e 18 1982 national Battalion/Page 11 February 5, 1982 Energy genius solves unsolvable’ problems 3 c Milchell ophomonj t. The treet froi rjcmz 7/ United Press International NEW ORLEANS — His formal education ended with riigh school, but Charles Lloutier insists he can solve jiny engineering problem — hen cleaning up 42,000 gal lons of oil an hour in 12-foot eas. Cloutier's technical exper- ise translates into many areas, )ut he has made a name — tnd a fortune — for himself in he energy business. When tilmen have big problems hey come running to Cloutier or simple solutions. He astounded the energy business in 1978 when he took ust 38 hours to vacuum up >2,000 barrels of oil that spil ed into Black Lake in south- vest Louisiana. Eighty per- :ent — 38,000 barrels — of he oil needed no treatment Defore it was returned to its )\vner. “There is no problem you an't solve if you’ve got the noney,” he said. “I’ll build ou a bridge across the Atlan- ic Ocean if you give me the money. Cloutier’s last physics les- ons came from a Morgan aty, La., high school, but the mechanical genius has solved echnical problems that have jaffled highly trained govern ment scientists for decades. The 54-year-old entrep reneur holds nine patents on lalvage and clean-up devices hat have revolutionized the ml business. “We don’t let any of our competitors have them,” he said. “We keep them to ourselves.” His inventions include a paddle wheel skimmer that sucks up major oil spills and another device that cleans mucky oil spills from white beaches without damaging the sand. Cloutier’s companies — Triple C Marine Salvage and Anti-Pollution Inc. — have been hired by every major oil company to handle oil rig dis asters and spills across the globe. Cloutier says he can dis patch salvage or clean-up operations from his Morgan City base to any place in the world within 24 hours. To do this, he designs light weight, portable machinery rather than using manpower. Another trait that disting uishes Cloutier from his com petitors is he returns the spil led oil to his employer — in tact. “We give the energy back to the people rather than des troy it,” he said. “They pump it right back into the ground with no treatment. He is a skilled commercial diver, airplane pilot, licensed electrician and mechanic. But Cloutier says the inspiration for most of his inventions comes from on-the-job ex perience. One of his greatest brain storms came in 1980 when 3.1 million barrels of oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico from a blowout at the Ixtoc I oilwell. Cloutier devised a way to clean the mucky mess from Texas beaches in 15 minutes when scientists from across the world were unable to come up with a solution. The scientists were given nine months. Although his invention came too late to help in the Ixtoc operations, Cloutier de vised a method of cleansing oil-spotted beaches for future spills. “I just sat down in a beach chair, ordered a beer and watched the spill,” he said. “I watched Mother Nature float the oil on and off the beach so I figured that’s what we had to do.” His patented beach skim mer amounts to an elemen tary, but ingenious, system that gently lifts oil from the sand with water pressure and then skims it off the surface of the water. The system picks up about 12,000 gallons of w'ater a mi nute from the ocean and drops it on oil-stained beaches. Like the ocean’s natural tide, the large volume of water causes the oil to float to the surface. “The big love for it is the opportunity to solve the prob lem and help the world solve its energy problems,” Cloutier said. “And research is the cheapest way to intelligently solve problems. “Ideas come easier now af- ter 35 years of experience.” Clements endorses extending Voting Rights Act provision United Press International WASHINGTON — Texas Gov. William Clements Jr. strongly endorsed Thursday an extension of an expiring en forcement provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but sided with the administration in opptxsing changes voted by the House. “The Voting Rights Act has been good for Texas, and the act should be extended as presently constituted,” Clements told the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution. Coverage under a special en forcement provision of the act has brought political gains for Hispanic Americans and other minorities in his state, Clements said. Under a 1975 amendment, Texas and certain other jurisdic tions are required to print bilingual ballots and election material and obtain federal approval of changes in election laws and practices. A bill the House overwhelm ingly approved last fall would extend the “pre-clearance” re quirement indefinitely, but allow a “bailout” if a state can prove it has met stiff compliance standards. “I applaud President Reagan’s endorsement of a 10- year extension of the Voting Rights Act,” Clements said. “As governor of Texas, I also ap plaud his position in favor of a ‘reasonable’ bailout provision .” Clements added the House- passed bill, which Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and 61 other senators support, has bailout provisions that are so stringent and cumbersom^, it is doubtful any covered jurisdiction could become exempt. “For example,” Clements said, “the proposed House legis lation provides that every juris diction of a covered state must be granted bailout before the state can achieve bailout. “It could, therefore, take only one of Texas’ 254 counties to prevent the state from becoming exempt or one out of 1,102 school districts in the state of Texas in preventing the state from bailing out.” Clements endorsed extension of the act in its present form ex cept for including a “fair” bail out provision, as the administra tion has done. Most agree the act provides for bailout in name only. Another change proposed by the House would remove a re quirement that intent must be proved to have a political system declared illegally discrimina tory, making it provable by its effects — regardless of intent. “I am in favor of extending the act like it is,” Clements said. Clements claimed an “unpre cedented coalition” of minority groups in Texas favor extend ing the act unchanged. Retired Baylor mascot provides possible heirs United Press International CLIFTON — Abner and Daisy Mae, retired mascots for the Baylor University Bears, have produced two cubs that could someday ascend to the pampered life that goes with being the motivating force be hind a Southwest Conference school. Abner missed the Tuesday births as he was back on the job in Waco, appearing in a campus play. 1 he twin black bears were unexpected by A.C. Parsons, owner of the Texas Safari Ranch, home of the retired mas cots for two years. Parsons said a caretaker cleaning Daisy Mae’s cage found the cubs. Last year, Daisy Mae gained weight but did not have any cubs so when she again gained weight this year, park officials did not expect offspring. It was not known if the cubs would be used as mascots at Baylor, but if legacy is a factor, their chances are good. Newspaper charges breach of contract United Press International NEW YORK — The New ork Daily News has filed suit Peking an injunction to bar portswriter and columnist Dick roung from writing for the New fork Post. [ Young’s column, scheduled Jo appear in the Post Feb. 8, will cot run on that date under an ; agreement reached Wednesday fv state Supreme Court Justice •lorman Ryp and attorneys for I potli newspapers. f| Ryp scheduled a hearing for eb. 11, when the News will seek n injunction barring Young rom joining the sports staff of he rival tabloid. “We contend that he has an xclusive contract with us,” said Yilliam L. Umstead, managing alitor of the News. He said lay wers for both sides “agreed not to publish any col umns by Young until the hear ing next Thursday.” Young’s departure from the Daily News after 45 years was disclosed last Friday. Charging breach of contract, the News claimed Young signed a four-year contract in Septem ber 1980 providing him with a salary of $100,000 for the first year, $115,000 for the second year, and $131,000 for the third and fourth years. Young said he decided to leave the News because News officials refused to guarantee his contract. Another group, the Ad Hoc Committee to Save the Daily News, was to meet Thursday to discuss a newspaper advertise ment urging the Tribune Co. not to fold the News and to hear a report on a separate commit tee studying possibilities of em ployee stock ownership. The newspaper has a daily circulation of 1.5 million and 2 million on Sunday. Jenny Gorden announces her association with SOMETHING ELSE HAIR DESIGN 404 E. 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