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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1979)
Page 8 THE BATTALION TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1979 the Oil’ s use on roads criticized United Press International WASHINGTON — A House subcommittee report on hazardous waste criticizes state officials as well as a private firm for an incident in which contaminated waste oil was spread on several roads near Corri gan. Waste oil contaminated with toxic chemicals, principally nitroben zene, was laid down on nine roads in east Texas. It originated from the Browning Ferris Chemical Services Inc. transfer facility near Neder land. The case was one of about a dozen discussed in a report on hazardous waste disposal released Saturday by the House Subcommittee on Over sight and Investigations. “The Orange District Office of the Texas Department of Water Re sources did not perform an adequate investigation of contaminated road oil dumped in east Texas and, there fore, failed to discover a potential health problem until after any dam age was already done,” the report said. It noted that the company ac cepted “full responsibility and, to its credit, promptly consented to re move the contaminate sections of eight of those roads under orders from the Texas Department of Water Resources.” But while “BFI testified that such contamination was accidental” and the careless practices which led to the problems had been eliminated, the report said subpoenaed docu ments “suggest at a minimum a pat tern of negligence on the part of the management of the Nederland facil ity prevailed through Nov. 2, 1978.” It said for at least two years, man agement permitted hundreds of thousands of gallons of nitroben zene, benzene, aniline tar and “waste oil” to be shipped into Louisiana — allegedly to be used as industrial fuel oil “without even the most basic of precautions, that is, signed contracts.” The toxic materials had been ob tained under a contract with DuP ont which called for environmentally sound disposal, ac cording to the report. “Further, a study prepared by the subcommittee staff documents the immense economic incentives for improper disposal,” said the report. “In the face of these incentives, a comprehensive system of internal and external controls is necesary to prevent such occurrences. The con dition of the BFI records delivered to this subcommittee suggests the absence of even proper accounting controls prior to November 1978,” it added. It said the extent of the contami nation of adjacent land and water was unknown, but it was possible roads in Louisiana and Mississippi also might be contaminated since small recyclers to whom the mate rials were supplied do much busi ness with asphalt contracts in those states. ‘Sombrero’ repaired Formals to try capping Ixtoc Now at Northgate! NOW OPEN TEXAS CATTLE CO Bar-B-Que Restaurant 3807 TEXAS AVE. BRYAN 846-3176 For All Occasions We specialize in catering United Press International MEXICO CITY — Workers hoped Monday they could swing a large steel cone onto the runaway Ixtoc oil well in an effort to halt the flow in the world’s worst spill. The 310-ton “sombrero,” de signed to catch 80 to 90 percent of the oil gushing from the well, was returned from Jackson Island, Sun day where cracks were repaired, of ficials of the government oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos said. They said the cone should be in place by today. The gusher diminished to “inter mittent burps” of oil on Friday, ap parently a result of 108,000 tennis sized steel and lead balls that were injected into the well and also an unexpected reduction in pressure. But a PEMEX spokesman cautioned that the reduced flow of the gusher was believed to be tem porary and at any minute the well could again begin spilling its normal 10,000 barrels a day. Three weeks ago PEMEX tried to place the cone over Ixtoc but the funnel cracked and had to be re turned to Texas where Brown and Root contractors repaired it for a second try. The unique funnel project, known as “operation sombrero, is the first such attempt to cap an oil well. PEMEX also is drilling two relief wells. One made contact Friday with Ixtoc 1 at a depth of 9,400 feet. Since the blowout June 3 the well has poured more than 2.4 million barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico. Theater refuses to show ‘trashy’ Monty Python United Press International BATON ROUGE, La. — If moviegoers want to view “The Life of Brian, ” they’ll have to do it in a theater outside East Baton Rouge Parish, at least at present. District Attorney Ossie Brown said he convinced a theater man ager not to show the film, which was to have opened last Satur day, because the film is “trashy and sacrilegious.” “I just think that we don’t need a movie that says the Virgin Mary was a prostitute and that Jesus Christ was the result of a rape by a Roman soldier,” said Brown, who admitted he had not seen the Monty Python movie. Brown said he acted at the re quest of a group of Roman Catholic laymen in asking Jerry Nance, manager of Cortana Mall Cinema, to reconsider showing the film. Nance then contacted the theater owner in Boston who agreed to cancel the movie, he said. Dick Schroth, local American Civil Liberties Union president, said Brown “leaned on people rather heavily as a private citizen who just happens to be the dis trict attorney. “We urge one of the local theaters to show the movie,” Schroth said. “We will give that theater owner our full support if the DA attempts to harass him.” He said he was unsure what action, if any, the ACLU would take. He said Brown’s request vio lated the theater’s First Amend ment right to freedom of speech and the guarantee of separation of church and state. “In the past he has illegally pre-censored movies for sup posed obscenity, but now he has violated the separation of church and state as well,” Schroth said. “This has nothing to iii| s0 separation of church and st!“' Brown said. “If I rememlti: civics lessons correctly, regarding separation ol tn and state says there ! religion established!)) state.” Brown said Schrothw parently referring to ank in 1975 in which he toldl United Pr SBURC |ys the r me of I Iff, Chu Jed enoug to talk it o picked t gone to w all his life yla. I’ll do \ Tie said letter I sta one Tannei owners they could be ck ft pure dis t you ’ be per ed him. I need. Y with contributing to quency of a juvenile if lie I lowed persons under Hti an “R’-rated film. The district attorne ) many priests denouncedikHr. , ou from their pulpits last threatened to boycott the™ ter. tly after Ar ■at her k "It’s trashy and sacrileilbout 70 r he said. “Though I’m Ba. Pittsburgh firmly believe it wouldl ou t the sei phemous (to show the fib Chicago C 75,000 parade for rights irates w itreal Exp ;ue’s Easte ing had be Gays: 'We re everywhere A BRAZOS VALLEY INSTITUTION house 779-7500 1803 Texas Ave. For an enjoyable meal with family and friends AN AGGIE FAVORITE 1803 Texas Ave. Bryan United Press International WASHINGTON — Declaring, “We are everywhere,” tens of thousands of homosexual men and women from across the country and abroad marched on the nation’s cap ital to show support for gay civil rights. With a uniformed band playing marching tunes, about 75,000 people — by police estimates — paraded down a 10-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue Sunday to a rally on the Washington Monument grounds. It was the first national gay rights march in the United States. Or- The marchers carried signs that read: ‘'Two, four, six, eight, how do you know your kid is straight?” and “Closets are for clothes.” ganizers said the crowd represented every ..state in the union and 23 foreign countries. The marchers carried colorful banners indicating their home states and countries, and signs that read: “We are everywhere,” “Two, four, six, eight; how do you know your kid is straight?” and “Closets are for clothes.” Demonstrators included the handicapped in wheelchairs, the blind and deaf, the young and the elderly. But most participants were white men and women in their 20s and 30s dressed in jeans and sports shirts. One man wore a yellow-flowered red dress, had a pink ribbon in his hair and accented the outfit with a pair of old Army boots on his feet. Another dressed in black leather and carried a sign that read, “Gung-ho gay guerrilla.” The crowd was in jubilant spirits and many blew whistles or chanted slogans such as, “Discrimination has got to go, hey-hey, ho-ho,” as they marched past the rear of the White House. A rock band on a stage at the monument grounds entertained early arrivals, and Arlie Scott, vice president of the National Organiza tion of Women, told the crowd: “Eat your heart out, Anita Bryant!” “America, you see us (gays) in your offices, schools, in your gov ernment, in Congress and I dare say in the White House,” Scott said. “We are 20 million strong in this nar tion. We are moving from gay pride 01 United Pr protection against discrisi under the Civil Rights Ac| the crowd to organizes gay rights bills. was J ust 01 It’s basically a minoriti ^ | s ) looto, Weiss told UPI. “Andbs w ' n many politicians only cif s ’ l : in ^ ec ‘ minority issues if it appi® <) . () ^ )a minority is an organized r 11 ; 1 "’ force.” ' S’ Daylo Weiss said the size oflk ^ ee H first One man wore a )ishurst is t flowered red dress, hoi light s 3-0 ribbon in his hair and«[Live gon the outfit with a pairofi boots. Another dressed leather and carried a sit read “Guhn-ho gay guen | we re j [urst saic week in ( ighc num ing should help in theirefc the measure approved. Demands include the )t| state and local sodomy I ment of gay rights legislafTnited Pn end. to discriminatin 'EW YOP homosexual parents in child® Intern “America, you see us gays in your offices, schools, in your government, in Congress and I dare say in the White House,” said Arlie Scott, vice president of NOW. es top s, with f MSC Political Forum proudly presents its <4 • T -w-\ Special Event of the 1979 fall semester — Bella Abzug speaking on National Affairs: An Overview” Oct. 16, 1979 — 8 p.m. Admission: $ 1/students Rudder Theater $ 2/non-students to gay politics.” Reps. Ted Weiss, D-N.Y., and Phillip Burton, D-Calif., co-sponors of a homosexual rights bill extending cases and a presidential orl ning discrimination homosexuals employed byt tary, the government or h subsidized contractors. “This rally marks the that the gay constituency!.lehraska (■ together on a national level.|uthern C is a very important politica us,” said Steve Ault, coon the National March on Wi for Lesbian and Gay Right ss reco eek): ama (2 exas (9) Nuclear valve theft investigated by FBI United Press International HOUSTON — Two South Carolina police officials Monday picked up plumbing fixtures stolen from a Jenkinsville, S.C., nuclear plant construction site and investi- ston (5 io St. (6 nida Sta lahoma we Dan Arkansas Michigan Washingti Brigham ' Pittsburg] |irdue (4 javy (5-0 jorth Ca prth Ca jennessei ffliiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmCOUPONiimmiiimimiiis 1 JUMBO 1 BURGER, 1 FRIES & MED. COKE 1 (Reg. $2.09) with coupon $1 Don I 95 = Offer expires Sat., Oct. 20 s in iiimiii mnmiii C O U PO N imiimmiimmi CALL IN YOUR ORDER 846-7466 University Drive at Welborn Overpass M.-Th. 10 to 10 F.-S. 10 to 11 Sun. 11 to 11 gated the circumstances! ing discovery of the (kill week in a Houston warekl An FBI spokesman si agency would consult If| South Carolina police i cions a nationwide theft ris: volved. “The valves have beenid by serial numbers,” Deteii gj” Bird said. “We’ve hadsont ! 0at .j K , s from South Caroina herf |], "" ... ... ') on pr< them up this morning. ™ - South Carolina officials J valves were among of equipment stolen froml! I Summer Nuclear Plant,«1 being built near Jenkins 1 1 By ag: erican Foi .. a uon, teai sJjCAA ar. a nd natio Ik State, (ate. South Carolina Electrical Bird said theft and uA trading of heavy plumbinf'| has grown because a «' : boom in oil exploration hasi :i shortage of oilfield equipn f: | “It’s nothing new to said. “They just stealto' ; articles from a constnic® bring them to what we calk shop, rework them and sei used valves or paint the® good and sell them as ne" “I guess we’ve got moi> valve repair shops herein! than anywhere else, excep 1 Oklahoma City.” Hugh Munn, a South! state law enforcement s] said, “We feel these fit! NEED CREDIT? SEND FOR THE CREDIT GAME Too young to borrow? New in town/no references? Erase bad debt records Skip bills without ruining credit Receive loans within weeks of beginning this program Information on updated credit laws and legislation Your rights under the Federal Credit Acts SOLVE ALL THESE CREDIT PROBLEMS with THE CREDIT GAME "Tired of being without credit, or up to your neck in 'minimum payments'? With this book you will learn how to make the $300 billion credit industry jump at your command." transported to Augusta, ^ then to Houston, to be overseas in what appears very large international opr; | “We’ve heard some) 1 ' might have gone to Met* Saudi Arabia among other Frederick M. Points ofI Ca., and Horace Jones of S.C., have been charged in tion with the thefts. D O O O N M N N N D SL 8: Send Check or Money Order to WALL STREET PUBLISHING CO