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Show Page 2-THE HERALD. Provo. Utah, Wednesday, January 23, 1980 News about issues facing the people of Utah Valley Utah Valley Geneva’'s Future Assessed By ROBERT McDOUGALL Herald City Editor “Ten years from now there won't be a steel plant here if government regulators don't leave us alone,” says Henry A. Huish, general superinten- i go 30 percent. ees! qoneeaerer mecwoeses aS sscnertesscta PORK CHOPS towscomms Robert McDougall Photo dent of U.S. Steel's Geneva Works. U.S. Steel is battling the federal government on at least two fronts in whatofficials have called a ‘fight for survival.” On one front, the Environmental Protection Agency is ing the companyto meetclean air standards the companysays could cost $114 million to meet. . On another front energy regulators are studying a proposal which would add $27 ‘niflion a year to the price Geneva pays for natural gas. “This can’t go on," Huish said. ‘‘We can’t survive unless we can remain profitable and build capital reserves.” Henoted that in Japan,steel plants have been demolished after 15 years so moreefficient, modern plants can be built. The new plants are financed by the Japanese national bank and become tough competition for U.S. steelmakers. ie “The Japanese government a very different attitude aboutits steel industry,’’ noted Huish. ‘‘It’s something they want to build.” Hesaid hefeels this country has gone too far in social and welfare programs which try to solve problems by funds transfers which take money from one area and give it to another. “The Jaj would rather spend money on building steel plants to provide jobs — that’sa big difference,” e 5 Headded that recent Department of Labor statisticsposing to declining presently of U.S workers does not ave directrelation to steel production. “Productivity is level, but not reallyon the decline,” he said. Huish pointed out that the amount of steel produced per man hour is the result of market conditions and equipmentrather than workerefficiency. “Perhaps you can use teamwork at a furnace to boost output by five percent if everyone works at it, butif youbring a new furnace on line you can boost it by 150 percent,” said Huish. Hestressed that steel companies are not able to accumulate some capital to provide for new plants. talked aboutleverage, or the amountof debt a company can carry compared to the amount it owns to secure those debts. He said Japanese steel firms can be 90 Seren leveraged while U.S. itthey ‘3 cone under investigation PORK ROAST aia, New operating procedures at Geneva’s Open Hearth furnace have already cut dust and smoke emissions. But EPA says that’s not enough. State Air official negotiators was held in Salt Lake Jan. 10. At the meeting a number of engineering differences could not be resolved, according to Geneva’s Boyd Erickson, supervisor of environmental engineering,so a follow upis to be held Tuesdayin Pittsburgh, Pa. U.S.Steel has built a section of an air collector recommended by EPA over an open hearth at the Pittsburgh plant. U.S. Steel says the collector does not work so technicalspecialists will meet to study the matter. The next meeting of the whole committee of negotiators will be Feb. 19 in Salt LakeCity. Erickson points out that the plan proposed by U.S. Steel and already approved by the state will come very close to meeting EPA's moststringent clean air standards. The area in dispute is about 400 acres of farm land immediately east of the plant, Erickson says. Computerstudies made by the state show only one area Genevaofficials are putting the best levels will be much better than EPA reface on the negotiations and are confi- quires in future standards. dent they can reach a settlement, but Geneva’s future is far from certain they privately admit that EPA’s butofficials are fairly optimistic that negotiators are sticking to the pata onatleast the EPAissue,a settlement at the law is the law and t ey are“ can be reached. But pessimism among there to enforceit if it can be met by some workers and community leaders in Utah Valley remains and the concurrent air cleaning technology. The EPAstandard would allow only timance of Geneva’s 4,500 jobs re75 millionths of a gram of dustparticles mains an uncertainty. Today, U.S.Steel has decided to close in theair at the worst spot. The present levelis about 167 ration of a gram. n an unp! i and the Geneva $62.6 million clean up in Pittsburg, Calif. The company anplan wouldreduce that amountto only 5 nounced Tuesday it will shut a steel millionths of a gram more than EPAis pipe facility there because of heavyimwilling to settle on. port competition. The action will result “If we are forced to go all the way in 40 layoffs. : and meetthe standard, the final five Last year U.S. Steel ‘decided to close millionths of a gram would cost $9 mil- 15 “‘red-ink”’ facilities, laying off about lion i each, which would break us,” 13,000 employees. Those closings lend credibility to management's threat to Ericksonsaid. “One of our people calculated that close Geneva if EPA is not reasonable the job of removing those last five mil- aboutclean air requirements, lionthsof a gram is similarto trying to i Steelmen point out that in the last find a bee in the astrodome,”’ he quip- five years Geneva has been only marginally profitable and if they had wi beat ube Ot oesfat at ron be minutely higher than EPA’s require- Ine same computer predictions show tried to meetall of EPA's demands, the that in the rest of tah Valley dust plant would have been in the red. ment. Geneva Gilcals are in the midst of negotiations with EPA to soften the impact new clean air standards would have on the plant. They began with 31 - issues to resolve and are now i By PATRICK CHRISTIAN The two most costly Is reHerald Staff Reporter main to be resolved. EPA has been A rumoris circulating among pushing for air cleaning devices at the open hearth operation which Geneva Geneva employees claiming that if the officials say really don’t work and are steel plant doesn’t show a profit by so costly it would force the plant to June U.S. Steel may close it. “‘There’s no basis to this rumor,” close. New procedures for making steelin said Jack Bollow, a public affairs the open hearthsare already being used spokesman for Geneva. and the airis already cleaner,officials Hesaid, ‘‘1t: people have been laid off and we expect a 10 percent drop in say. a full meetingof U.S.Steel, EPA and the market, but Genevaofficials have CHMEAT LONGMIRE cccsssssssen sq? Fair Skies To Continue The strong high prestah and the Intermountain region today is expected to weaken by Thursday as a cold trough developing over the Pacifi c drops ps inland. National Weather Savie aeskies over Utah will remain generaljy fair through Thursday, except for smog and low clouds in the valleys along the Wasatch Front. In the Utah Count: Y area, this evening’s forecast is for cold and partly cloudy with lows in TetMiler, Ends 6 Pieces, 1OLb......00 SOM” sure system over COCKTAIL Munt's $303 ....eceeeee CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP 24 MB ......... Saas STARKIST TUNA N/2.. c the low 30's. Winds should be from the north at0 to5 mph. There is no chance of precipitation. Thursday’s forecast June Closing For Geneva Denied tl the low 30's. Winds should be from the north at 5 to 10 mph . Chance of precipitation is 10 per said nothing specific abnout closing.” Bollow. Hecalled June an interesting month it. Supervisors aretellit results car uesday’s uesd high ter produce because if teeole plantspeyibet doesn’t because it is the month testing es i ig show a profit by June it might be are expected on prototype pollution temperature was 42 closed, said one employee. Another control equipment that if succesful degrees. The low overwould reducethe cost to U.S. Steel for night temperature was 28 cruployee told the Herald healso heard pollution control. June also ends the se- degrees. Winds reached 5 suc! reports. oT at believe U.S. Steel officials cond quarter — a time when U.S.Steel would agree to spend $62 million for looks closely at profits and losses. “T can’ttell you whatwill happen in pollution control equipmenthereif they are thinking ofclosingit,” Bollow said. June, but I can’t promise you that “There is no moveto close theplant, something won't happen in June MEDICINE but I don’t have a crystal ball,”’ said either,” he added. i h. sire Superintendent Agrees Employees Need a Raise sq” a SS HAMS BONELE . Por pound ....scccceeeeeee 1 in cooperation with The Red Cross is conducting a rs TOMATO JUICE oat! | Libby's M602. ..seeeeeeeeee Ay BUTTER Cache Valley, pound seeteasssssosseeee Oh AA EGGS 63 neenae FROZEN FRIES PINEAPPLE asveovessese 39 Westera Family, 20002. .....ssesseseee MQ! TOMATO SAUCE Wants, 8 02. ...sseeeee Community Program of By BRUCE KING Herald Staff Reporter The Utah School Employees Association, the Alpine Schcol District and the Alpine Board of jucation all agree Alpine School District Employees need a payraise, but the raise rests in the hands of the Utah Legisiature. The Utah School Employees Association explained the financial woes of non-educating personnel in the district to the Board of Education last week. This morning, Supt. Dan W. Peterson confirmed these woes and added educators in the district have similar financial woes. Daniel Fugai, vice president of the fi agreed with both groups. He hopes the Legislature will appropriate enough moneyfor public education this year to permit pay raises across rd. Fugal explained the Utah School Employees Association presented the plight of custodians, food workers, secretaries, bus drivers and other noneducatingpersonnel at the Alpine SchoolDistrict and at schooldistricts throughoutthe state last Wednesday at an Alpine School District board meeting. “Association officials were very courteous and accommodating,”’ he said.‘They outlined the hurts and wants of their people and also acknowledged teachers have similar hurts and wants. “But they stressed their people get less than teachers, and with thecost ofliving rising so fast, the people are not able to make living.” The association showed the schoolboard whatclas- ter of waiting to see what the Legislature does.” sified workers get in relation to teachers in the disFugal hopes the Legislature can increase the trict, Fuel said. Classified workers get an average weighted pupil unit amount this year, because he salary of $11,139, while teachers get an average believes the concernsofdistrict employeesare just. salary of approximately $13,000. Classified workers “Ourdistrict has lost severalof what I call master believe they ave beenleft out of pay increasesin the teachers, because Hieen makea living,” he noted. ‘‘One school administrator told me an Orem st. rut Peterson emphasized educators in the district, math teacher, perhaps the best math teacher in the country, left teaching, because he couldn't make a | as well as classified workers, need a pay raise. “Everyone needs a pay raise, from the superinten- denton up,”he said. ‘The costofliving has risen too high.” He pointed out 50 to 65 per« centof the male teachers in the district have secoi jobs. ing, some of them teach “In order to make a drivers’ education, some teach at night and some work in the University Mall,”’ Peterson said. ‘Most of the women are married, so they have second incomesthrough their husbands.”’ has made The Utah Schoo! Employees A its presentation to numerous other schooldistricts throughout the state and to the Utah Legislature, Peterson explained. “We were probably the last school district to receive the presentation,’’ he said. ‘‘Nowit is a mat- Standard GheBareierala Published Sunday through Friday by Scripps League Newspopers, Inc 155 North 200 West, Provo, Utah 84601 BEE. JENSEN, Publisher N. LAVERL CHRISTENSEN, Editor Emeritus Enteredos second loss matter at the post office in Provo, Utah P.O. 104143060 MEMBER United Press Audit Bureau NEK of Circulotion International Service SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 Month, cartier ee ee carrie! 6 Months,nhs, carrier One Year, corrier MAIL RATES IN UNITED STATES scan oO. 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