I
6 The Daily Tar Heel Tuesday, September 27, 1977
America, is there an energy option?
Energy policy should emphasize conservation, renewable supplies
By PHILIP LUSK
Editor's Note: Tliis is the first in a
series of three articles dealing with
America's future energy policy. Tltis
article examines the question of the
"hard" vs. "soft" energy approach in a
broad perspective. Parts two and three
will relate the implications of these
policy approaches to North Carolina.
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1977, the U.S.
Congress overwhelmingly (242-162)
rejected President Carter's attempt for a
worldwide moratorium on plutonium
production when it defeated an
administration amendment to terminate
construction on the Clinch River,
Tenn.. nuclear breeder reactor.
The decision for commitment to the
breeder reactor on a global scale was
reached, at the World Energy
Conference on Sept. 21. Fast breeders
and plutonium were favored
unanimously by the delegates , from
Britain, France, India, Italy, Sweden,
Japan, West Germany and the United
States. This recent development almost
Greg Porter
Editor
m
Ben Cornelius, Managing Editor
Ed Rankin, Associate Editor
Lou Bilionis, Associate Editor
Laura Scism, University Editor
Elliott Potter, City Editor
Chuck Alston, State and National Editor
Sara Bullard, Features Editor
Chip Ensslin, Arts Editor
Gene Upchurch, Sports Editor
Allen Jesnigan, Photography Editor
ensures the proliferation of plutonium.
The breeder reactor, according to
spokespersons, is "the technological cat
already out of the bag."
As many of you may not be aware of
these developments, there are certain
relevant comments that may be of
interest, especially to any individual
who plans to remain in North Carolina
for an extended period of time.
In tomorrow's article, we shall
consider the implications of using
nuclear-generated electricity and will
table for now those usual arguments
used against atomic power and
especially against the breeder reactor.
Those arguments are reactor safety,
release of low-level radioactive wastes,
the handling, transport and storage of
wastes, potential risks to national
security through terrorism, thermal
pollution, water loss potentials caused
by evaporation, climatic change,
economic and political considerations.
These developments regarding the
expansion of America's nuclear power
capability, unless vetoed, firmly commit
massive amounts of federal money (i.e.,
tax dollars) and private investment
Slip
laihj
(Ear Uwl
85th year of editorial freadom
capital into a rapid development of
centralized high technologies to supply
the energy needed in the future.
This type of energy policy has been
termed by Arnory Lovins and others as
the "hard" path. Lovins, a consultant
physicist for many countries and
organizations, is presently in North
Carolina discussing energy options with
concerned citizens. The "hard" path
represents a commitment to short-term
solutions and massive wastes of
potential energy. It has been projected
that one-half of all U.S. gross primary
energy used will never even reach
consumers due primarily to the
conversions of many fuels to electricity,
which wastes two-thirds of its potential.
Worse, the employment patterns of
our culture will change. The percentages
of total employment in energy related
To the editor:
Criticism of Gov. Hunt's failure to
appoint representative numbers of women to
government has brought about the release of
government statistics showing his
administration's progress on this issue. We
do not accept these figures as satisfactory
since they indicate little more than symbolic
gestures. According to the N .C. Commission
on the Education and Employment of
Women, only one-third of all state
employees are female. Most women are
occupied in clerical or paraprofessional jobs.
Only nine per cent of females hired are
officials and administrators. With each
opportunity available to the governor to
improve this imbalance, we are judging his
record on this issue.
Six new members two now and tour
next summer are to be appointed by the
governor for the 15-member Coastal
Resources Commission. Since its
establishment under the Coastal Area
Management Act of 1974, no women have
worked on the commission. Furthermore,
the advisory council created under the Act
has only six women participants out of 47
positions. Selections for this body are made
by state agencies and coastal counties. They
too should recognize the need to appoint
qualified women to these positions.
With limited time and resources, we
compiled a list of qualified applicants w hich
we have sent to the governor and the Coastal
Resources Commission. These women have
expressed interest in the openings. All are
presently involved in development problems
of the coastal region. With no more
extensive contacts, the state should be able
to expand our list greatly.
We fear a "false sense, of progressivism"
concerning this matter among the public.
Even today, wage scales vary greatly among
men and women performing similar duties.
Only a small number of women are actually
in top decision-making positions. With every
opportunity, state and county officials must
strive to correct these injustices. We are
watching for evidence in the near future
indicating meaningful reform of state and
county employment practices.
Betty Ausherman
AWS chairperson
Todd Miller
N.C. Coastal Club
occupations will increase as will the
numbers of persons employed in a
security capacity guarding primarily
nuclear power plants and electrical
generation lines. As put by H.T. Odum:
"Thou shall not unnecessarily cultivate
high power, for error, destruction, noise
and excess vigilence are its evil wastes."
What are the options? Granted that
the United States, and the world in
general, has a serious and potentially
catastrophic energy short-fall projected,
there is still time for a rational and
constructive alternative.
This has been termed the energy
"soft" path and represents a blend of
"technological fixes" and some minor
changes in lifestyles, based on the use of
renewable energy supplies.
"Technological fix" can be
considered as the use of conservation
Bill Moss
Student body president
Byron Morton
BSM chairperson
Banner contest revised
To the editor:
We are writing in response to the letters
from several Mclver and Avery residents
who had their banners torn down at the
Richmond football game. We are very sorry
that the banners weren't given a chance to be
judged, and in order to ensure that it won't
happen again, this week's contest for the
Texas Tech game will be judged a little
differently. Any dorm, fraternity, sorority or
individual that wants to enter the contest
must have its banner displayed in Kenan at I
p.m. We will be judging them at exactly this
time, so if you think your banner may be
ripped down, don't put it up until then. This
and substitutions to produce the same
output of goods and services as before.
(For example, alcohol-based fuels for
transportation and wind-generated
electricity.) Hence this represents no
significant threat to present lifestyles.
According to Lovins, "So great is the
scope for technological fixes that we
could spend several hundred billion
dollars on them initially and several
hundred million dollars perdayand still
save money compared with increasing
the supply."
As for changes in lifestyles, these can
only be made by the individual's degree
of involvement with his culture and
sensitivity to humankind.
In any event, the accompanying
benefits of the "soft" path would be
richer in the traditional values that
America was founded upon and
represents the goal of political and
social decentralization based upon
public participation. As Pirsig put it in
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance: "There is a technology
(available) with a different face,
technology that is not fragmented, but
is connected to the heart and spirit."
way, everybody will have a fair chance. The
winner will be announced at halftime and
will receive a free keg. We hope last week's
"rip-offs" won't keep everybody from
entering the Texas Tech contest because the
response has been great. There'll be a contest
at every home game so you still have several
chances. Don't forget the pep rally this week
with more information coming later in the
DTH. Thanks for your support!
The Cheerleaders
Why count squirrels?
To the editor:
1 have never had the inclination to write a
letter to the Tar Heel before. That is, until I
read the front-page article about Mr.
Seagle's squirrel-counting project ("Senior
to catch and paint squirrels," Sept. 23).
Maybe I missed something as 1 read the
article, but will someone please tell me what
This certainly represents a holistic
viewpoint, in that the sum of things
together is greater when they are in part,
but the fact remains that all things are a
part of our lives and that these factors
exist in a dynamic relationship.
Thus the major difference that exists
between these two mutually exclusive
paths is the difference between quantity
("hard") and quality ("soft"). Further, at
this point in time, we, the future of
civilization, must begin to search our
collective minds. We can commit
billions of dollars into an energy policy
that may satisfy short-term goals and
ensure the generalized extinction of
civilization as we know it (this is
guaranteed, only the exact date is
uncertain) or we can back away, think
about the options and choose an
alternative that is based upon and
best suited for individual use.
This option should be decided by you
and me, and it is not. The question
remains, what can we do about it?
Philip Lusk, a senior, is an Energy
and Environment major from Durham
N.C.
significance lies in finding out whether more
squirrels live on or off campus? 1 fail to see
the relevance in the entire project. God put
squirrels on the earth to enjoy life and to be
enjoyed by man as a part of the beauty of
nature. Why harass these poor creatures for
a totally purposeless experiment? Forgive
me if I have overlooked the apparent
scientific value of this project, but it seems to
me that the money and time involved could
be used for a more meaningful and
worthwhile purpose.
Jill Ciccone
Old Well Apts.
Iowa pride
To the editor:
As a 13-year resident of the great
M idwestern state of Iowa, I took offense at
Michael Dorrian's letter calling UNC the
"Iowa of the ACC ("Partying: Is Carolina
the 'Iowa of the ACC?' " Sept. 26). To me,
this is a favorable comparison, but the word
"alas" before the statement indicates that it
was not meant that way.
Iowa is a great place to grow up, to go to
school and to party! Conversations this
summer with friends attending schools all
over Iowa indicated that they do their fair
share of partying with a flair. One thing
Iowa does have going for it party-wise is
liquor-by-the-drink at age 18.
Mr. Sorrian please don't make any
more rude remarks about anyone's native
land. That's not the Tar Heel style. Besides,
everyone knows that Iowa and UNC are the
prides of America.
Martha Broadfoot
717 Granville East
Stick it in your tea
To the editor:
I am having a very hard time
understanding all the protests being raised
by so called "environmentalists" over the B.
Everett Jordan Lake. These people, and in
particular Mayor James Wallace, claim the
lake would be a "polluted cesspool." Upon
careful inspection of the Jordan Lake
watershed one can see this would be true
only because towns like Mayor Wallace's
consistently violate federal regulations
concerning waste water treatment. If the lake
is filled perhaps these towns would be forced
to clean up their illegally dirty wastewater.
This is what the environmentalists should be
pushing for. Also if the lake is filled with
good water, it will remedy Chapel Hill's
water shortage.
When your town finally gets some water,
Mr. Wallace, you can stick that in your tea
and drink it.
Gordon W. Davis
103 Everett
Register
Forgotten franchise means
town will ignore students
Last spring the Orange Committee a group opposed to the political
interests of the University and student community challenged the right of
students to vote in Orange County. The attempt was unsuccessful, but it
nevertheless taught an important lesson. If given the chance, many Orange
County citizens would ignore the needs of the University and its students,
faculty and staff.
"It is the feeling of the 'roots' people in Orange County," said Norman
Walker, Orange County Commissioner, "that they have been deprived of
their voice in government because it has been diluted by this non-resident
vote."
During the remaining days of voter registration, these words should not
be forgotten. If students do not exercise the franchise, they will not maintain
buses and other services they now take for granted.
Some argue students deserve no town services because they do not pay
taxes. Yet students pay for their town government in forgotten, but lucrative
surcharges. Students pay a 1 per cent county sales tax, a 2 per cent beer and
wine tax (we wonder who that tax is aimed at) and a significant amount of
tax through apartment rents. Further, a UNC sociology survey showed that
as the town's largest bloc of consumers, students enhance the town's
economy by millions each year.
If students prove as powerful a bloc of voters as they are consumers, there
will be no threat from the so-called 'roots' faction. Register to vote by
October 10 for the elections on November 8 at the following registration
centers: Community Church, Purefoy Rd., across from married student
housing, 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. Eilliott Road fire station, 4 to 6 p.m.
Saturday. Chapel Hill Municipal Building, noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday and
Thursday. Carrboro Town Hall, 8:30 to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and
Friday, 8:30 to 8:30 Tuesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Crisis of bathroom law
The frequenter of campus water closets periodically faces a troubling
state of affairs. In the spirit of clean, whitewashed stalls, someone has
scrubbed away the only diversions which can temper a longer-than-average
visit.
Cleanliness is next to godliness, but it's not nearly as entertaining as
graffiti. Although lacking the finer points of aesthetic appeal, the prod igious
efforts of those who take pen to wall are deeply appreciated by the vast
majority.
Yet, as if upon orders from above, the walls are cleaned. Defying the
individual's right to free expression, a maintenance man, acting on the
orders of his superiors, wipes away thousands of bon mots, veritable words
of wisdom, for the sake of an immaculate cubicle.
What we have here, far from the courtroom, is a classic case of conflicting
individual rights a hallmark of bathroom jurisprudence. When the
enterprising author seeks his catharsis in free expression, someone else's
right of personal property the bathroom wall is violated. And if the
bathroom owner endeavors to preserve the sanctity of his property, a public
forum is quashed.
As is the case whenever two inalienable rights meet in collision,
compromise is the only answer, A professor and a janitor at Purdue
University have realized the gravity of this constitutional conflict, and seem
to have come up with a workable solution.
Dr. Jonathan Amy, a chemistry professor, and Craven Smith, the janitor,
propose that blackboards be installed in the school's bathrooms. To test
their hypothesis, they have selected a water closet in the Purdue chemistry
building for study.
Though results from the revolutionary laboratory are still forthcoming,
we feel that Amy and Smith are on the right track. The UNC Physical Plant
should consider joining in a compromise with those students and professors
who appreciate good graffiti, and investigate the possibilities of
blackboards in the stalls. If the cost (approximately $1.50 per square foot)
proves prohibitive, a less expensive medium should be sought.
Perhaps a large memo board and a full supply of grease pencils will
become standard fare in UNC's bathrooms. After all, the rights of free
expression and personal property demand a compromise.
Warring insects use Grimes as battleground
To the editor:
I hate to be the one filibustering the
titanic controversy which has been
"Kreusen brewed" lately in this esteemed
paper. The issue in question is, of course,
the now infamous Condie controversy
concerning whether University Mousing
is indeed watching out for the health and
well-being of its students. If Condie is
actually heading a campaign to raise the
quality of living in the dormitories, why
does he confront such issues as
supposedly illegal bed lolls, instead of
attacking more pertinent problems?
As 1 pen this letter at my desk, a
massive member of the l.epidoptera
Order (the great American Moth) flies
happily and with great security over my
head. This is only one encounter of many
that I have experienced this semester on
the fourth floor of Grimes Dorm. Only
late last night did I dare to sit in one of the
more luxurious hall chairs provided by
housing, when I was ambushed by a
myriad of B-52 Bomber Moths, Spitfire
Mosquitoes and Hellcat Gnats.
Brushing them aside, 1 retreated to my
room in great disgust.
But. as I staggered to the shower early
the next morning, 1 stumbled into a
surprise attack by an infantry di ision of
red ants who were busily looting the
bodies of those war hero moths
mosquitoes and gnats. These soldiers of
fortune were scattered among the ranks
of the dead who had valiantly but
unsuccessfully fought the good light in
the shower's nightly dogfight.
I proceeded to tiptoe strategically over
the bloody battlefield and take my place
under the shower head. But. belorc I
turned the water on, I noticed a hidden
Arnheim, as it vcre(seeCornelius Ryan's
.4 Bridge Too Par or take Dr. Leutze's
History 77 class), under the radiator
housing a Panzer division of beetles.
Fortunately, for the residents on our
floor and the tax dollars of North
Carolina citizens, our dorm keeper "Mr.
Sam" is excellent at his job and tediously
cleans up the mess every morning. Three
cheers to Mr. Sam Boone!
Perhaps this is too sensational for
readers unacquainted with the problem.
But I invite all who doubt my claims and
Dr. Condie tocomeand stand in line for a
shower some earlv mormon or stiulv late
in the hall some night and experience the
situation with us. I also invite Dr. Condie
to bring along with him H. E. Lehman,
chairperson of the zoology department,
in case any species of insects presently
unknown to the science world can be
discovered in our humble zoological park
and tly sanctuary.
The answer is simple, gentlemen.
Without causing any more controversy,
G rimes needs screens on all of its hallway,
shower and bathroom windows.
Donald Lockerbie
Chief of Staff
Department of Defense
407 Grimes
"The 'hard' path represents a commitment
to. . .massive wastes of potential energy."
letters to the editor
Governor has opportunity to appoint women
ON A GOOD MY