The Battaoon
Vol. 71 No. 102
10 Pages
Tuesday, February 21, 1978
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Inside Tuesday
Coal talks flounder, America
freezes, p. 2.
P.E. course stresses exercise and
diet, p. 7.
Aggies lose to Sam Houston 75-68,
p. 9.
si in j
tArmy scraps lake plans at Millican
By GARY WELCH
Battalion Staff
Original plans for Millican Dam, which
ovioed for a large recreational lake just
e miles east of College Station, were ef-
* e *Bctively scrapped last month by the U. S.
' v eftiiArmy Corps of Engineers.
"•I The Corps of Engineers abandoned the
ptislaRe after almost 18 years of controversy
tratejovti the proposed dam and reservoir. Ar-
<M«]guments for the lake have ranged from
illwiiBcreational benefits to flood control.
ephiBoups opposed to the lake have cited
iorytn grge lignite coal deposits, high construc-
issocit tion costs and damages to wildlife as rea-
kascoisons not to build the dam.
skeii Bit appears that opposition groups have
ilottollm, at least for the present.
lingtaBrWe have determined it wasn’t feasible
basleMto build at that site,” said Jim Hair, chief of
the Corps of Engineers’ program de-
I
News analysis
jlopment branch. But the Corps of Engi-
ers is now examining six possible sites
ging from 10 to almost 50 river miles
stream of the original site. Shifting the
posed lake sites upstream insures that
jne of the lignite deposits in the area will
covered by a future lake and rendered
less.
ignite has proved to he Millican’s
;est stumbling block since the site was
sen in 1960. Whenever analyzed from
Host-benefit point of view, the predicted
Jue of the lignite alone has consistently
outweighed any possible benefits that
Id be expected from the lake,
ilthough the precise value of the soft
lisdifficult to determine while it is still
itizens
in the ground, some estimates have gone
as high as $3 billion. Still, the value re
mains controversial.
“Placing a value on lignite is like placing
a value on a gold mine,” said Jim Herbert
of the Corps of Engineers. With the pres
ent concern over energy in the United
States the lignite could become extremely
valuable in the future, he said. On the
other hand, the coal vein could be much
smaller than expected and be worth much
less.
To determine the extent of the lignite
deposits, Congress appropriated $179,000
in 1976 for a Corps of Engineers study of
the site. All other Millican studies were
suspended until Congress could make a
decision on the dam site.
The study was submitted to Congress in
Oct. 1976. Congress determined that the
lignite was too valuable to cover up with
water, so the original Millican site was
abandoned.
Other monetary costs were considered
in the decision to reject the Millican dam
site.
Oil and gas reserves in the area,
virtually unknown until two years ago, are
being tapped at an increasing rate. Since
the cost of the dam project would include
buying the land to be inundated, the
project’s price has gone up considerably
because the prices of oil- and gas-laden
land is very high.
“Payments made to landowners would
be at going market prices,” Herbert said.
“I think it is mostly privately-owned land.”
Cornelius van Bavel, a member of the
local Environmental Action Council, said
covering the land would be unaffordable
because of the high prices that woidd now
be demanded.
“The potential value of the land is run
ning at thousands of dollars per acre,” he
said.
“The whole thing is irrelevant anyway,”
van Bavel said. “It’s an oil field, and you
don’t put an oil field under water.”
Projected construction costs for the dam
now stand at $189 million. Hair said. An
nual inflation rates are pushing costs up
constantly, so any delays mean cost in
creases.
Non-monetary costs also played a large
part in defeating the Millican project, and
will probably be just as difficult to over
come for any future dams on the Navasota
River. These costs are qualitative instead
of quantitative and are difficult to evaluate
for a cost-benefit analysis.
Covering the land with water will de
stroy many wildlife. Van Bavel said it does
not matter where the lake is located be
cause the habitats would be destroyed
anyway.
Mitigation lands, which are set aside
somewhere in the state replace the inun
dated habitats, are often inferior to the
original land and thus considered in
adequate. Even if the mitigation lands are
adequate, they can never actually replace
the flooded habitats.
Environmental groups have also been
concerned about the sediments that would
build up behind the dam. Trapped sedi
ments would not travel downstream and
eventually out into the Gulf of Mexico. As
a result, natural shoreline recession at the
mouth of the Brazos River would be accel
erated.
Col. Walter Wells of the Brazos River
Authority said the Brazos River has
enough of a sediment load to keep
shoreline recession close to normal.
'un
RE
group
hays proposal
By JEANNE LOPEZ
After four weeks of studying a suggested list of proposals, the College Station
Citizens’ Capital Improvements Committee voted Monday to present to College
Station voters an $8 million bond issue this May.
The purpose of the Capital Improvements Committee is to decide what im-
)rovements will receive priority in the May 6 bond election. Voter approval is still
leeded to enact these proposals.
Committee members approved a $7.7 million water and sewer utility im-
nwements proposal that would enable College Station to drill three water wells
ind transfer the water to reservoir tanks and distribute it throughout the city.
The city will also tie the Northgate sewer line to a separate line for treatment at
he North Creek Outfall plant.
The sewer line that is currently shared with Bryan is inadequate and often
iverloads. Last October the College Station City Council proposed upgrading the
>resently shared line to overcome the overload problem, but the Bryan City
council rejected the idea and suggested a merger of the two cities. However, both
:ities failed to reach an agreement and will sever utility agreements in January
.979.
A $300,000 street maintenance program was approved by the committee. The
iind would be annually supported by approximately $150,000 from a general city
Hidget.
Extension of Kyle Avenue to Dominik Street also received committee approval.
The $230,000 reconstruction of Kyle Avenue will alleviate the flow of southbound
:raffic on Texas Avenue, said Elrey Ash, city engineer.
The committee approved a $1.7 million proposal for the acquisition and de
velopment of park lands. Approximately 143 acres of land would be bought by
College Station for future development. Presently owned city parks would be
urther developed.
A 50-acre tract is sought for acquisition as a future athletic complex in the
ioutheast section of College Station. The area is bounded by Texas Avenue,
Highway 30, and the Highway 6 bypass.
Another 50 acre-tract is proposed in the Southwood Valley area along with an
dditional 10-15 acres for a smaller park.
The 14-acre Holik park tract located south of the Dexter Drive and Holleman
rive intersection is also proposed for acquisition. Fifteen acres of land bounded
y Highway 60, Highway 6, and Highway 30 are sought for park acquisition.
Committee members rejected a suggestion from the College Station Fire Chief
long Landua to purchase $347,000 worth of fire equipment. Landua proposed
he purchase of a ladder truck, rescue pumper, and a grass fire truck at last week’s
ppital improvements meeting. Members agreed that the 3-6 year life of the
quipment would make it a “questionable item to be financed by a bond.”
Committee Chairman Gary Halter said he will prepare a report of the im-
Jrovements and present it to the College Station City Council next week. The
»uncil will then hold a public hearing to hear citizen comment on the commit-
£e’s suggestions.
It’s only vanilla...
OF Duke (right) is polite enough not to extend his from Kerrville
tongue as Mike Tynes eats an ice cream cone. brother John.
Tynes is a freshman electrical engineering major
and Duke is owned by Tynes’
Battalion photo by LaDonna Young
Independent pushes
violence marks coal
talks,
strike
-
TJ d
enate closes doors to hear
persistent drug charges
By KENNETH R. CLARK
United Press International
An independent coal operator capitu
lated to the United Mine Workers
Monday, offering a contract that officials
said may provide the first crack in the stub
born impasse between the union and the
Bituminous Coal Operators Association.
The first break in the bitter violence-
packed walkout by 160,000 coal miners
came with approval by the UMW bargain
ing council of a pact with the Pittsburg and
Midway coal Co. —a non-BCOA indepen
dent. The contract covers 700 workers in
western Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas,
who still must vote to accept it.
President Carter has been poised to
intervene in the strike in one of three ways
— invocation of the Taft-Hartley Act, fed
eral seizure of the coal fields or binding
arbitration. With the Pittsburg and Mid
way settlement, however, the White
House expressed hope for a thaw in frozen
negotiations.
Presidential press secretary Jody Powell
called it “an interesting development
1
CP
By NICHOLS DANILOFF
United Press Internationa)
WASHINGTON - The Senate closets it-
gjbehind closed doors today to hear a
rt from the Senate Intelligence Corn
ice on persistent charges that high
manian officials aided and abetted
| trafficking.
ponents of two pending treaties trans-
^Jing control and operations of the
Vma Canal to Panama by the year 2000
W the drug issue would prove damag-
I enough to sway undecided votes to
side and defeat ratification,
put some Senate sources said Monday
P report would conclude the drug
ngs had no effect on the outcome of the
y negotiations.
n. Birch Bayh, D-Ind., chairman of
f jntelligence panel, was to deliver the
port which also was expected to conclude
41 the bugging of Panamanian officials by
H intelligence sources, a surveillance
eration administration officials con-
Ped last fall, did not affect the negotia-
DS.
About a dozen senators were briefed
Monday by the committee staff in prepara
tion for the secret session.
Sen. Charles Percy, R-Ill., a treaty sup
porter, said after the briefing the drug issue
was a legitimate concern but should not
obscure the long-term benefits the treaties
would serve.
Sen. Robert Dole, R-Kan., a treaty cri
tic, said after the same briefing: “My con
cerns are pretty much the same. ”
Dole has argued that if the drug allega
tions are proved true, doubt is cast on
Panama’s ability to act as the guarantor of
the Panama treaties.
“I still don’t think we have all the infor
mation, ”he told reporters. “Maybe there is
more to be seen. Hopefully, the Senate will
see fit to make it public.”
A UPI inquiry turned up a raft of new
allegations about the “Panama connec
tion.” Many of these allegations were de
veloped by treaty critics, but have not been
denied by administration officials.
Among allegations uncovered by UPI:
—Alexis Watson, who worked as a spe
cial undercover agent, testified to House
investigators and told a Miami news con
ference Feb. 10 about illicti drug trans
shipments at Panama's Tocumen Interna
tional Airport and in the Free Zone of colon
with official connivance.
—A second Panamanian witness, who
requested anonymity, told House inves
tigators that Panamanian leader Omar Tor-
rijos discussed with former California As
semblyman Bill Brophy in the early 1970s
the profits which might be made by selling
Colombia cocaine in California. But there
was no indication Torrijos ever acted on
this discussion. UPI could not reach
Brophy or otherwise corroborate the re
port.
—Raw intelligence documents from the
Drug Enforcement Administration and ob
tained by UPI reported on a variety of
drug-smuggling operations between
1971-1975 which allegedly linked Torrijos
and his brother Hugo. Hugo Torrijos is
currently chief of Panama’s national
which all parties should assess seriously.”
UMW officials also hailed the pact.
“BCOA should begin to realize their pos
ition is deteriorating,” said a union
spokesman. “There is no way UMW could
settle for anything significantly less than
this contract.”
While their leaders maneuvered in
Washington, militant miners applied mus
cle in the field.
Late Monday night, more than 200 min
ers in Ohio attacked a non-union mining
company that had shipped 15 loads of coal
during the day. The miners blocked a
highway to the plant, hurled rocks over
turned trucks before they were dispersed
by state police and sheriff's deputies.
In West Virginia, newsman Jerry Sander
of WSAZ-TV in Huntington surrendered
film he shot of miners overturning empty
coal trucks in Lawrence County after about
350 miners confronted him and demanded
it.
In Alabama, a coal truck was disabled by
a gunshot through a rear tire, and in
Virginia a homemade bomb was found near
the gate of the Paramount Mining Co. near
Josephine. State police said a faulty battery
kept it from going off.
Gene Oiler, president of UMW Local
1886 in Meigs County, Ohio, applauded
the violence.
“I do condone it,” he said. “They went\
out to shut down these non-union places.
These non-union people take a chance
being out on the road during a nationwide
coal strike.”
In Indiana, school officials prepared to
trim hours in chilly classrooms as the
energy famine brought coal supplies near
the 40-day mark, mandating a 50 percent
reduction in electricity use by schools.
Delco Electronics Division, which em
ploys 11,000 workers in Kokomo, Ind., said
it will announce “inevitable” production
cutbacks and layoffs Thursday.
In Kansas City, the Missouri Public-
Service Company said it will require all its
industrial customers to reduce electric con
sumption two days a week, starting next
week, to conserve nearly exhausted coal
supplies.
“There’s always a damn good sediment
load in the Brazos,” Wells said.
However, recent figures have shown
that the shoreline is receding 13 feet per
year, an unusually high rate.
The Corps of Engineers has previously
stated four major benefits expected from
Millican or a similar Navasota River reser
voir.
Recreation would be the main benefit.
Fishing, boating, and other open-water
recreation has been planned extensively
for the lake.
Money from outside commercial inter
ests would satisfy a second proposed bene
fit termed “area redevelopment.” It would
involve improving the economic well
being of the area with public and private
recreation expenditures.
Flood control and water supply benefits
are considered secondary to recreational
opportunities but are still important.
Wells said that to fully use existing lig
nite deposits, water from the proposed
reservoir would be needed to cool electri
cal generating plants powered by lignite.
Since lignite must be used immediately
before it undergoes internal combustion,
the plants would have to be near the ex
traction site.
Because of the tremendous cost in
volved, any dam projects near the Millican
site are probably. Not only are the eco
nomic costs higher than any foreseeable
benefits from the dam, but qualitative
costs are also high.
The demand for energy in the United
States may be too great to allow a water
project to get in the way. Though the pro
posed benefits from a lake would enhance
both the economic and social well-being of
this area, the dam will probably never ma
terialize.
MSC Council
elects officers
for next year
Officers were selected Monday for the
29th Memorial Student Center Council
and Directorate.
Ron Woessner, a junior forestry major
from College Station, was chosen vice
president of administration. Lynn Knaupp
is the new vice president for programs and
Marc Young was voted vice president for
finance. Both are junior political science
majors.
Teresa Beshara, a sophomore manage
ment major, was selected director of
projects and Rebecca Taulman, sopho
more microbiology, was voted director of
operations. Ann Landis, a junior psychol
ogy major, is the new director of public-
relations.
Woessner served this year as director of
operations and Directorate representative
to the Council. Knaupp held the MSC di
rector of projects position and Young was
vice chairman for finance of the Student
Conference on National Affairs. Beshara
and Taulman were council assistants this
year, and Landis served as chairman of
planning for SCONA.
“I think we have a good mixture of ex
perience and motivated, imaginative
people,” said Ray Daniels, MSC
president-elect. “I am looking forward to
working with all of them.”
Council officers will assume their duties
after the April 8 MSC Awards Banquet.
Economic program
gets union support
By DREW VON BERGEN
United Press International
BAL HARBOUR, Fla. - After supporting
part of President Carter’s economic pro
gram — including limits on the three-
martini business lunch — while criticizing
other aspects, the AFL-CIO Executive
Council turns its attention today to trade
legislation.
In the second day of their week-long,
mid-winter meeting, the 34 council mem
bers also will hear from Benjamin Hooks,
executive director of the NAACP.
Organized labor has been especially crit
ical of U.S. corporations shifting produc
tion to other nations to take advantage of
low wages and special tax breaks.
The AFL-CIO points to a recent Labor
Department report showing about 550,000
Four die in plane crash
United Press International
LUBBOCK, Texas - A light plane apparently trying to land at a small airport
crashed in the median between the north and south bound lanes of a highway
Monday, killing four men in their early 20s.
The dead were not immediately identified. No one on the ground was injured.
Officials said the plane had touched down at the Town and County Airport and
then skidded off the icy runway.
Raymond Rauls, 22, who saw the crash, said the pilot managed to pull the nose
of the plane back into the air but that even as it climbed “it started falling apart.”
Rauls said the pilot tried to make a shallow turn to get back to the runway but
the plane hit a high power line and crashed.
The aircraft came down in the median of a highway about one block south of the
city limits.
The fire department was called to the scene to pull the bodies out of the
wreckage. There was no fire. Officials said it took about an hour and a half to
remove the bodies.
American workers lost their jobs as a direct
residt of such action, and plans to support
special legislation aimed at stemming that
tide.
In Monday ’s two-hour session, the coun
cil adopted its own $29.5 billion economic-
stimulus program, disagreeing with the
Carter administration over a proposed $8.4
billion business tax cut for fiscal 1979, but
going along with it on such items as wiping
out income tax deductions for state sales
and gasoline taxes.
The council also decided to support the
administration in efforts to limit business
deductions for meals, popularly referred to
by the administration as the “three-martini
lunch.”
In giving its support, however, the coun
cil recommended a three-year, phase-in
period to prevent job losses in the food
service field.
“We re opposed to a certain number of
citizens of this country having the right to
have a three-martini lunch, or a two-
martini lunch, or waht have you, and have
the taxpayer pay for it, ” said AFL-CIO
President George Meany.
But Meany would not back President
Carter 's plan for deceleration of wages and
prices.
"All of these ideas are a step toward con
trols, wage and price controls, and we are
opposed to control, period, ” Meany said.
“No matter what form they may take.”
The council also was opposed to in
creases in the Social Security tax and said it
would like the tax rolled back from its cur
rent 6.05 percent to 5.85 percent. Next
year, the tax is scheduled to increase to
6.13 percent.