Judge
blocks
oil lease
sales
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal judge blocked
the U.S. government from selling 32 oil leases off the
Central California coast yesterday after Gov. Ed-
mund Brown Jr. and 19 local governments objected to
the sales on environmental grounds.
"There can be no doubt that a brief delay in the sale
of these leases is in the public interest," U.S. District
Judge Mariana Pfaelzer said in issuing a temporary
injunction. "The delay will cause insignificant
monetary injury to the U.S. government or to the
potential leaseholders."
BUT SHE SAID she will issue her final ruling
"before the end of the summer, preferably before
July 31" and ordered that all disputed issues be
resolved in court by then.
"I am fully aware of the energy needs of the coun-
try and I have no desire to impede oil exploration and
development," she said.
At issue are 32 tracts of undersea land covering
The Michigan Daily-Thursday, May 28,1981-Page 11
600,000 acres in the Santa Maria Basin north of Santa
Barbara. The auction includes a total of 113 tracts,
but the suit did not contest 81 of them. Originally
there were 34 tracts, but two small ones were com-
bined with neighboring sites to create 32 larger trac-
ts.
AT THE REQUEST of the U.S. Justice Depar-
tment, the judge agreed that the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management could unseal bids on the disputed tracts
even though it could not award the leases.
"We feel it would be helpful to see if there are in
fact any bids on those tracts," one of several federal
lawyers present told the judge. "If there are none, it
would not be necessary to proceed."
AT THE BLM in Los Angeles, spokesman Mike
Fergus said a two-day oil-lease auction that ends
today will continue and that leases on the non-
disputed tracts will be awarded in the usual fashion.
Civil rights groups
defend social security
WASHINGTON (AP) - Labor, senior
citizens, and civil rights groups
renewed their attacks yesterday on the
Reagan administration's proposed
Social Security cuts and defended the
current system that allows workers to
retire at age62.
Douglas Fraser, president of the
United Auto Workers, and other mem-
bers of the 90-group coalition called
"Save Our Security" charged that
President Reagan's plan would sharply
reduce the protection for all workers
and the elderly.
FRASER, WHOSE auto workers can
retire after 30 years in the industry
regardless of age, said at a news con-
ference: "I don't see down the road any
alteration in the early retirement. I
don't think there should be."
He cited Social Security figures that
show 57 percent of workers choosing
early retirement at 62 do so because
they are disabled, and 24 percent have
lost their jobs. Only a small minority
are in good health and leaving steady
jobs, he said.
Fraser's union has begun placing full-
page ads in major newspapers at-
tacking Reagan's Social Security plan,
which would reduce from 80 percent to
55 percent the benefits a worker could
draw at age 62 starting next Jan. 1.
FRASER SAID that by 1987, a UAW
worker who retired this year at age 56
would get a Social Security check $3004a
month less than expected.
"It is wrong to break a longstanding
commitment of the U.S. government to
its citizens. It is wrong to penalize
disproportionately those least able to
handle reductions in income," he said.
"It is wrong to wring tens of billions of
dollars out of retirees' benefits so that
they may be applied to other parts of
the federal budget."
Jerry Wurf, president of the
American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees, said,
"Social Security is a solemn obligation.
It is not a gift, it is not compassion."
WURF SAID HIS union would like to
see the payroll tax abolished and to
have all of Social Security paid from
general tax revenues. "The well-being
of elder Americans is as important as
our water or our air," said Wurf.
He and former Social Security Com-
missioner Robert Ball expressed the
fear that in fighting Reagan's proposed
cuts, Social Security supporters may be
forced to settle for lesser cuts that
would still have a bad impact.
Bill Hutton of the National Council of
Senior Citizens said Social Security is
"our first and strongest bulwark again-
at poverty.'
"None of us are so dumb as to think
we can't improve our Social Security
system . . . But it takes time, and it
takes a scalpel, not a meat-ax."
Union screenwriters
consider contract
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Striking
screenwriters considered two contract
proposals yesterday - one from major
motion picture and television
producers, the other from independent
producers - that could end their six-
week-old walkout.
The board of directors of the Writers
Guild of America recommended rejec-
tion Tuesday of the latest contract offer
from major motion picture and
television producers.
HOWEVER, it asked the guild's 8,500
members to accept a proposed contract
with the independent producers. More
than two independent producers have
already signed the contract and have
resumed work on scripts. Among those
signing was Johnny Carson Produc-
tions,".which enabled-hisaeompany to
resume production of NBC's "Tonight
Show."
The guild members were to cast their
ballots at a meeting last night at the
Hollywood Palladium. At issue is the
payment of fees for pay television and
for videocassettes and discs.
THE MAJOR producers have offered
the writers 1.5 percent of the revenues
from made-for-pay-television
programs after they have been broad-
cast 10 days within a year on all pay TV
systems. They also offered them 1.5
percent to be paid after the first 100,000
cassette or disc units are sold.
The guild is asking for 4.5 percent af-
ter the producers recover certain
production costs.
Because few shows were ready to
start production, the strike has had lit-
tle visible impacto fat]programming
of the three major networks.