University of Denver - Kynewisbok Yearbook (Denver, CO)

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Coloradois boom y 1981, it seemed as if the production of energy from oil shale in Colorado was finally going to begin on a massive scale, after years of false starts. To meet the nations needs, said C. C. Garvin of Exxon, north- western Colorado would have to be turned into a iinational energy zonei, in which the normal rules of environ- mental protection would not apply. The rationale: the world's largest reserves of kerogen-laden shale rock are in the state, mainly in the north- western quadrant. The problem: get- ting fuel out of the rock is a messy business, and trying to reach Con- gressi goal of a half million barrels a day by 1987 worried environmental- ists, who expected the area to be totally ruined. They feared that the energy boom would bring millions of temporary workers into the state, destroy the ecology of millions of acres of the nations most scenic terrain, and place unmanageable burdens on the states water resources. If Exxonls forecasts were right, the US. will be using 30 million barrels of oil per day by 2010, double its 1981 daily consumption. 981 was the year in which ten new skyscrapers began to be constructed in Denver. Thus, within a few years, the city which was being hailed as the nationls newest energy capital would really start to look the part. A sleepy Western town no more, Denver was already boasting the 36-story Amoco Building, the twin Great West Plaza towers and the 26-story Denver National Bank. Among the new buildings would be the one built to replace the historic old Republic building, torn down in 1981, the City Center, the United Bank Center, the Dominion Plaza, the Stellar Plaza, 17th Street Plaza and the Tabor Center. Rise of the religious right he religious organization which made the most news in the first half of 1980 was, by far, the Moral Majority, the fundamentalist sect led by TV evangelist Jerry Falwell. Having stumped for Reagan in the election of 1980, both in and out of the pulpit, Falwell made many ene- mies, including the ACLU tAmerican Civil Liberties Unionl, which ran ads early in the year saying, uIf the Moral Majority gets its way, yould better start praying. Television pro- ducer Norman Lear liiThe Jeffersons, iiAll In The Family? protested the New Christian Rightls labeling as a poor Christian anyone who disagreed with their views. Some- what surprisingly, the Rev. Billy Graham said he didn't wish to be identified with them, noting that iievangelists canlt be closely identified with any party or person However, he admitted that he hadn,t been faithful to his own advice in the past, and promised to do so in the future. Moral Majorityis Jerry F alwell Despite the criticism, the MM was enjoying great success in its self-appointed role as watchdog of American morals. Congress seemed partial to banning all federal aid for abortions except in cases where the mother's life was at stake. The Coalition for Better Television, a special TV monitoring group com- prised of the Moral Majority, the Rev. Donald Wildmon's National Federation for Decency and other organizations, was beginning to pres- sure US. corporations which spon- sored TV shows the groups polls found to be offensive to its members. Unless those firms did not act to clean up udirt, profanity, vulgarity and sexii on TV, their products and services would be boycotted; On the last day of June, just when it seemed that the campaign was about to begin, Wildmon announced that the boycott was off. He said his organ- ization was satisfied that advertisers' would in the future be more responsible in choosing shows for sponsoring. The announcement followed a series of se- cret meetings between Wildmonis or- ganization and representatives of major TV advertisers. 11 Mike Gallegos

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