The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, June 6, 1979-Page 5
COMPANY CITES RED TAPE:
Consumers Power plans no more nukes

JACKSON (UPI) - Consumers
power Co. said yesterday it probably
won't be building any more nuclear
power plants in the near future, largely
because of complicated licensing
procedures which are not expected to
get any easier.
Mike Koschik, a company
spokesman, said unless the government
makes-its licensing procedures "more
efficient" the next two power plants
Consumers builds probably will be coal
fired.
"WE ARE NOT closing the door on
nuclear power," Koschik said.
"There's a need for licensing reform.
"The intent here is not for less

regulation, necessarily, but for more
efficient regulation, for action that
assures safety while at the same time
not requiring utilities to commit hun-
dreds of millions to a project without
being certain they will get the proper
regulatory approvals," he said.
Koschik said Consumers expects
another power plant to be needed by
1989 and yet another by 1992.
THE FIRST plant, Koschik said,
probably will be coal-fired and the
second could be coal-fired or nuclear,
depending on whether licensing
procedures are changed.
He conceded, however, that it is
unlikely federal officials will make
nuclear power plant licensing any

easier in the near future in light of the
Three Mile Island accident.
Consumers already has invested $1
billion in its Midland nuclear power
plant which still is under construction
and expected to undergo some design
modifications in the wake of Three Mile
Island.
KOSCHIK SAID Consumers expects
to invest another $666 million before
Midland even begins producing elec-
tricity.
"Until the length of time to get plants
approved is shortened, it is not wise for
utilities to get involved with nuclear
power,V'Koschik said.
Consumers President John Selby
testified before Congress last year that

existing licensing procedures make it
too risky for utilities to get involved in
nuclear power.
"Only when the licensing procedures
are modified to remove such risks from
the construction and operation
program can the utilities in this country
proceed with the revitalized nuclear
power program so desperately needed
by the energy users of this country,"
Selby said.
"If nuclear power is to play its proper
role in the future, the licensing process
must be structured in a way that the
utility will know it has a valid license
before it starts to expend large amounts
of money," Selby said.
Democratic
committee
examines
Ann Arbor
(Continued from Pagei)
mitories on North Campus, then, due to
time constraints, was scheduled to
make a quick stop at the Briarwood
Hilton and drive by the Wolverine Inn
before returning to Detroit.
Detroit Mayor Coleman Young said
hotel space remains the crucial selling
point in determining which city
becomes the convention site. Detroit is
reportedly expected to house 20,000
Democratic delegates.
Susan Stoney of the Ann Arbor Con-
ference and Visitors Bureau said the
expected effects on the city "will be
exactly the same" if both the
Republicans, who have already chosen
Detroit for their 1980 convention, anhd
the Democrats occupy hotel space in
July and August, 1980, respectively.
"EACH PROPERTY (hotel) will of-
fer whatever each feels it can afford,"
Stoney continued. Bell Tower manager
Karen Fraccaro said she'll offer 40 of
the hotel's 66 rooms. She said the
Democrats are seeking 2,500 rooms in
Ann Arbor with hotels expected to
provide 15,000 rooms and dorms to offer
5,000 rooms.
Stoney added that the periphery
hotels, such as Boliday Inn - West and
East will offer fewer rooms because
they expect more highway travellers
during that period of summer. Down-
town hotels, on the other hand, would
provide more rooms because of fewer
regular customers expected.
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PALESTINIAN PROTEST Daily Photo by LISA UDELSON
PROTESTORS AGAINST the closing of Bir-Zeit University on Israel's West Bank, rallied in front of the union yesterday in
support of academic freedom for Palestine. The University, according to a recent lecture by its president, lenne Nasir, was
closed May 2 because "it was threatening public peace." According to Nasir, Palestinians have attempted to express "free
ideals" but demonstrations have been disbanded by Israelis.
CounCi passes rezoning

By JOHN GOYER
Four rezoning resolutions approved
by Ann Arbor City Council Monday
night will allow developers to build
almost 275,000 square feet of office
space on the city's south side.
Council voted along party lines, to
change the zoning of close to 30 acres
near Briarwood Mall from light in-
dustrial to an office zoning. Mayor
Louis Belcher said the change is con-
sistent with the intended commerical
use of the land.
BELCHER URGED council mem-
bers to approve the zoning changes. He
said council should look favorably on
proposals that would enlarge the city's
commercial tax base, since council
recently cut property taxes.
Office buildings return more in taxes
to the city than they use in city services,
pointed out Councilman Louis Senunas
(R-Third Ward). Unlike new residential
areas, Senunas added, office buildings
do not bring in more children to attend
city schools.

The Democrats, elected from the
student-populated First and Second
Wards, came out strongly against the
rezoning resolutions. But they hold only
four of 11 potential votes, not enough to
prevent passage of the resolutions.
COUNCILMAN Kenneth Latta (D-
First Ward) said he was concerned
about the "social cost" of building this
amount of office space in the city.
Contradicting Senunas, Latta said of-
fice developments would force the city
to expand its schools and services. Ac-
cording to Latta, office developments
by themselves would not add pupils to
the city's schools, but adding office
space to the city eventually would lead
to increased residential development.
Democratic council members, joined
by Councilman David Fisher (R-Fourth
Ward) questioned the traffic impact of
the south side office developments.
"THE TRAFFIC impact that would
bring to the south area of the city would
be very disturbing," said Coun-
cilwoman Leslie Morris (D-Second

Ward). '
Morris said traffic generated by light
industrial development would be less
than traffic generated by the proposed
office buildings. She suggested that
zoning for three of the four parcels
should remain light industrial.
JOhn Robbins, director of the Streets,
Traffic, and Parking Department said
whatever type of development is built
on the south side, the traffic impact
would be virtually the same.
OVERLOADING State Street would
be the major traffic problem of
developing the south side, according to
Robbins.
The rezoning resolutions approved
Monday night open the way for the
following four office developments:
" A three-story, 69,000 square-foot of-
fice building, owned by McMullen
Property Co.;
" A three-story, 80,000 square-foot
building, on the Lakeside Corporation
property;
See COUNCIL, Page 7