AHJ_ah09859 Inventory of the Overthrust Industrial Association records1976-1987 Overthrust Industrial Association records Processed by Ronda Frazier The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
American Heritage Center Dept. 3924, 1000 E. University Avenue University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307.766.2574 Fax:307.766.5511 Email:ahcref@uwyo.edu URL:http://ahc.uwyo.edu/
2005

University of Wyoming

 Finding aid encoded by Ann Mulfort November 2005 Finding aid is in English Collection Summary Overthrust Industrial Association, 1979-1985 Overthrust Industrial Association records 1976-1987 1980-1984 09859 8.8 cubic ft. (19 document boxes, 1 slim document box) University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center. English The administrative files of this nonprofit organization founded to provide financial and technical assistance to communities experiencing oil and gas industry growth-related impacts in the Overthrust Belt of Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. History of the Overthrust Industrial Association

The Overthrust Industrial Association (OIA) was an organization of 36 oil and gas producers and service/supply firms founded in 1980 by Chevron, Amoco, and Champlin, the largest of the Overthrust producers. Its principal office was located in Uinta County, Wyoming. The OIA’s mission was to help local governments in southwestern Wyoming, northeastern Utah, and southeastern Idaho manage the range of socioeconomic and environmental impacts accompanying the rapid development of oil and gas resources in the energy-rich geological formation called the Overthrust Belt.

Utilizing a multi-media, community-based mitigation effort, the OIA developed a coordinated industry approach to the massive impacts occurring across three states, nine counties, and 27 communities as a result of Overthrust resource development. The mitigation effort provided assistance to impacted communities in cash grants, technical assistance, loans, and matching funds. The largest of the communities, Evanston, Wyoming, with a population of less than 7,000, was not equipped to meet the rapidly increasing demands on its schools, housing, and local services. Local officials found that maintaining the quality of life in the area required decisive action to build a completely new and vastly expanded local facility/service infrastructure. The OIA provided the expertise and funding to accomplish this.

The OIA was not intended to be a permanent organization. Rather, it was designed to exist only until affected communities developed the funding and managerial expertise to handle the growth themselves. The organization shut down in 1985. More than $600 million was raised for the five-year effort, which included programs ranging from wildlife habitat enhancement and employee environmental education to community infrastructure development and the expansion of human services programs. It was the largest, most complex mitigation program ever undertaken for an industrial development in the United States.

 Scope and Content

The Overthrust Industrial Association Records contain the administrative files of the organization beginning with the development of the OIA concept in 1979 and ending with the practical shutdown of the organization in 1985. The series entitled "Program Development" describes the impact situation in Evanston, Wyoming, and includes the formation of the OIA as an organization, socioeconomic studies of impacted areas, funding sources, and interim solutions to immediate problems. Included also are transcripts from the CBS television program 60 Minutes. The transcripts, while not directly related to the Evanston area, provide insight into the type of media coverage previously generated by similar impact issues.

"Program Implementation" and "Program Results" describe actual assistance provided to impacted communities through grants, technical assistance, and various programs developed or assisted by the OIA, including capital facilities constructed in Uinta and Lincoln Counties, Wyoming. "Program Phase Down" documents the OIA’s plans to phase down its activities and dissolve the organization when oil and gas development in the Overthrust Belt declined.

Series V, "News Clippings," contains copies of newspaper articles written about OIA activities. The articles provide an overview of the mitigation program and process as well as a summary of the opinions of local residents and officials towards the OIA mitigation effort. There are also clipping files related to Amoco, Chevron, and Exxon, as well as issues surrounding the problem of acid rain.

Materials included in "Miscellaneous Files" are not directly related to the OIA mitigation effort but are related to other activities occurring in the impacted areas. These include related studies by the University of Wyoming, Western Wyoming College, and a master’s thesis written by Michelle Michot Foss, whose research on the socioeconomic effects of natural gas development in southwestern Wyoming was funded by OIA. The files in Series VII, "Other Programs," contain documents pertaining to impact programs or processes developed by organizations other than OIA, such as the Lincoln-Uinta Association of Governments, the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council, and the Western Regional Council. The file on Senate Bill 1919 (The Energy Community Self-Help Act) includes testimony given by industry and local governments and provides a summary of the perspectives of each party.

Original order has been maintained and a printed guide to the files, written by the organization, is included. The guide provides an overview of OIA history, which places the information contained in the files in proper context.

 Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

 Copyright Information

The University of Wyoming holds copyright to the materials. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

 Related Materials

There are no other known archival collections created by the Overthrust Industrial Association at the date of processing.

 Acquisition Information

The Overthrust Industrial Association donated their records to the American Heritage Center in 1987 and 1991.

 Processing Information

The collection was processed by Ronda Frazier in June 2003.

 Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Overthrust Industrial Association Records, 1976-1987, Collection Number 09859, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

 Access Terms Lincoln-Uinta Association of Governments (Wyo.) Amoco Production Company. Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Community development--Uinta County (Wyo.) Community development--Lincoln County (Wyo.) Community development--Rich County (Utah). Community development--Summit County (Utah). Community development--Bear Lake County (Idaho). Human services--Uinta County (Wyo.) Human services--Lincoln County (Wyo.) Human services--Rich County (Utah). Human services--Summit County (Utah). Human services--Bear Lake County (Idaho). Business, Industry, Labor, and Commerce. Energy Production. Uinta County (Wyo.) Lincoln County (Wyo.) Rich County (Utah). Summit County (Utah). Bear Lake County (Idaho). <emph render="italic">Overthrust News.</emph> Container List Series I. Program Development 1977-ca. 1987, undated Definition of Problem: 1 1 Industry Perspective ca. 1980 2 Local Perspective (Lincoln-Uinta Association of Governments) 1981 3 State Perspective (Wyoming) 1978 4 Transcripts of 60 Minutes Television News Stories 1977, 1980 Formation of Overthrust Industrial Association (O.I.A.): 5 Announcements 1980 6 By-Laws 1981-1983 7 Financial Information 1980-1984 8 Guide to Overthrust Industrial Association Files, ca. 1987 9 Legal Information 1980-1983 10-11 Membership 1980-1983 12 Message Strategies undated 2 1 O.I.A. General 1980-1985 2-3 Tax Information 1980-1983 Fund Raising: 4 Evanston Capital Facilities Funding Package 1980-1982 5 Funding Issues 1981-1982 6-8 Guide to Assistance for Wyoming Communities, Volume One: Construction and Improvement of Public Facilities (by Wyoming Dept. of Economic Planning & Development) January 1979 3 1-2 Guide to Assistance for Wyoming Communities, Volume Two: Human, Housing and Social Services, (by Wyoming Dept. of Economic Planning & Development) January 1979 3 Outside Funding Sources 1980-1983 Impact of Growth: Community Advisory Committees: 4 Handbook 1981 5 Meeting Memos 1980-1981 6 Results 1981 Community Development: 7 Meetings 1981 8 Programs 1981-1982 Community Development Studies: 4 1 Bear Lake County, Idaho March 1983 2 Lincoln County, Wyoming March 1982 3 Rich County, Utah September 1982 4 Summit County, Utah January, March 1983 5 Lincoln County 1980-1982 Mitigation Program: 6 Announcement June 1981 7 Strategies and Budgets 1981-1983 Monitoring System: 8 Memos 1981 5 1 Memos 1982 Projections: 2 October 1982 3 February 1983 4 October 1983 Reports: 5 January 1982 6 July 1982 7 February 1983 8 Oil and Gas Simulation Model (OGSIM) 1981-1985 9 Phase Two Program 1981 Socioeconomic Studies: 6 1 Memos 1980-1981 2-3 Proposals 1980 4 Rich and Summit Counties, Utah June 1982 5 Southwestern Wyoming Socioeconomic Baseline Profile and Assessment, July 1980 6 Uinta County, Wyoming 1980-1981 Interim Solutions: 7 Building Local Relationships 1980-1981 8 Public Officials and Key Contacts ca. 1980 Series II. Program Implementation 1980-1985, undated 7 1 Correspondence 1980-1984 Funding Requests: 2 Lincoln County 1980-1984 3 Miscellaneous 1980-1984 4 Riley Ridge Project (Lincoln and Sublette Counties) 1981-1982 5 Uinta County 1980-1982 Housing: 6 Evanston 1981 8 1 Evanston 1982 2 Evanston Housing Authority 1982-1983 3 Lincoln County 1982 4 Miscellaneous 1981 5 Strategy 1981-1982 Impact Coordinating Committees: 6 Bear Lake County, Idaho 1981-1982 7 Description 1983 8 Rich County, Utah 1981-1982 9 Summit County, Utah September 29, 1981 10 Uinta County 1981-1982 Impact Mitigation: 11 Bear Lake County, Idaho 1981-1983 12 Lincoln County 1984-1985 13 O.I.A. Budget 1981-1982 14 Rich County, Utah 1981-1983 15 Summit County, Utah 1981-1982 9 1 Utah Impact Programs 1981-1982 Technical Assistance: Evanston: 2 Budget 1982-1984 3 City Management 1981-1983 4 Planning and Zoning 1983, undated 5 Human Services Programs 1981-1984 6 Human Services Workshops 1982 7 Miscellaneous 1980-1983 10 1 Planning and Urban Renewal 1981-1983 Series III. Program Results 1980-1987 Capital Facilities: 2 Evanston Community Recreation Center 1980-1983 Uinta County Human Services Center: 3 General 1981-1983 4 Joint Powers Board: Meeting Minutes 1981-1983 5 Project Manual April 28, 1982 6 Uinta County Library 1981-1983 7 Uinta County Memorial Hospital 1981-1984 Grants: 11 1 Lincoln County 1981-1983 2 Miscellaneous 1980-1985 3-4 Uinta County 1981-1984 Media Coverage: 5 Magazine Articles 1980-1983 6 Press Kit 1984 7 Press Releases 1980-1983, 1987 8 Radio 1981 9 Supplements (Summary of Construction Activities) 1982 Overthrust Governors’ Commission: 10 Bear Lake Region Governors’ Exchange September 3, 1981 12 1 Bear Lake Region Governors’ Exchange July 21, 1982 2 Bear Lake Region Governors’ Exchange 1983, 1984 3 Resource Management Tour 1982 Overthrust News: 4 Issues 1-6 1981-1982 5 Issues 7-9 1983-1984 Presentations: 6 Slide Shows 1980-1982 7 Speeches 1980-1981 Programs: 8 Evanston Child Development Center 1981-1982 9 H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide) Education 1981-1982 10 Miscellaneous Human Services Agencies 1981 11 Overthrust Road Development 1981-1982 12 Uinta Arts Council 1981 Series IV. Program Phase Down 1982-1984 13 1 1982-1984 Activities/Plans 2 Media Coverage 1984 Series V. News Clippings 1980-1986 Overthrust Industrial Association: 3 1980 4 1981 5-9 1982 14 1-2 1983 3 1984 4 1985 Other: 5 A.C.E. 1985-1986 6 Acid Rain 1985-1986 7 Amoco 1984-1986 8 Chevron 1984-1985 Exxon: 9 1983 10 January – June 1984 15 1-2 July - December 1984 3-5 1985 6 1986 Series VI. Miscellaneous Files 1976-1985 7 Amoco Production Company 1980-1982 Related Studies: 8 An Analysis of Secondary Market Response in Energy Impact Situations Michelle Michot Foss (Master’s Thesis) August 1985

(Folder 1 of 2)

 16 1 An Analysis of Secondary Market Response in Energy Impact Situations Michelle Michot Foss (Master’s Thesis) August 1985

(Folder 2 of 2)

 2 Bear Lake: Open Space for the Future, ca. 1981 3 City of Gillette/Campbell County Comprehensive Planning Program City of Gillette/Campbell County Dept. of Planning and Development 1978 4 Coal Mine Explosions at Almy, Wyoming: The Extent to which they Influenced Wyoming’s First Coal Mining Safety Law Walter R. Jones, University of Utah September 1983 5 Developer’s Handbook: Uinta County, Wyoming Lincoln-Uinta Association of Governments April 1979 6 Economic Base Study for Lincoln and Uinta Counties Lincoln-Uinta Association of Governments September 1979 7 Economic Base Study of the Casper Area Wyoming Dept. of Economic Planning and Development October 1976 8 Economic Potential of the Casper Area Retail Sector Wyoming Dept. of Economic Planning and Development January 1978 9 Final Environmental Impact Statement: Eagle Springs Housing Development, Rich County, Utah U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development 1982 17 1 Fiscal Impacts of Energy Development on Wyoming’s Local Governments The Old West Regional Commission October 1979 2 Land Use and Housing Elements: Lincoln and Uinta Counties, Wyoming Lincoln-Uinta Association of Governments 1979-1980 3 Miscellaneous 1980-1981 4 Report on the Economic Base of Converse County Wyoming Dept. of Economic Planning and Development May 1978 5 Socioeconomic Impact Mitigation Agreement for the Deserado Mine, Bonanza Station and Associated Facilities (Rio Blanco County, Colorado) June 1981 6 Uinta County Oil, 1900-1910: A Period of Shallow Well Development Walter R. Jones, University of Utah August 1981 7 Update of the Evanston Master Plan: 1980-1990 Lincoln-Uinta Association of Governments ca. 1979 University of Wyoming: 8-10 Bibliography on the Effects of Human Activities on Wildlife: Emphasizing Oil and Gas Development, Forest Management, Range Management and Recreation in the Overthrust Belt of Wyoming, Utah and Idaho January 14, 1983 11 Reports and Projects 1979-1982 Western Wyoming College: 18 1 Manpower Training Needs Assessment and Training Center Feasibility Final Report October 29, 1981 2 Reports and Projects 1980 Series VII. Other Programs 1977-1983 3 Lincoln County Impact Resolution 1981-1982 Lincoln-Uinta Association of Governments (L.U.A.G.): 4 Afton Town Plan December 1977 5 Capital Improvements Program, Afton, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 6 Capital Improvements Program, Cokeville, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 7 Capital Improvements Program, Diamondville, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 8 Capital Improvements Program, Evanston, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 9 Capital Improvements Program, Kemmerer, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 10 Capital Improvements Program, La Barge, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 11 Capital Improvements Program, Lincoln County, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 12 Capital Improvements Program, Mountain View, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 13 Capital Improvements Program, Thayne, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 14 Capital Improvements Program, Uinta County, WY: 1979 to 1985 March 1979 15 Cokeville Town Plan December 1977 16 Diamondville Town Plan December 1977 17-18 Impact Mitigation 1980-1983 19 1 Kemmerer Town Plan December 1977 2 La Barge Master Plan December 1977 3 Lincoln County Plan December 1977 4 Lyman Master Plan December 1977 5 Mountain View Master Plan December 1977 6 Thayne Town Plan December 1977 7 Miscellaneous 1980-1983 8 Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation 1980-1981 9 Senate Bill 1919 "The Energy Community Self-Help Act," 1982 10 Southwest Wyoming Industrial Association 1982 11 Utah 1981-1983 12 Wasatch/Cache National Forest Resource Management Plan 1982-1983 13 Western Regional Council 1980-1981 14 Wyoming 1980 20 1 1981-1982 Wyoming Industrial Siting Council Series VIII. O.I.A. Board Meetings 1983-1984 Minutes: 2 1983 3 1984