The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, August 1, 1979-Page 7
Auto engineers: shale best synthetic fuel
DETROIT (AP) - Although auto planes. of shale "are not insurmountable," said comanies.
engineers appear to welcome President THE CONSENSUS emerging from in- Bidwell. "You can restore the land," he Maroni added that in the long term,
Carter'sasynthetic fuels program, some terviews with top technical executives said. "We've been learning how in the pure alcohol fuel - methanol - made
fear it may turn into a wasteful boon- in the Big Three companies is that strip mining industry." from coal "is more environmentally
doggle. mining oil shale, found mostly in Maroni said the president's program benign." He said work on coal should
"I don't know what took so long," Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, is the left out one essential - decontrol of be pursued along with that on shale.
said Joseph Bidwell, executive director best place to start, because the gasoline prices. "Industry, dealers, and That long term would give the in-
of the General Motors (GM) Corp. technology is well-developed, the price the public at large would be better ser- dustry time to modify engines to use
research laboratories, whose company of shale-produced petroleum would be ved if prices at the pump were allowed methanol, as GM already is doing in
has been urging a start on a synthetic closest to that of natural petroleum, to float up and down. If there's har- Brazil.
fuel industry for 14 months. existing refineries could be used, and dship, handle it another way - fuel In the short term, more petroleum
BUT BIDWELL added, "All of a sud- synthetic fuels from that source would stamps, perhaps, like food stamps." can be conserved than many think, the
den, everybody wants to do something take less energy to produce than syn- Making clear that he was speaking executives believe, not so much in cars
in that area. If we do too much, too thetic fuels from coal. for himself and not his company, as in power and heating plants.
soon, we might spoil the whole thing." Bidwell said that shale is so close to Maroni said he would advise Congress "Coal, if burned in all oil burners,
The president's program, calling for economic feasibility that subsidies "to let the private companies do it. A would get us two million barrels a day,
commitment of $88 billion to produce should be needed only to absorb the government program in peacetime said Charles Heinen, director of
2.5 million barrels a day in 1990, is "a startup risk. "A declining subsidy cannot do it without wartime cohesion. research and materials engineering for
potential lifesaver for the United States scheme makes sense," he said. He ad- I fear a pork barrel, and we'll risk $88 Chrysler Corp. "As for homes, how
over the long run, sustaining em- ded that a 2.5 million barrels-per-day billion. about gas?
ployment and our mobility," said goal "may be more grandiose than it "RATHER, WE should require the oil "Don't forget, we are not going to
Jacques Maroni, director of environ- need be." companies by 1985 to include a small have an increase in gasoline use," he
mental research and engineering plan- "We can build a viable shale industry percentage of 'local content' synthetics added. "After 1987 it's going to go
ning for Ford Motor Co. of 500,000 barrels a day - 10 plants. We in their fuel. That could be increased. down."
Of the 8.5 million barrels a day of im- can learn a heck of a lot from that - we That would avoid the necessity of the Bidwell notes that GM is using in one
ported oil, transportation uses about have to solve environmental problems, terribly difficult process of picking a of its boilers a mixture of oil and 20 per
half, with that half about equally supply problems, people problems," he liquid and would get the best out of the cent powdered coal.
divided between cars and all other for- said.
ms - trucks, trains, buses, and air- THE ENVIRONMENTAL problems
Carter talks on coal
at Ky. town meeting
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (AP) - erect enormous barriers between the
President Carter, campaigning in coal- people and your president." He asser-
rich Kentucky for his energy program ted:
and political survival, urged par- "I am determined to keep those
ticipants in a gymnasium "town barriers down. That's why I am here, in
meeting" yesterday to battle oil lob- Bardstown listening to your comments
byists and strike a blow for Kentucky- and answering your questions. I
mined coal. promise you that no distance, no
Carter warned that "the voices of or- barrier, no trapping of office will
dinary citizens get drowned out by the separate me from you."
non-stop lobbying of special interests." The president also said he does not
He then declared that folks in Bar- think the time is right to normalize
dstown know how important his energy diplomatic relations with Vietnam,
blueprint is "for the future of Kentucky citing the refugee problem and the
coal." Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia as
IN TWO BLUE Grass state ap- problems to be worked out. He said the
pearances - at a coal-fired power plant number of Vietnamese refugees en-
near Louisville and a high school gym- tering the United States is "not too
nasium here - the president boosted heavy a burden," adding: "Our country
that "America is the Saudi Arabia of is big enough and strong enough to take
coal," favored with 31 per cent of all care of the refugees from Vietnam."
world reserves. NOTING THAT Carter's energy
In the text of an opening statement at program calls for increasing reliance
his first "town meeting" since moving on coal, a questioner voiced concern
dramatically to revive his presidency, that strip-mining operations would
Carter told his Bardstown audience: spoil the land. Carter replied that the
"I would rather burn another ton of coal industry would be making a
Kentucky coal than see our nation mistake to insist on lowering environ-
become dependent on another barrel of mental standards. He said lobbying to
OPEC Oil. We must meet America's ease environmental laws would be
basic energy needs with America's own counterproductive because "one thing
energy." that people believe is that coal is dirty."
IN BOTH appearances, Carter The president made his speech after
plugged hard for enactment of the touring the Louisville Gas & Electric
"windfall profits" excise tax on the oil Co.'s Cane Run Station plant.
industry, asserting that it is the only
way to finance his energy program. But The Ann Arbor Fim Cool
he said the tax is "in danger of being WEDNESDAY
killed or crippled." AGUIRRE, THE V
"Billions of dollars are riding on this (Werner Herzog, t972)
fight over the windfall profits tax," he Not enough can be said of this great mov
told the Bard.town audience. "The oil and breathtaking photography in allc
of expression, it can be compared to
lobby knows this - and that is why they quistidor (KLAUS KINSKI) descends intor
are willing to work night and day to into the mysterious Peruvian junble, se
cripple this vital legislation. recommended. In German, with subtitle
"If this decision is made behind WERNER HERZOG SHORTS
closed doors in Washington, then the PRECAUTIONS AGA I
special interests will win and the Elaborate on-camera practical joke in'
American people will lose. The people appointed protector of racehorses.
of Kentucky know how important this LA SOUFR
fight is for the future of Kentucky
coal ... Make your voice heard." Herzog's unforgettable vision of a wor
APPEARING AT his first question- THE GREAT ECSTASY OF THE
and-answer session with citizens in this A lyricol documentary about Walter S
country since March 24 - he held a the world'sgreatest ski jumper (of fli
"town-meeting"in Japan (asg pyogtb-. captures thev terrifying isolJtiop of Stejr
Carter sa id die duuie of mi, Job Lentlt '
THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD Sean Cantrell
tried out President Carter's spot behind
the podium bearing the president's seal
yesterday during the town meeting at
- .. ..5E th Aa..s,. tx
Bardstown, Ky. Sean ran into trouble
with the microphone on the auditorium
floor, so Carter took command and of-
fered him the podium.
perofive presents at.Aud A
, AUGUST 1
WRATH OF GOD
7& 10:20-AUD A
vie. Features some of the most haunting
cinema. In sheer beauty and subtlety
BARRY LYNDON. A 16th-century con-
madness as he goes deeper and deeper
arching for gold and El Dorado. Highly
3s.
8:40 only--Aud A
MST FANATICS (1969, 11mm)
volving German celebraties and a self-
IERE (1977, 30m)
id poised on the edge of an 'apocalypse.
SCULPTOR STEINER (1975. 45m)
Steiner, a Swiss woodcarver who is also
ler). Anazing slow-motion photography
zelfp 94stasy.
Fo ~trerly Fifth lFor !.T.e .
COME
FOR
THE
"Erdybi rd"
Specil
WOODY ALLEN
DIANE KEATON
MICHAEL MURPHY
MARIEL HEMINGWAY ENDS
MERYLTREEP SOONI
ANNE BYRNE
Wed. fSt. Sun. (Adults Si. 5til 3 00)
2:30, 420, 6:20, 8:10, 10:00
Mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri. (Adults $1.50 til
6:30)6:208 :10, 10:0
mimli