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Show THE VOiCE OF BUSINESS . Dep AdmSraisa reovsoir. voces i f critical decision on enerciv W jut By Richard L. Lesher, Pres. Chamber of Commerce of the United States In recent weeks, we have been treated to a series of stories and articles ar-ticles proclaiming the death of OPEC and the end of the energy crisis. It's nice to daydream, but let's now get serious about energy and face the critical challenge of defining a proper role for the federal government. There is little doubt that the vulnerability of our energy supplies will loom as a cloud over our national security and economic horizons for some time. It is equally clear that past government controls and regulations in the energy field contributed a great deal to the mess they were supposed to correct. This is the double-edged reality the Reagan administration faced upon taking office. After its first year, the administration can proudly point to great progress toward curbing bureaucratic waste and reducing disincentives to greater energy production. Actions such as decontrol of crude oil prices, streamlining of regulations on industrial fuel use and the reduction of nearly 2,000 bureaucrats from the Energy Department were long overdue. Yet, as President Reagan noted in an interview just after his election, deregulation was only one challenge his administration would face on energy. The other is to determine "which of those programs are necessary, are proper functions of government, and then, where they should properly fit." The administration is currently considering con-sidering various options for the government's role in energy, including the fate of Department of Energy. As one who applauds continued deregulation of energy and further reductions in the federal bureaucracy, I would like to suggest three premises upon which a federal energy role could be shaped: First, because the availability of energy has a direct bearing upon our national and economic security, the federal government should maintain a ,:2E policymaking role, and that fatoi should be consolidated in a si federal entity. Second, this entity should operate Re the highest level of government, an ;2r answerable directly to the Praii: a . Third, it should be prepared manage national energy emergenc such as those brought about by terruptions in foreign oil supplies.- During the 1970s, we learned thef way that unwarranted goverar3 intervention in the energy marketpf- discouraged domestic production contributed to unnecessary short.:? in some areas of the nation. The t ea administration acted swiftly to rest e r incentives for increased product z Yet, this encouraging development; no excuse for ignoring reality: We;St far from "home free" on eca Regardless of whether it is embodie a cabinet department, agency or s other governmental entity, a fed monitoring and policymaking funct, properly designed, is necessary desirable. 5 TO |