Page 8-Friday, June 15, 1979-The Michigan Daily
State officials say Carter
WASHINGTON (AP)-New Jersey's fortunes.
consumer affairs director emerged JACK WATSON, special assistant to
from a White House meeting recently, the president, says the administration
unable to hide his anger. "We had to diligently seeks advice from governors
beg to be invited. The president just on energy matters, from decontrol to_
isn't sensitive to how we can help him thermostat settings.
save energy." Yet, he adds: "The criticism is an in-
Adam Levin's complaint is not dication of a shortfall on our part,
unique. State consumer officials from either in the amount of consultation we
California to Ohio to Georgia claim the conduct with state and local officials or
Carter administration ignores them in in the projection of what we're doing."
the battle to conserve energy or control Meanwhile, Americans should not
gasoline prices. encounter gasoline shortages this
The criticism perplexes many Carter summer if a sudden unexpected spurt
aides, some of whom acknowledge that in oil imports continues, Energy
such local discontent can further erode Secretary James Schlesinger said
White House credibility on energy and yesterday.
even influence the president's political HOWEVER, WHILE reporting a rise
insensitive to gas needs
in imports this week of 840,000 barrels a industry.
day, Schlesinger said the ad- "Oil companies are distributing,
ministration was disappointed over a corfdng to government regulations,
decline in refinery operations that the refined product that is present
could jeopardize the good news.
He said he would call in those refiners "Oil companies are distributing,;
who hve cut back to determine why, cording to government regulations,
and he held out the possibility offederal the refined product that is presen
action if the answers are not satisfac-, available for distribution," DiB
tory. said. "Our supply and distribut
Charles DiBona, president of the systems are stretched to their lim
American Petroleum Institute (API), and, in some cases, beyond th
said at a separate news gathering: "Oil limits."
companies are running through their In another development, Schlesin
refineries all of the crude oil that they said in a report to President Carter t
can safely run." The industry "is not the nation "just may not make
holding back products awaiting higher without greatly expanding its use
rices," he said. coal.
API IS THE lobbying arm of the oil
Energy crunch hits USSR,
Soviets asked to conserve
MOSCOW (AP)-The Kremlin has economy.
ordered "very strict" fuel-saving Of the nation's 262 million peof
measures in a decree showing the only a few million own private cars,
world's biggest oil producer is also their daily demand for gasoline is
feeling an energy crunch. less than in the West.
The decree, issued by the Communist It was an unusual admission that
Party Central Committee and the Soviet Union could face fuel shorta
Soviet Council of Ministers, was in the coming cold months if the c
published yesterday in the Soviet press. try's energy consumption and prod
It expressed concern that needed tion stay at present levels.
energy supplies were being wasted and Though there have been "Save Fu
called for "very strict control over their campaigns here before-the m
rationalutilization." recent was in 1976-a West.
THE GOVERNMENT also ordered economist said this one was "a lot m
large increases in coal, heavy oil and strident than in the past."
natural gas output to ensure that con- Until now, the Soviet Union appea
sumers and industries would get "unin- to have escaped the energy cr
terrupted supplies" next fall and win- plaguing the Western world. Soviet
ter. wells yield an average of 11 mil
The Soviets' main problem is not barrels a day, almost a fourth of wh
meeting consumer gas needs, but is exported. Saudi Arabia, by c(
heating apartments and homes in cities parison,. exports almost all of th
and rural areas, and powering the in- million barrels a day it produces.
dustrial enterprises that make up the
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