European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 4, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                New construction fuelled by its growing role in the Energy Industry is changing the Skyline in booming Denver. City reaches even higher new York Timss few of the older natives remember when you could actually smell the Pine scent of the Rocky mountains in downtown Denver. It i difficult these Days however to even catch glimpse of the Rockies through the Glass and steel skyscrapers that Are rising everywhere in the City. Not since its Early Days As a Gold and Silver mining town has Denver attracted so Many people who As one geologist puts it earn their living by gambling on holes in the  the stake arc tremendous and growing. In he Rush for National Energy Independence dearer has emerged As the Headquarters for West Ern Energy Derelo Pumeni a Antii billion Douay Effort that in roses not Only Colorado new Mexico Utah and Wyoming but also the Northern great Plains states of Montana North Dakota and South Dakota. The mile High City Joira Houston in the South and Calgary Alberta la the North As a key Energy capital of North America. Denver is not Only close to the Energy production Fields of the Over thrust Belt and the Oil shale Fields of the Western slope of the Rockies but it is also a key regional transportation and telecommunications Hub and provides Access to the largest labor Market of both skilled and unskilled workers in the West. These factors in addition to the City s attractive climate and proximity to the Rockies have attracted some 900 Energy companies including Exxon Texaco Mobil Amax and Atlantic Rich Field to the  Are also More than 1,200 other concerns that provide Energy related services and supplies such As Geo logical engineering construction and exploration equip ment manufacturing. More than 30,000 people arc employed by these businesses according to estimates by City official the growing presence of Oil related companies m Denver has brought about a concomitant Rise in of  a one local Mineral geologist put it. 1 get More useful information while eating lunch at the Petroleum club than i could get from pending a week Reading the demand for suitable office space and hotel rooms has grown proportionately to the Energy activity in the Region Larie end Finall companies alike be for Down Trento flick space Lai a Market that has become As com pc Uve  for minerals. It is common for new office buildings to be totally leased 18 months prior to completion. While Energy employee account for Only 4 per cent of the total work Force in Denter a Loci Developer estimated that Well Over half of the prime office space la the downtown area u leased by Energy related companies. One Energy Etc erudite said ruefully it s Ben easier to get Energy department officials to return phone Calls than the real estate leasing  new construction in the downtown area has radically a Ter cd the mile High City s Skyline. Nine High Rise of fice buildings arc currently under construction in the downtown area alone and six More buildings Are in the planning stage with one currently planned for 52 floors. A new 26-Story Fairmont hotel has recently opened to compete for downtown visitors with the Hilton and the venerable Brown Palace  Denver s building Industry in t immune from outside recessionary forces As shown by the local housing and retail markets downtown Denver is just not feeling the recession said Micky Miller of the Miller Davis co., Denver s largest Developer of downtown office  noted that the current building activity rep resented the second major wave of construction in the downtown area the first having occurred in 1974, shortly after the Arab Oil embargo. Although some developers project that High Quality commercial office space May be overbuilt by late 1982, it is expected that demand will overtake available space by 1984, bringing about a third wave of commercial  the Energy growth has come the inevitable change in the Quality of life for local residents. The Denver area which currently has 1,6 million residents is growing at four times the National rate. City officials estimate that about 5,000 newcomers month Migrate to Denver. Until recently when Home interest rates soared demand for Homes and condominiums in Many areas around Denver increased prices by More than 25 percent a year. Traffic congestion already bad be Cwm of a peo Chat for Otoo Rauw Muoc dearer residents con hocs to fat wort. Or a Lirajr Ace oae of it ers in what a Tydal Attr Lutes has deteriorated to gob a Karl sat the City s mar my Rahaii Losa my for the Ilse Mcgloa h tace a Btry a dirtiest. Air Pool Tob alerts Art looser rare occurrences. The most significant development for Denver s Energy future is clearly the recent passage by Congress of the synthetic fuels Bill which provides for a $20 billion appropriation for subsidies to projects in Oil shale development and Coal Gasi fiction and liquefaction in Addi Tion to other alternative Energy sources. It is estimated that 75 percent of the synthetic fuels development will take place in the Rocky Mountain and Northern great Plains  Harris Sherman a lawyer and former executive director of the Colorado department of natural re sources said the synthetic fuels Industry could easily Dwarf All previous Western Energy  Energy Boom has also been beneficial for Denver s alternative Energy source Industry. More than 80 private solar Energy concerns arc struggling for profitability in the shadows of the Fossil fuel companies. Denver an Ideal location for solar companies because of its High Altitude and favourable climate is also the Home of the solar Energy research Institute the National solar re search  the mood in Denver s Energy Community is generally one of optimism there is some concern that the Boom will not sustain itself. Several Western states including Colorado Are experiencing downturns in Oil and Gas production and some insiders question whether the recently publicized discoveries of oilfields in the Over thrust Belt where exploration and production is extremely difficult and costly can offset these declines. Nonetheless the West holds staggering amounts of Energy resources. Western Oil and Gas discoveries might eventually add anywhere from 35 percent to 50 percent to the nation s reserves. In 1973, 17 percent of the nation s Coal was produced in the West by 198s. The department of Energy estimates that More than 50 percent will come from the West. Ninety fire percent of the country s uranium is produced la Colorado new Mexico Wyoming Utah us Texas and Colorado produces 60 percent of tic world s molybdenum Supply. Oil shale which by some estimates contains More than 50 billion bomb of recon table crude Oil is concentrated in a Stu Virtry wan Tecton of Northwestern Colorado. Yet environmentalists hate officials and Many Energy analyst feel that the magnitude of Industry and Federal government synthetic fuel plans for the West Are unrealistic. Few doubt that there will be an initial flurry of activity but Long term Success or failure will depend on development of technology availability of water and Market conditions. The stars and stripes Page 13