We are willing to attempt to provide technical assistance to those requesting it on plans, ordinances, resolutions and the like to adequately address the potential and present problems facing the providers of human services. We are also willing to provide assistance to public and private developers in an effort to determine the necessary social amenities for these developments which will aid in the reduction of adverse social and emotional impact.

Hopefully, this discussion helps to show the extent to which local and regional entities have addressed the human service problems facing them and some of the specific efforts being made to use existing resources to cope with these problems. We are not quietly waiting for the sky to fall.

We do feel, though, that these concerns must be addressed in any efforts at any level to stimulate the development of energy resources in this area. Addressing the Hunman Living Impact must become as integral to development planning as the physical Environmental Impact Plan, and should be required with similar force.

For the programs concerned, I ask that a mechanism be mandated that allows appropriate advance funding to cope with the defined impact, preferably funneled through State and/or local government. It would be a delightful experience to have human service needs recognized at a time other than when they can no longer be met.

Thank you.

Mr. McKOEWN. Thank you. When the gentleman from your office, Mr. Wirth, contacted me his suggestion was to try to flesh out some of the specific human impact concerns that we who are working in the field of human services either are experiencing or anticipating given the possibility of an extensive and rather fast impact. And specifically what I have hoped to do is to urge that during your consideration of the authorization bill, that you were looking at, that you do give very careful consideration to its potential impact on the quality of life of current area residents, and the problems created in and by the new population. One of the key questions that we see to address in current planning might go something like this: "Can rapid growth take place without the stress on psychological well-being and human relations that has seemed to occur almost by definition in other modern boom areas?" Optimistically the response to that seems to be "partially,” given reasonably good preparatory planning and development, supported by sufficient advanced funding, it seems that many of the physical and social amenities necessary to less stressful living can be provided.

It has been shown, however, that even under the best possible circumstances, "boom" growth produces a higher number of emotional and life stress problems than a similar increase in population spread over a greater period of time. This factor appears to be related to such phenomena as large numbers of new families suddenly creating communities that have no real roots in the existing community support system. Unlike a new resident among established families, the boomtown newcomer has no one immediately available to tell him about his child's new teacher, recommend a doctor, suggest a hot fishing hole, or perhaps, listen to a family problem magnified by the recent move. Under any conditions, rapid growth affects current residents. Competition for available goods and services becomes keener as supplies grow scarce. In some instances, while growth has been anticipated with moderate optimism, reality strikes more harshly than expected, and I think we have seen this perhaps in the Craig area most strongly. Other concerns of current residents center on such issues as feared increases in crime, less availability of recreational facilities, lower

educational quality, and more competition for positions on the varsity football team.

Under unplanned and uncontrolled conditions the emotional and social consequences of boom growth can be disastrous. I would like to itemize about six primary points that we in the field are already feeling, particularly in the coal developments in the region. We are certainly anticipating seeing a similar situation with a massive synthetic oil shale production.

The first is what I would call the lack of individual territorial boundaries. People pressure in boomtown tends to force regulating agencies to approve developments that, as a Wyoming Environmental Health Office lamented, "At least keep people out of those tents." Once approved, however, temporary quarters tend to become permanent housing. Trailers, parked on mud fields, are located so closely together that individual privacy does not exist. All social and recreational facilities are crowded beyond reasonable use, where they are available at all. Nothing seems permanent as little is planned for permanency. Schools are in trailers almost the same as those in which the children live.

Another feature seems to be limitations on communication ability. Support for meaningful communication is lacking. Some people try to maintain contact with family and friends in other places, but even this can be difficult in a community where a minimum of 18 months on the waiting list may be required before a telephone can be installed in private residence, as has been true in Rock Springs. Use of public phones offers an alternative but little privacy as the waiting line listens to the sequence of conversations.

Another factor is limitations on community recreational facilities. Most of the western Colorado towns to be impacted are quite small, as you heard, with few existing community recreational facilities. Those that are available, such as the Rifle swimming pool here, were designed for the current population. In boomtown living developments, little attention has been paid to such small items as a grassy playground with some play equipment.

Another item is something that's been seen in the Wyoming coalfield, little concern for the needs of women. In energy development, it appears that working opportunities for women are limited. With pressing needs for housing, boomtowns have paid little attention to providing facilities for childrens' day care. While unverified, it was reported that until very recently Rock Springs had no such programs available. The flavor of a woman's existence in boomtown might be captured something like this: A housewife, after fighting mud, wind, inadequate water and disposal systems, a crowded mobile home and muddy children all day, snaps at her husband as he returns from a 16-hour shift. He responds by heading back downtown and spending the night at a bar drinking and trading stories with men from similar circumstances.

The other concern is possible changes in community attitudes toward the aged. While Colorado west has a significant population of senior citizens and has increasingly become responsive to their needs, there is some concern that in an orientation towards planning and providing for the needs of the energy industry workers, they may be overlooked and eventually forgotten.

A very serious concern is increased frequency of alcoholism. In an area where alcohol use has historically been a cultural feature there is little reason to doubt that alcoholism will continue to grow with increased population. Drinking tends to be one major recreational outlet in boomtown, especially when the workers have money and few places to spend it. As one longtime resident of Rock Springs muttered, "People who didn't even know what Chivas Regal was yesterday are ordering it by the bottle today."

We see in our program six or seven areas that we are especially concerned about, and the problems are particularly malignant in boomtown situations. I will just read these off: Cronic and episodic depression, suicide attempts, family disruption, child abuse, children's behavior problems, especially as related to the school systems, and alcoholism, and other drug abuse.

I would like to emphasize two points. Boom growth will require more additional capability than the same population increment spread over a normative growth period. Two current examples are found in Rock Springs and Gillette, Wyo. In Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, the population has doubled during the past 4 years. In the same period, referrals to the county mental health clinic have increased 900 percent, or seven times the expected amount for normal growth. Gillette experienced a referral factor of about three times normal. Growth stress will cause or exacerbate problems within the current population which probably would not have appeared under normal conditions. While the full force of projected growth has certainly not yet struck, the coal and power developments in Moffat and Routt Counties have given our program its first taste of boomtown problems. In the past 6 months our Moffat County caseload has increased by nearly 50 percent, and of the total, 40 percent are new residents related to the energy industry. Requests for mental health evaluations at the hospital and county jail have increased 21⁄2 times. The three most recent referrals have much in common: They are working in energy-related construction, they are living in camper trailers, they are waiting for housing that does not yet exist, and they are experiencing severe family relationship difficulties.

And similar situations are facing other human service resources. This is particularly true in terms of physician availability, especially critical in Rio Blanco County, and even though being relieved somewhat it remains a concern. There are other areas of concern, such as family planning services, detoxification services for alcohol and drug addiction, and so on. I have included in the prepared statement some of the attempts we are trying to make in terms of lending our experience and whatever expertise we have in planning practices to try to help the development get a bit of a head start in the planning. Hopefully, this discussion helps to show the extent to which local and regional entities have addressed the human service problems facing them and some of the specific efforts being made to use existing resources to cope with these problems.

We do feel that these concerns must be addressed in any efforts at any level to stimulate the development of energy resources in this area. Addressing the human living impact must become as integral to development planning as the physical environmental impact plan, and should be required with similar force.

For the programs concerned, I ask that a mechanism be mandated that allows appropriate advance funding to cope with the defined impact, preferably funneled through State and/or local government. It would be a delightful experience to have human service needs recognized at a time other than when they can no longer be met. Thank you. Mr. WIRTH. Thank you very much, Mr. McKoewn. We might move on to Mr. Ed Dobson, who is from Billings, Mont., that is here representing Friends of the Earth. Mr. Dobson, you have been here all of the day and welcome to the panel. Thank you for being here.

STATEMENT OF ED DOBSON, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, BILLINGS, MONT.

Mr. DOBSON. Thank you, very much. Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee and staff, distinguished participants, and observers, my name is Edward Dobson. I live on a cattle and wheat ranch on the east fork of Sarpy Creek in Big Horn County, Mont., about 35 miles from the nearest town. We get mail about twice a week. I am the northern Great Plains representative of Friends of the Earth. And, Mr. Chairman, may I ask, even though I have presented copies of a prepared statement, that the record reveal my oral testimony, as considerable revision has occurred since the printing of the draft text. Mr. WIRTH. Yes, sir. The record will include both your written and oral testimony. Did you just want your oral testimony? Mr. DOBSON. The oral testimony.

Mr. WIRTH. Well, just go on with your oral testimony.

Mr. DOBSON. This has been an extremely educational hearing. I am tremendously grateful for the efforts you Members have put forth in coming here. Today I testify on behalf of Friends of the Earth and by authority of Doris Milney, president of the Montana Wilderness Association, and at the risk of sounding preposterous I ask you to believe that I testify on behalf of 124 persons who died in that terrible disaster on Buffalo Creek in West Virginia on February 26, 1972. I would like to enter, for the record, "A Citizens' Report on Criminal Negligence in a West Virginia Mining Community, the Disaster on Buffalo Creek." I don't know how much you would like to take if you care to admit this for the record, but I do have a substantial number.

Mr. WIRTH. Fine; Mr. Dobson, if you will make that available to the staff and without objection that will be included in the record. [The referenced report follows:]