The Union Oil Company of California (Union) submitted an Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) outline to the US Synthetic Fuels Corporation and its advisory agencies on January 23, 1984. This document, prepared in accordance with SFC guidelines, outlined Union's approach to monitoring the Phase II expansion of the Parachute Creek Shale Oil Facility. SFC's advisory agencies, principally the US Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources reviewed the outline and submitted their comments to SFC and Union. Of the 189 comments received by Union, 41 were considered critical by the reviewing agencies and were to be addressed prior to approval of the EMP outline.