Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 3

star Casper Area Sunday, November 19,1 989 Star-Tribune, Casper, Wyo. A3 0 i Limestone pit proposal stirs protest by area landowners Concerns expressed over dust, dynamiting of Goose Egg Spring 0 a-A IY. spring would be adversely affected, Gnagy said. "Basically, I think we have no grounds to say that it's going to hurt the spring and no grounds to say that it won't. But, he said, "This fish hatchery raises more pounds of fish than any station in the state.

I don't think it's health should betaken lightly." Last year, the Speas hatchery planted about 1.4 million fish 187,000 pounds. About half of them went into the North Platte River drainage, he said. The Goose Egg Spring delivers nearly 16 cubic feet per second of water to the hatchery, going over 30 raceways, Gnagy said, "and after the water is used here, it's pumped underneath the river over to Goose Egg Ditch where it's used for irrigation." Will Robinson, acting executive director of the Wyoming Outdoor Council, said, "The Goose Egg Spring is a vital resource to the state, producing high quality water for the hatchery. It is locally renowned as a beautiful place to visit Absolutely no risk should be. taken with the integrity of spring.

If there's any doubt about the effects of quarrying in the area, quarrying shouldn't be done." "Even ignoring the possible effects of quarrying on the spring, Rissler and McMurry plans to gouge a beautiful little canyon from the face of the earth. "If you go out and visit the area, you see that canyon and its immediate surroundings as the only wooded segment of that area. It's good deer habitat and there are junipers growing in that canyon from long before Wyoming was a state," he said. "There are also air pollution concerns for local people," Robinson continued. "The quarry will be an eyesore for the local By DAN WHIPPLE Star-Tribune staff writer CASPER Rissler McMurry Co.

is proposing a 125,000 tons per year limestone quarry on the north side of Bessemer Mountain near Casper. The company declined last week to give much detail about the new project. Area landowners and state conservationists, meanwhile, say the new gravel pit may have severe impact on the local environment and on the nearby state-owned Speas Fish Hatchery. The company is proposing the new gravel pit on a state-owned section on the north side of Bessemer Mountain, west of Casper. Landowners in the area cite a number of concerns about the project, including dust, noise, traffic, and wildlife and recreation impacts.

Stan Mclnroy, one of the area residents, said, "The prevailing southwest winds will bring the dust down toward us. An estimated 22 tons of dust will be generated by the facility." One of the chief concerns expressed is the potential impact on the Goose Egg Spring also identified sometimes as the Speas Spring which feeds water to the Speas Fish Hatchery. Another landowner, Peter Storey, said that the spring produces 10 million to 11 million gallons of water a day. "Dynamite could impact that," he said. Steve Gnagy, Speas Fish Hatchery superintendent, said, "My initial concern was with the blasting that Vould go on with the mine and its impact on the relationship to the spring that serves this fish hatchery." No scientific studies have been done on the question, however, and opinions are divided on whether the landowners." Storey, who has a grazing lease on the state section, said that he received a notice about the project from the Wyoming State Land Office.

"So I got back to them and I expressed a number of concerns," he said. "But it clearly states on my lease agreement that the minerals do belong to the state. I'm relatively powerless to stop them from doing this," Storey said. But Storey said that about 20 local people had a meeting last week to determine what avenues were open to them to fight the proposal. According to a letter prepared on the issue by Mclnroy, "A tremendous increase in traffic, particularly heavy trucks, will created a safety problem.

Of particular concern will be the risk to school age children riding buses to Poison Spider school," the letter said. "The proposed truck route coincides with several miles of bus route." The quarry is required to comply with state air quality restrictions, and the company is working on its permit application, according to Rissler and McMurry spokesman Ernie Skretteberg. Chuck Collins, director of the Department of Environmental Quality's air quality division, said that the initial application was returned as incomplete because it did not include all of the access routes in the papers. DEQ's usual procedure in these cases is to require "best available control technology" for the control of fugitive dust, but no modelling of air pollution is usually required for small operations. Skretteberg said of the gravel pit proposal, "Until we have the necessary permits in order and access to the site, I'd rather not comment at present." M' I it i IL.

ill! v. Zbigniew HJakSiar-Tribunc Chariots Chariot racers Dwayne Morgan (above) and Jan Lewis whipped their horses to the finish line in Saturday's Central Wyoming Chariot Association's races Saturday. The races, located on Highway 220 one mile west of Clark's Corner, continue today at Event proceeds benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Thomas said asbestos restrictions on public schools are far more stringent than for other public buildings. "It's enough to paralyze the economy," Thomas said.

In other discussion, Wallop said the federal government should maintain a backseat when it comes to changes in the education system. States and local school boards, parents and teachers need to decide what they want their children to learn not Washington, D.C, bureaucrats, he said. Earlier in the day, Sullivan said that while education in Wyoming is progressing, it is moving in "slow motion" compared to the fast pace of life in an increasingly shrinking world. "Life moved faster than edua-tion," Sullivan said during a "governors' forum. Asbestos standards raise ire, questions of Wyo politicians Sullivan suggests further study CASPER (AP)-Gov.

Mike Sullivan joined the Wyoming congressional delegation Friday in questioning federal government regulations requiring asbestos jemoval from Wyoming schools as excessive and a burden on state resources. Sullivan, attending the Wyoming Heritage Foundation's public forum on educaiton, said in an interview that the health hazards of asbestos need to be better demonstrated. "I'm scared to death," he said of 'the huge costs entailed in asbestos removal from public schools. If it is found that the tiny particles of asbestos floating in classrooms do not pose a serious health risk, the millions of dollars used for cleanup could be better spent in education, Sullivan said. Sullivan's remarks echoed comments made at the Heritage forum via satellite hookup from Washington D.C.

by U.S. Sens. Malcolm Wallop, Alan Simpson and Congressman Craig Thomas claiming federal environmental standards are too stringent. "There's a certain amount of environmental terrorism going on," Wallop told the crowd of roughly 700 attending the conference in Casper. "We have some obligation to demonstrate that the public benefits outweigh the public expense." At least three schools in Wyoming have been closed in recent months and students transfered to nearby schools because particles of cancer-causing asbestos have been detected in classrooms.

"Five million dollars should have gone to teachers' salaries, equipment," Wallop said. "We can't afford to do that (expensive asbestos removal) anymore." for governor three years ago. On Saturday the newspaper reported that Budd, as chief financial officer of Meadowlark, made sworn statements last year that greatly overstated the value of assets held by the company. Budd attested that the value of a small Texas hotel was nearly $6.5 million, enough to give security to $4.8 million in loans that comprised almost all the assets claimed by Meadowlark. But checks by the paper showed the property apparently is worth only a tiny fraction of that amount, and even its owners said it was worth less than $800,000.

Budd also swore that Meadowlark's claimed assets were free Budd Continued from Al "It showed that while Budd was Meadowlark's chief financial officer he filed sworn reports that grossly exaggerated the value of the company's assets." He said "The paper has no ax to grind against Budd. We are trying to get to the bottom of the growing Wyoming insurance scandal, and Budd just happens to be involved." High denied any newspaper threat to Budd. "The only threat I see to him is his own involvement in a shaky situation." Budd was considered a major candidate following his strong showing in the Republican primary fib P) i I anu cicui ui tiiiy liens. The paper reported, however, that a number of liens had been filed on the hotel, including liens for unpaid taxes. Budd said that when he made the sworn statements he had no knowledge of the value of the company's assets.

"Maybe legally 1 was wrong, but I didn't feel that I was attesting to any actual value," he said. Meadowlark has agreed to stop doing business in Wyoming, following the indictments of its founder, Travis Riley, on federal and state fraud charges. Budd also has left the company. Budd made no comment Saturday about the specifics of the newspaper's report. Zbigniew BzdakStar-Tribuiic I I If mj jf mu i v.v-a i i I mxwm 1, 1 I i 1 1 Thumbs up Casper lawyer Hugh Duncan (right) addressed the Republican State Central Committee on Saturday, and shortly thereafter garnered the Jiighest rating among four gubernatorial hopefuls, with 83 percent of committee members voting their approval.

Craig Thomas (left), who is thus far unopposed in his bid for re-election to Congress, received a 100 percent positive rating. The committee met as part of an non-binding effort by the Republican Party to narrow the field of candidates for state offices..