"The proposed program is in concert with the president's energy message of June 4, 1971, in which he requested the secretary of the interior to initiate a leasing program to develop our vast oil shale resources, provided that environmental questions can be satisfactorily resolved. As part of the program, the department authorized informational core drilling at various sites in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah and 16 core holes were completed. The department requested nominations of proposed leasing tracts on November 2, 1971, and a total of 20 individual tracts of oil shale land were nominated."