The "Boom" Goes Boink? Development got off to a slow start as
the winning companies moved into the planning and design
process. Some of the delay arose from the fact that, before they
could get shovels in the ground, the companies had to gather
baseline environmental data to comply with the slew of new
environmental laws recently adopted by Congress - the Wilderness
Act in 1964, the Clean Air Act in 1970, the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1970, the Clean Water Act in
1972, the Endangered Species Act in 1973, and the Safe Drinking
Water Act in 1974. Furthermore, any operations beginning on BLM
lands after 1976 would also have to meet the requirements of
that year's Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA),
which compels the agency to develop land use plans that
accommodate multiple uses and protect the scenic qualities of
the landscape. Whether these new regulations, economic
fluctuations, the old technological difficulties, or (most
likely) a combination of factors were responsible, by 19