September 2, 1970 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 30753 E,XTENSIONS OF REMARKS SENATOR JENNINGS RANDOLPH our citizens and the quality of our en­ anticipated, however, and in recent DISCUSSES INADEQUACY OF THE vironment. years, there was a reluctance in many FEDERAL RESEARCH, DEVELOP­ Securing adequate supplies of fuels, cases to develop alternative sources of oil MENT, AND DEMONSTRATION EF­ particularly coal, for the next 5 years is or coal production. The required new FORTS ON METHOD TO CONTROL one of the most pressing problems facing mines were not capitalized and opened AND ABATE POLLUTION RESULT­ many electric utilities. to the extent originally envisioned. This ING FROM FUELS AND ENERGY During the past 18 months fuel stocks is part of the fuels crisis that has PRODUCTION-THE ENVIRON­ have reportedly slipped from sufficient developed. MENT IMPACT OF FUELS AND EN­ coal for at least 90 days' operation to Abundant supplies of coal and other ERGY PRODUCTION ARE UNAC­ quantities sufficient for only about 40 fossil fuels are in the ground; our short­ CEPTABLE days' operation. The causes contributing coming is our capacity to extract these to this serious problem were reported in resources from the earth and convert the April 18 issue of Business Week mag­ them into electricity and deliver the en­ HON. JENNINGS RANDOLP~ azine. They include a willingness of the ergy to the ultimate consumer. OF WEST VIRGINIA Japanese to pay high coal prices, a short­ Accustomed to doubling electric gen­ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES age of railway hopper cars, wildcat erating capacity every decade, we have Tuesday, September 1, 1970 strikes, and the impact of the Coal Mine lost sight of the fact that today this Health and Safety Act. represents doubling an investment of Mr. RANDOLPH. Mr. President, there The future, however, looks equally $100 billion. A single 3,000 M.W power have been repeated warnings concerning threatening. In the next 15 years the station involves 1,000 acres of land, 7 environmental threats to our survival, United States will require more petro­ million tons of coal per year, and $450 but it seems that the more intense the leum products than have been consumed million in plant and equipment. This atmosphere of crisis, the more quickly since the discovery of oil by Colonel entails opening new coal mines, pur­ concern apparently is deadened. We have Drake in 1859, more natural gas than has chasing new coal cars, and building a learned to live with the constant threat been consumed in our Nation's history; huge new plant and equipment. It means of nuclear destruction, and, until now, and more coal than has been mined in acquiring sites and rights-of-way for we have accepted coexistence with a pol­ the United States since World War Il. transmission lines and trans!orm.ers and luted and crowded environment. But the Yet, today we cannot meet our current othe~· equipment; in all a gigantic un­ growing concern for the quality of our fuel requirements and we are plagued by dertaking. environment has been most cogently an environmental crisis. Surely, the need In the next 20 years we must triple our phrased by Prof. Robert B. Platt, chair­ for a national fuels and energy policy national power capacity to meet project­ man of the department of biology at cannot be denied . ed population and industrial demands. Emory University, when he expressed: This situation need not have occurred This may require 250 new powerplant The analogy of our western civilization as and cannot be allowed to repeat itself. sites with an estimated capital need of a great pendulum whose speed and direction For many years the future of electric as much as $350 billion. Such an expan­ of' motion through time ls determined by sion will require approximately 8 million the forces of technology and economic de­ power generation has focused on nuclear acres of land and may require over one­ terminism on the one hand and the opposing power development-or the fast breeder­ half million miles of high-voltage trans­ forces of human ecology on the other . reactor in particular. Yet, development mission lines, enough to circle the world The forces of technology and economic de­ of the fast breeder-reactor has slowed terminism, fired sequentially by the indus­ down and may not be commercially four times. trial age, the atomic age and the space age, available until the 1990's. By then the Yet, the electric power industry, with have pushed the pendulum at an ever-in­ world may be running out of economical annual revenues of some $20 billion, is, creasing and recently a dizzying speed . sources of uranium. Alternative energy according to the Federal Power Commis­ We now have the knowledge, concepts and sion, currently spending less than one­ attitudes, not only to reverse this motion, supplies, compatible with environmental half of 1 percent of its gross revenues on but t o then push the pendulum back to an quality goals must be developed in the developing new and improved methods equilibrium position which is favorable for interim. Additional reliable and accessi­ for the generation and transmission of human health and happiness. The unknown ble sources of crude oil, natural gas, coal, electric power. factor 1s man's will to do this. and synthetic fuels must be developed, Energy industries and this Nation, and The time has come for our society, its as well as more efficient means of utiliz­ the world, are embarked on a gigantic people and institutions-educational, po­ ing these fuels. Attention must be di­ gamble that we can continue to supply litical, and religious-to act to avert fur­ rected beyond the short-term crisis be­ this energy requirement with known and ther environmental crises and to plan for fore us and to the long-term require­ unproven sources of crude oil, natural a future in which man can restore that ments of this Nation and indeed the gas, and coal or other sources of energy balance which is essential to quality liv­ world. such as the breeder reactor, fuel cells, or ing. The critical factor in reestablishing On July 16, 1970, I introduced S. 4092, even the fusion reactor. To lose this gam­ this equilibrium will be man's will to a bill to establish a Federal Commission ble would be a catastrophe. create an environment adapted to his on Fuels and Energy. This legislation is Both fossil and nuclear fuel resources physical, psychological, and spiritual now cosponsored by 60 of my colleagues. are being depleted at an ever-increasing needs. In my introductory remarks, I pre­ rate. Accompanying this is a greater po­ The public demand for environmental sented a detailed analysis of the next 30 tential for deleterious environmental ef­ quality is no longer based solely on the years' requirements for energy and fuels. fects and a greater potential for brown­ desire to save the alligator, the wolf, or A brief summary is appropriate at this outs or blackouts. Major power inter­ the spoonbill. Man has joined the list of paint: ruptions as reported by the Federal endangered species. Electric generating capacity in the Power Commission have increased from This realization is immediately ap­ United States has doubled every decade 148 ir.. the 12 years from 1954 to the end parent in the current fuels and energy since World War II. This growth refiects of 1966 to 97 in 1967 alone; 94 in 1968; crisis. On August 6, the President di­ population increase as well as an in­ 85 in 1969; and 43 in the first half of rected the Domestic Council to study creased standard of living. 1970. The historic New York City black­ the national energy situation and recom­ For some time to come our ability to out on June 5, 1967, affected 13,000,000 mend actions which may be taken to al­ meet this growing demand will reside people, alone. leviate the short-term acute shortage of primarily in fossil fuels. Recently, nu­ Mr. President, I offer an explanatory clean fuels. In sum, we are faced with clear power has emerged as a competitor table summarizing power service inter­ two conflicting requirements-to provide in its own right, but installed generating ruptions from 1954 to 1970 and request reliable sources of electric power while capacity lags behind projected figures. unanimous consent to have it printed in also protecting the health and welfare of A shift from fossil to nuclear fuels was the RECORD. 30754 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS September 2, 1970 There being no objection, the table taught us the importance of better plan­ There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, ning and development of power systems was ordered to be printed in the RECORD. as follows: with adequate margins of safety. as follows: The security of the United States is EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE, TABLE 1.-POWER SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS REPORTED BY entwined by this issue. The principal New York, April 9, 1970. THE FEDERAL POWER COMMISSION, 1954 TO 1970 issue confronting us is how to create an Attention: Mr. Walter Planet. integrated policy for the development of Hon. JENNINGS RANDOLPH, Number of Number of Chairman, Senate Committee on Public service customers energy and the maintenance and en­ Works, New Senate Office Building, Year interruptions affected hancement of environmental quality Washington, D.C. while minimizing our dependence on un­ DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Pursuant to your let­ 1954 to 60 ___ ____________ ___ _ certain foreign sources of bulk energy. ter of February 27, 1970 to Mr. Barnett, of 1961 to 65 __________________ _ 54 -------------- 64 -------------- Let us take the Atlantic seaboard as the National Association of Electric Com­ 19671966_ ______ - -----_________________---------------- -_ 30 -------------- panies, and the subsequent correspondence 97 1 14, 880, 000 an example.