e 18
1982
national
Battalion/Page 11
February 5, 1982
Energy genius solves
unsolvable’ problems
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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
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ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
Due to popular demand
20th Century-Fox presents
the original...
MASH
Roar once
again with
the original
movie cast...
H
fl
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<*•
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Donald
Elliott
Jo Ann
Robert
Sally
* u
Sutherland
Gould
Pflug
Duvall
Kellerman
ASHAWHIYE
AS TRAPPER JOHN
AS IT DISH
AS MAJOR BURNS
AS MOT UPS
FRIDAY & SATURDAY MIDNIGHT
RUDDER THEATRE R
MARLON BRANDO ROBERT DUVALL MARTIN SHEEN , APOCALYPSE NOW
FREDERIC FORREST ALBERT HALL SAM BOTTOMS LARRY FISHBURNE DENNIS HOPPER
Produced and Directed by FRANUS COPPOLA
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5 & 6
RUDDER THEATRE R
8 P.M.
GEORGE G. SCOTT
*
Winner of 7 Academy Awards
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7 7:30 P.M.
RUDDER THEATRE PG
AH tickets $1.50 with TAMU ID. Tickets available at the MSC Box Office. Mon.-Fri. 9-4:30 and
45 minutes before showtime.
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