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Show Park Record Thursday, April 6, 1989 Page All Aimdl Hi (Gne ooo I got fusion i Last week a couple of chemists at the Universify of Utah made the announcement that they have discovered a process they think is controlled nuclear fusion. I don't understand it very well. Frankly, I never have believed in atoms, let alone sub-atomic particles. But the claim is that they can zap "heavy water" with something, and shake an extra neutron loose. The freed neutron blows town in such a hurry that it leaves a patch of rubber rub-ber on the road behind it. They tap that heat to generate electricity. The neutron, after it skips town, joins up with something else and makes helium, which is perfectly safe and clean. The only on-ly possible side effect from a fusion-powered world is that we will all talk like Mickey Mouse because of all the helium in the air. In the past, scientists have always assumed that fusion could only occur at extremely high temperatures, like those found on the surface of the sun. The Utah scientists managed to make fusion fu-sion at low temperatures. In fact, right there on television, they were making fusion in a Rubbermaid Rubber-maid dish pan that didn't even melt. I'm not sure whether the major scientific breakthrough was nuclear fusion or non-melting plastic, but it is a major advance either way. Needless to say, the University of Utah was very happy to have this discovery made on their campus. cam-pus. All universities like to have that kind of prestige, and they may have rushed the announcement announce-ment a little bit. Not to be outdone, the scientists at BYU also called a press conference to say that, "Our fusion's bigger than your fusion," but they backed off when it was confirmed their fusion melts the Rubbermaid washtub. News organizations organiza-tions all around treated it as a big story. NBC mostly ignored it until late in the week, then did one of those stories about how Dan Rather at CBS had reported the story, but that old Dan would fall for most anything. Scientists at other colleges around the nation were very skeptical. They all felt that this process was both too simple and straightforward, and also that nothing of any merit could possibly happen this far inland. In the past, the great advances in nuclear physics have been the province of people with heavy accents and German-sounding names working at schools on the coasts. You know, folks like Openheimer, Von Braun and Einstein. The Park Record's science consultant, Otto Schwartz, professor of cosmetology at Roger's College of Beauty near the campus of MIT expressed ex-pressed doubts typical of those heard elsewhere. "I just don't believe they have discovered anything," he said. "It lacks credibility. I mean we've got this WASP working at a college in Utah, of all places, claiming to have discovered cool temperature fusion. It just doesn't add up. The last WASP physicist was Isaac Newton, and Einstein Eins-tein proved him to be mostly wrong." BY TOM CLYDE Pons' partner on the project has been Dr. Martin Mar-tin Fleischmann. That is a good-German-sounding name, but Schwartz said it hardly helped. "Fleischmann is British. He has an accent right off 'Masterpiece Theater.' His real name is probably pro-bably something like Wainwright. Next thing you know, they'll be claiming that the Great Salt Lake is as salty as the ocean." Famous public television chef, Julia Child, was even more critical of the announcement. "I paid close attention to the process they discussed. They claimed to be able to get four watts of heat for every one watt of energy put into the process. Big deal. I have students do that all the time right here in the kitchen. It's not fusion, it's just a bad batch of chili." Whether the discovery is the key to an endless supply of cheap energy or bad chili, it is exactly the kind of clean, high-tech business venture that Utah's economic development people have been trying to attract for years. The state people are excited, and Governor Bangerter has called a special session of the Legislature to address the issue. The governor wants a special appropriation of $5 million for the fusion project. Most of the $5 million will be spent printing stock certificates to be offered on the penny stock market. "This offers ten times the speculative opportunity we had in the uranium boom," said one source. "It's better than gold mines in Chile. ' ' The penny stock market has been soft for several years in the wake of stronger Federal securities regulations. This is an opportunity to put one of the state's basic industries back together. I understand that the whole Osmond family has signed up to buy shares. Promoters, who have had to busy themselves with time-share condos for the last several years, are now getting their stock brokerages back in business. The other item on the agenda for the Special Session is the adoption of a new state song. Utah's current state song, "Utah, We Love Thee," has never been a very popular tune. Noboby ever tapped tap-ped a toe to that one, let alone danced. In honor of the fusion discovery, legislators propose to change the song to somethign a little more catchy. The new state song will be that Gershwin favorite, "I Got Fusion." I overheard the traders at the Inter-mountain Inter-mountain Stock Exchange in Salt Lake practicing it the other day, and it sounded pretty good. It goes like this: "We got protons, we got neutrons, We got fusion, who could ask for anything more." Of course, the governor's interest runs deeper than just the possibility of a Utah-based research project discovering the key to an endless supply of nearly free energy. He is even looking beyond the resurgence of the penny stock market. He hopes they can get the test project under way soon enough for fusion to power the Great Salt Lake pumps for this year's spring run-off. ((BRUNCH Sunday kki Grub Steak Style Exquisite dishes presented in an enticing buffet style. Includes seafood, poultry, beef, breakfast entrees, fresh fruit and salad bar, homemade pastries and breads. And as a finale, top off your feast with a mouth - watering selection from our famous dessert table. CROP STEAK nESTAURAHT AT PROSPECTOR SQUARE HOTEL 2200 Sidewinder Drive, Park City, UT 84060 (801) 649-8060 Smunminmitt ttn Smunminmttt Aspen meets EPA the aspen times A situation very similar to Park City's Prospector area tailings did not turn out so well for Aspen. The Environmental Protection Agency has mandated clean-up and protection measures there which will run between $4.2 and $5 million. The area targeted by the EPA is a 110-acre portion of Smuggler Mountain, which is populated with residential development. The contaminents are the same lead and cadmium. And, the metals are contained as part of the piles of old mine tailings which underlie the housing. But apparently, where Park City's tailings lie in nice neat layers under the Prospector subdivision and commercial com-mercial development, those in Smuggler are "tossed salad," according to EPA project manager Paula Schmittdiel. Schmittdiel, who also worked on the Prospector Pro-spector case, said residents in Aspen are subject to the harmful effects of the metals because they are not covered by soil. In Prospector, residents taxed themselves to purchase topsoil to cover the tailings in 1985-86. EPA has determined through a remedial site investigation in-vestigation very similar to that performed in Park City that the Smuggler area must be excavated and capped with clean fill. The options include excavating the top two feet of soil and filling with clean soil, adding two feet of soil on top of the tailings without excavating, or excavating ex-cavating one foot and filling one foot. Although clean-up was originally estimated to cost $1.4 million in 1984 when the EPA first looked at the site, the pricetag has soared to between $4 and $5 million after new data were uncovered. Residents have asked why, if the lead and cadmium are most problematic if airborne, the EPA is recommending recommen-ding excavating the site. And, the Aspen Times reported agency representatives represen-tatives seemed "evasive on a host of issues,...including what their date means." To add insult to injury, EPA has singled out 13 potentially poten-tially responsible parties to pay the multi-million cleanup clean-up costs which include two condominium associations with dwellings on the site. transport him from Las Vegas to Jackson Hole, that it was hostility between he and his uncle which provoked Price's action. "It's obvious that a great deal of hatred against his uncle has built up over a period of years," Ferrin said. Ferrin also said Price told him of a "death pact" he had made with accomplice in the murder, Brent "Chief" . Miller. The two men swore they would never go back to prison, and would instead force officers to kill them before they could be arrested. But, Price said Miller had "left him stranded" and so he had not honored the pact. Miller apparently did, however, and was killed by officers of-ficers when confronted at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area March 5 where he brandished an unloaded gun. Turner up for five top-level positions Wyoming state senator and Jackson Hole native John Turner confirmed he is a candidate for five high-level jobs in President George Bush's administration. He is being considered for director of the National Park Service, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ser-vice, Undersecretary of the Interior, assistant secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks in the Dept. of Interior and as assistant Secretary of State. Turner said he is aware of at least 30 candidates for the jobs, and so is not especially anticipating being named nam-ed for any of them. He also said although he was "honored" he was being considered for the positions, he had his eye on the area's U.S. House Representative seat, now held by Dick Cheney. Cheney has been nominated by Bush as Secretary of Defense after his initial in-itial choice, John Tower, was defeated. Jackson Hole Guide Killer wanted revenge Jackson resident Arlen Price confessed to killing his uncle, Lewis "Sonny" Price, after his arrest in Las Vegas last month. ' ' But Teton County Det. Lt. Gene Ferrin, recently revealed it was not a simple case of robbery as they had suspected. Instead, Arlen Price was apparently taking revenge on his uncle for a number of reasons, including allegedly sexually abusing his younger brother, Tim, when he was a child. However, Tim, who is 29 and currently serving time in a Wyoming Penitentiary for raping a 15-year-old girl in 1983, denied he had ever been abused by his uncle. Despite the denial, Ferrin said he learned from Arlen Price in a 17-hour conversation during the drive to Idarado wants to re-open case Idarado Mining Company, which lost a $50 million environmental en-vironmental clean-up case filed by the state of Colorado, has petitioned the judge re-open the case to hear new evidence. The company specifically wants Federal District Court Judge Jim Carrigan to hear about the alleged success suc-cess of its revegatation efforts on mine tailings along the San Miguel River. Carrigan has ordered the company to cap its tailings with four feet of clean fill and vegetate them in a way which prevents soil erosion. But, Idarado says it has used manure and hay mixed in the upper level of some of its mine tailings to create a bed for plant growth. The method was "highly successful" suc-cessful" and would be much less expensive than carting in soil, says Idarado. "If the judge had heard that," said Idarado attorney Chip Clark, "he may have it was not necessary to put a four-foot cap on the tailings." Steffi S&sDftte (opiffi$7 to? Utter VrtjJJD (EE i f m mm i it I ft ' i s tli m I v-S ' - Hall!) IK A "BEST BUY" Definitely one of Park City's best priced rental properties. A premium location. Just a short walk to the Resort Center and an onsite swimming pool make this one bedroom ultra convenient and easy to keep booked. Best of all. the low price of $42,000 makes this a bargain you can afford to own. Dawn Chapman 649-5474 PRICE REDUCED! Brand new Silver Springs home, price reduced to $169,900 to sell quickly. Over 2800 sq. ft.. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, study, spacious kitchen and spectacular mountain views make this quality family home a bargain! Call Today. Dawn Chapman 649-5474 DeanBerrett 649-3497 krittHtan, - r mr Jin PRIME LOCATION This two bedroom, two bath condo is In one of the best locations in town. Within walking distance of both the ski area and the supermarket, this completely furnished unit is priced right at only $75,900. Call Mark at 649-4296 for more details. X E JESS REID Jklal estate Park City, UT. 84060 1910 Prospector Avenue 649-3000 Or at our office location at The Resort Center J |
