placer mining law,
which gives the surface rights as well
as mining rights.
Under this law oil shale companies
in the DeeBeque territory have acquir-
ed large tracts Of land and have leased
the surface rights to the highest bid
defs, who oftentimes are sheepmen
from Utah, not even paying taxes in
Colorado. Oil shale is thus being used
as mere subterfuge for the acquisi-
tion of surface rights on valuable pas
turage and timber lands. The result is
that the vegetation on these lands is
being depleted, water rights are being
injured, with consequent depreciation
of ranch values, and the watershed
that our government has so wisely pro-
tected and conserved, will ultimately
be ruined. stockmen do not object to
the development of oil shale and the
use of surface rights insofar as they
are necessary to such development, but
they believe that the oil shale men
should be satisfied with that.
The same tactics are being employed
by oil shale men on the Grand Mesa
National forest, formerly known as
the Battlement National forest. Prac-
tically all Of this vast reserve, even
including areas on which there are but
slight prospects of obtaining oil shale,
has been filed upon under the placer
mining law, and if the oil shale claim
ants are allowed to prove up on their
claims, all stockgrowers on the south
side Of the Colorado river from Glen
woods Springs to DeBeque will be ad-
versely affected.
On February 25, 1920, congress en-
acted the so-called "leasing law" A
lease under this act carries no right to
the surface values of the land other
than the right to use the land in SO far
as is necessary for oil shale operations
under the lease. 1t is thus understood
that this law does not contain the OBJ
jectionable feature of the old placer
mining law, which has been and ID such
fertile source Of grievances, a "thorn
in the flesh" SO to speak. Had the
oil shale interests located their claims
under the leasing law, instead of under
the placer law, stockmen would have no
cause for interference, but Of course
the leasing law is of comparatively re-
cent enactment.
Correspondence with Representative
Edward T. Taylor having disclosed the
fact that the government can do moth
ing in a remedial way in cases where
shale claims were located under the
placer law, stock interests in this sec.
tion Of Colorado have therefore agreed
to attack the problem from another
angle. In accordance with this de-
cision, the stockmen at the Glenwood
Springs meeting, having discussed va
rious phases of the question, voted to
instruct their county commissioners
to recommend to their assessors that
they assess all patent oil shale lands
at not less than $50 per acre. This
amount approaches little more closely
the actual value Of these lands than
does the present small assessment of
81 per acre. 1t is hoped in this way
TO discourage the acquisition by oil
shale companies of large holdings of
valuable pasturage lands.
Another action taken by the assem-
bly, was the motion to ask the various
assessors of the counties interested to
1ovy II tax on I'll livestock coming into
the state unless the owners of such
stock can show receipts for taxes paid
in the state from which the stock is
bought.
uTcTmTAyn Am rAnHrrc- vv1~r-