4 Page 2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 18, 1984 Reactor costs soar report says WASHINGTON (AP) - The nuclear industry, shaken by the cancellation of one power plant and the government's refusal to license another, got more bad news yesterday with a government report showing three-fourths of the nation's reactors have cost at least double what was promised. The Energy Department's Energy In- formation Administration said the final construction costs for 77 percent of the plants now operating were at least double the pre-construction estimates. IN 28 PERCENT of the cases, the agency said, the final cost was more than four times the original estimate. The EIA, an independent agency within the department, blamed the in- creased price tags primarily on in- flation, skyrocketing interest rates and construction costs, and long building delays. In 1971, for example, utilities were estimating it would take them only four years to build a nuclear plant. Now, they say the average construction period is 14 years. THE REPORT, coupled with other developments within the past week, raised new questions about the fate of some of the other 48 reactors under construction around the country. Last Friday, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing panel, citing quality control failures, refused to grant an operating permit for Com- monwealth Edison Co.'s nearly com- pleted $3.35 billion twin-reactor Byron plant in Illinois. On Monday, bowing to pressure from state officials, Public Service Co. of In- diana abandoned efforts'to complete its twin-reactor Marble Hill plant after having sunk $2.5 billion into it. THE DECISION on Marble Hill, the 99th and 100th reactors cancelled since 1974, sent shock waves through the in- dustry because construction was so far along. Work on the first unit was 59 percent completed, and the second unit was 37 percent finished. Until then, a utility had not scrapped a plant that was more than 27 percent completed. That oc- curred when the Tennessee Valley Authority cancelled its Phipps Bend plant in 1982. Last month, the government said in a report on the future of the nuclear in- dustry that it made no sense economically to cancel any plant in wh- ich 45 percent of the construction was finished. "That just shows you how far the government is behind the times,'' Charles Komanoff, a consulting economist on nuclear economics, said yesterday. "As it now stands, you can make a good ecnomic case of cancelling a plant that is not into the 70-to' 75 per- cent range of construction." Pearson pleads not guilty to Faber murder I By CAROLINE MULLER Machelle Yvonne Pearson, 17, the ac- cused killer of Nancy Faber, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of first- degree murder during her arraignment before the Washtenaw County Circuit Court. In an earlier hearing, the county prosecuter played a taped confession in which Pearson admitted that she shot 39-year-old Faber, but she said the gun went off "accidently." In the tape, Pearson said her 20-year- old boyfriend RicardoHart beat her up, gave her a gun, and told her to go "steal" something, then forced her to approach Faber near the Kroger supermarket at Plymouth and Green roads. UPON CONFRONTING Faber, Pearson asked her for a ride, and when shy got inside the car, pulled out the gun and demanded Faber hand over her purse. As Faber reached for the gun, Pear- son said, the weapon went off. Pearson and Hart were both charged with first-degree murder, armed rob- bery, and possession of a firearm. Judge Ross Campbell set no bond at Pearson's arraignment. The preliminary trail is scheduled for Mar- ch 30 at 2 p.m. The trial will be held April 30at 9:00 a.m. Hart's preliminary examination is today at 9 a.m. at the 15th District Cour- thouse in Ann Arbor City Hall. AAUP criticizes reviews (Continued from Page 1) get reallocation procedures." FORMER AAUP president Wilfred Kaplan, however, called the faculty "cowards" for not acting sooner. "They're so afraid, their jobs are at stake, and they are afraid to talk. We have a coward faculty. What they don't realize is that some are going to lose their jobs anyhow," he said. Most of the discussion of the statement, like Kaplan's comments, resulted from the timing rather than the contents of the statement. HERBERT Hildebrandt, chairman of_ SACUA, the top faculty committee being asked, to support the statement, predicted that it may be criticized because it came "when the process is over. "If there is going to be a change in the process, the time to make it is early in the process," the business professor said after the meeting. Hildebrandt said that the level of dissatisfaction this long after the cuts were made surprised him. "We've not received a single letter of dissent," he said: "To be honest this is the first weting ,toe whichI've been invited where I have (witnessed this)." Flipped AP Photo Dr. Patrick Barry, left, and Dr.. Richard Foley admire their work after equipping a 400-pound sea turtle with a pair of $200,000 rubber flippers in Islamorada, Fla. yesterday. The turtle lost both front flippers to a shark bite .while swimming off the coast of Florida, and would have been kept in cap- tivity the rest of her life - an estimated 75 years - without the operation. IN BRIEF Compiled from Associated Press and United Press International reports Gunmen kidnap Saudi consul BEIRUT, Lebanon - Three carloads of gunmen kidnapped the consul of the Saudi Arabian Embassy yesterday, ambushing his chauffeur-driven car on the crowded streets of west Beirut in a daring daylight attack. Christian Phalange radio blamed the kidnapping of Hussein Farraj on the Hisbollah, a fundamentalist Lebanese Shiite Moslem group suspected of in- volvement in attacks against the multinational peacekeepers in Beirut. No group immediately claimed responsibility, but an official from the Justice Ministry who declined to be identified said a man calling himself a member of Hisbollah had threatened other Saudi diplomats in a telephone call a month ago. Saudi Arabia is deeply involved in mediating efforts to end the violence in Lebanon, but has made enemies in the Middle East because of its ties to the United States. London officials arrest Linda McCartney for drug possession LONDON - Customs officials arrested former Beattle Paul McCartney's wife, Linda, on a charge of marijuana possession yesterday at Heathrow Airport as they returned from Barbados, where both had been convicted of having the drug. A customs spokesman, who declined to be identified by name, said inspec- tors discovered the marijuana as the McCartneys prepared to leave the air- port in their private plane. Customs sources said "a small amount" of marijuana was found in Mrs. McCartney's possession. McCartney's wife, 41, the former Linda Eastman of New York, was held for four hours at Heathrow's Northside police station and released without bail. She was ordered to appear at Uxbridge magistrate's court in west Lon- don on Jan. 24. She faces a maximum possible punishment of three months in prison and a fine of 500 pounds ($700), a Home Office spokesman said. The customs officials moved in after McCartney, also 41, told reporters who mobbed him at the airport that he believed marijuana should be "decriminalized." Nicaragua issues protest over Honduran helicopter entrance Nicaragua issued a protest yesterday to onduras charging a camouflaged helicopter from Honduras entered its airspace near where a U.S .helicopter pilot was killed last week, Nicaraguan officials said. The protest came at a time when relations between the two Central American neighbors have reached a low point following the death last Wed- nesday of Chief Warrant Officer Jeffery Schwab. The United States says Schwab was killed by Nicaraguan soldiers after he landed a light observation helicopter some 200 yards inside Honduras. On Monday, Gen. Daniel Bali Castillo, commander of the Honduran Public Security Force, warned that relations between Honduras and Nicaragua were approaching "a very dangerous point" because.of alleged Sandinista cross-border attacks against farmers and the killing of Schwab. The Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry sent a letter of protest to Honduras saying another helicopter entered its airspace Monday. Congress for sale, lobby clans WASHINGTON - More than a third of the nation's political action com- mittees contributed 80 percent or more of their money to incumbents in the 1982 congressional elections in a legal attempt at influence buying, Common Cause charged yesterday. The self-styled citizens' lobby released figures showing that over, the past decade, 10 PACs have given $44.7 million to congressional candidates. The American Medical Association and its state affiliate PACs were far out in front with $5.95 million. Five other unions were in the top 10. Business interest dominated Common Cause's list of 64 PACs that gave $100,000 in the 1982 elections and channeled at least 80 percent to re-elect senators and members of the House. Fred Wertheimer, president of the 255,000-member organization, called PACs - which can give $5,000 per candidate per election - an "ugly" but legal method of buying influence in Congress. Common Cause is launching a year-long; $600,000 television and radio ad- vertising campaign today in Iowa, New Hampshire and Massachusetts to muster public support for legislation that would curb PAC spending. The organization also wants to provide full tax credits for individual contributors to House candidates who agree to limit spending to $240,000. American life expectancy rises WASHINGTON - Americans are living longer but paying more than ever for health care - an average of $1,365 per person in 1982, or more than 10 percent of the gross national product - the government reported yesterday. In its yearly report on U.S. health, the Department of Health and Human Services said infant mortality has dropped while life expectancy has risen. At the same time, however, the cost of health care has continued to escalate rapidly, the report said. Health care expenditures in the U.S. totaled $322.4 billion in 1982, due largely in part to higher costs for hospital care, medicines, and medical equipment. Overall, the mortality rate for heart disease fell 25 percent since 1970, but it remained the leading cause of death, accounting for about a third of all deaths in 1982. The death rate for strokes since 1970 dropped 40 percent. "This is, in a sense, my department's report card on health progress and I would say the news is exceptionally good," Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler said at a news conference. "Our national health is better than ever."' Wednesday, January 18, 1984 Vol. XCI V-No. 89 (ISSN 0745-967X) The Michigan Daily is edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan. Published daily Tuesday through Sunday mornings during the University year at 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109. Sub- scription rates: $15.50 September through April (2 semesters); $19.50 by mail outside Ann Arbor. Summer session published Tuesday through Satur- day mornings. Subscription rates: $8 in Ann Arbor; $10 by mail outside Ann Arbor. Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Michigan. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE MICHIGAN DAILY, 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. The Michigan Daily is a member of the Associated Press and subscribes to United Press International, Pacific News Service, Los Angeles Times Syn- dicate and Field Enterprises Newspaper Syndicate. News room (313) 764-0552, 76-DAILY; Sports desk, 763-0376; Circulation, 764-0558; Classified Advertising, 764-0557; Display Advertising, 764-0554; Billing, 764-0550. Tom Ehr, Joe Ewing. Chris Gerbosi. Jeff Harrison, Pau Editor-in-chief...................... .BARRY WITT 'Helgren, Steve Hunter. Tom Keoney, Ted Lerner, Doug Managing Editor ......................JANET RAE Levy. Tim Makinen. Adam Martin. Mike McGraw, News Editor......................GEORGE ADAMS Scott McKinley, Barb McQuade. Lisa Nofen. Phil Student Affairs Editor .................. BETH ALLEN Nussell, Rob Pollard. Mike Redstone. Scott Solowich. Opinon age ditrs .............DAID PAK Poulo Schipper, Randy Schwartz. Rich Weidis. Steve BILL SPINDLE Ws.Ade of Arts/Magazine Editors .............. MARE HODGESi Business Manager SAM G SLAUGHTER IV SUSAN MAKUCH Soles Manager MEG GIBSON Associate Arts Editor .................JAMES BOYD Operations Manager LAURIE ICZKOVITZ Sports Editor.........................JOHN KERR Classified Manager PAM GILLERY Associate Sports Editors ............ JIM DWORMAN Display Manager JEFF VOIGT LARRY FREED Finance Manager JOE TRULIK CHUCK JAFFE Nationals Mopager RON WEINER LARRY MISHKIN Coop Manager DENA SHEVZOFF RON POLLACK Assistant Display Manager NANCY GUSSIN Chief Photographer ................DEBORAH LEWIS Assistant Classified Manager LINDA KAFTAN NEWS STAFF: Marian Abernathy, Cheryl Boocke. 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