| Show THE NATURAL GAS SHORTAGE SHORTAGE-IS iS THERE A SOLUTION Wh Whether ether the American consumer will at long last be given a term long solution to the nations nation's critical shortages of oC natural gas gasnow gasnow gasnow now rests In the hands of the US U.S. House of Representatives ta In a very short time the members of this body will vote to approve a natural nat hat natural ural gas bill which could either duplicate the Senates Senate's recent precedent setting precedent setting 68 58 to 32 vote to decontrol new natural gas prices or confine legislation to short term short term measures designed to meet this winters winter's expected 13 trillion cubic feet shortfall of natural gas Pressure for Cor the latter is currently being applied by a coalition of House anti- anti decontrol advocates led by Reps John D. D Dingell D D. D Mich and John E E. E Moss D D. D Calif Despite the Senates Senate's Senates Senate's Senates Senate's Sen Sen- ates ate's approval of oC both short short- term relief and term long-term decontrol these advocates have vowed to hold any similar similar sim aim ilar liar legislation in inthe the House solely to emergency relief measures as defined in HR a bill sponsored by Rep Dingell Why then in the wake of oC the Senates Senate's decision to act simultaneously on both critical critical critical crit crit- ical issues decontrol proponents proponents pro pro- ask ask are the House decontrol anti-decontrol forces Corces still insisting insisting insisting in in- that thata a term long-term an answer answer n- n to the natural gas supply supply supply sup sup- ply shortage is not possible at this time Nearly every impartial expert who has examined the evidence of the shortage is on record as testifying that the only reasonable answer answer answer an an- to the crisis lies in removing removing removing re re- re- re moving federal curbs from Crom the wellhead price of oC natural natural natural nat nat- ural gas And as recently recently's as s this past September agricultural agricultural agricultural tural and industrial us users rs who depend on natural gas for the survival of their businesses businesses businesses busi busi- nesses testified before Rep Dingell's own House Subcommittee Subcommittee Subcommittee Sub Sub- committee on Energy and Power in the same manner The crisis facing us this winter emphasized Har Harry y Thomas vice president of U. U S S. S Steel Corp and chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man of oC the American Iron i 14 G N 1 h 2 l r and Steel Institutes Institute's Energy Committee only points out that the answer lies not In term short-term palliatives structured on outworn concepts concepts concepts con con- of regulation which Induced in induced induced In- In the present crisis but instead in term long-term approaches approaches approaches ap ap- ap- ap to solving the root causes of or the problem The only such answer he added lies added lies in deregulation tion Lion of oC new natural gas Similarly Bill Brier speaking for Cor the National Council of oC Farmer Cooperatives tives pointed out that while the Council believed short- short term relief was important it would be a national tragedy tragedy tragedy trag trag- edy if term long-term solutions so urgently needed are thrust aside in favor Cavor of emergency legislation And in a like vein vein the testimony of oC R. R S. S Wishart Jr director of oC Feedstock and Energy Policy Union Carbide Corp and member of or the Petrochemical Energy Group We are convinced that there is only one way to prevent increased shortages deregulate the price of new natural gas gas- And doing it now provides the best chance of increasing sing supplies supplies supplies sup sup- plies decreasing nonessential nonessential nonessential non- non essential demand and minimizing minimizing minimizing mini mini- mizing the economic impact to priority high-priority consumers In brief brieC what all these natural g gas s users said was that there is no logical reason why legislation c can cannot can cannot n not provide b both th short 1 and nd term long-term relief and no logical logical logical logi logi- cal reason why it can not be enacted jointly now The Senates Senate's vote to decontrol decontrol decontrol de de- de- de control new natural gas indicates indi indi- indicates cates that those legislators felt this approach is not only logical but mandatory to the energy health and welfare of or the nation In deliberating deliberating deliberating de de- de- de liberating passage of its decontrol decontrol de de- de control bill the Senate weighed in substance the same same evidence and testimony testimony testimony mony presented to Rep Dingell and his subcommittee What the Senate did was to vote for Cor a combination of short short term terni emergency emergency relief and term long deregulation of or new gas to help lead the way toward solving the natural natural nat ural gas shortage Its passage of oC the Natural Gas Bill of or 1975 1976 most experts believe w will ll safeguard the consumer with the maximum amount of oC price protection by deregulating deregulating deregulating de de- de- de regulating prices gradually while it provides the eco economic economic economic incentives s needed by producers to find vital new gas supplies These people believe it is isnow isnow isnow now up to Reps Dingell and Moss and other members of oC the House who refute this logic to tell the American public why They point out that it may not be an easy task for it is the same American public which in recent national Harris polls told Congress by convincingly convincingly con con- large majorities that it not only wanted price controls removed from Cram natural gas but agreed that this action would provide the economic incentives needed to develop new domestic domestic domestic do do- supplies r A y yA A cork dipped in scouring r p powder can effectively clean cutlery and pots and pans I T 1198 In Ill 1 1111 Nt H N t i m 1 fl I 11 |
