Page 8AThe Battalion/Thursday, February 28, 1985 wnm n * y ■ Funky Winkerbean by Tom Batiuk DGRM6 THE FOUjOWING K) LESIOM ^nrx. vrvjju/wj A4^J2>uvr«-cL CMi a. mHjUiXLAMaAQ iioCcLui^. o-a. inn : F/SrucA FcniU^m ^iUVLOrn / Supreme Court ruling permits ERA variances L/.S. will negotiate 'Star Wars' in Geneva, arms adviser says Associated Press WASHINGTON — Less than three weeks before U.S.-Soviet arms talks open in Geneva, the Reagan administration is shifting fron the rhetoric to the political realities of “Star Wars,” acknowledging that its plan ibr a space-based nuclear nis- sile defense system could be nego tiated with Moscow. “It would be on the table,” chief arms control adviser Paul H. Nitzt told a congressional panel. “It would not be excluded.” After months of public statements by President Reagan and other U.S. officials that Star Wars — the Strate gic Defense Initiative — could not be negotiated away, there have been nudges in their position suggesting the possibility that this might hap pen after all. Although most attention has been focused on Star Wars research, sup porters and critics of the plan agree that testing and deployment are the issues, rather than research. With the first significant Star Wars tests not planned before 1989, there is plenty of time to deal with the testing and deployment issues in the Geneva talks, which open March 12. Reagan would no longer be pres ident by the time a full Star Wars sys tem is ready. Reagan was quoted as telling The Wew York Times in an interview on Hb. 11 that he would want to de- vtlop a workable missile defense sys- ten regardless of whether the Ge- ne\a negotiators agreed to curb nucear weapons. R«agan seemed to take a step back from that position at his Feb. 21 news conference, when he voiced readiness “to come forth before any deployment and negotiate and dis cuss tne deployment and the use of that weapon in such a way that it would be used to rid the world of the nuclear threat, not to give us any particular advantage over anyone else.” Reagan’s carefully worded statement pointed the Star Wars program in two possible directions. One, it could be deployed if that was the only way to make the world safer. Or two, there would be no need to deploy a Star Wars system if the Soviets and the Americans agreed to curb their offensive mis siles, as another step toward elimi nating “the nuclear tnr Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Su preme Court ruled Wednesday fed eral environmental officials may ease regulations for some companies that discharge toxic water pollutants. In a 5-4 decision that amounted to a victory for the chemical industry and the Reagan administration, re jected environmentalists’ arguments that relaxing restrictions for dis charges into sewage treatment plants could cause serious harm to the na tion’s streams and public health. The court said tne Environmental Protection Agency is authorized by federal law to exempt “fundamen tally different” individual companies from industry-wide pollution con trol standards. Permitting such variances “is, es sentially, not an exception to the standard-setting process, but rather a more fine-tuned application of it,” Justice Byron R. White wrote for the court’s narrow majority. “It is important that EPA’s nation ally binding ... standards ... be tem pered with the flexibility that the va riance mechanism offers,” he said. The impact of the ruling is not im mediately clear. By 1984, only four companies that discharge toxic waste directly into streams and waterways were granted variances. The government had granted no variances to companies that discharge into sewage treatment plants. About 40 applications by those who discharge into sewage sys tems are pending. But Wednesday’s ruling could en courage additional companies to ap ply for variances, environmentalists said. Federal regulators contend the ruling will have limited application but that giving them such discretion is an important cost-saving and time saving principle. The ruling overturned a 1983 de cision by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The en vironmental group contended that 1977 amendments to the Clean Wa ter Act prohibited such variances for any industries discharging toxic waste. The environmentalists said Con gress intended that the EPA allow exceptions from pollution i standards only for “non-toxic, cot.| ventional pollutants.” At issue was the degree tot toxic industrial waste must il treated before its discharge. TlJ EPA adopted a rule that wouldn[ cuse “atypical” companies frot| meeting industry-wide standards At least 60,000 companies rl subject to industry-wide waterftfl lution control standards, thej ment said. In other rulings Wednesday,tl»| court: • Boosted federal budget-cuttirJ by adopting the Reagan adminisirT tion’s understanding of calculatirJ the income of some welfare i ents. The 9-0 ruling in a Califotiil case could save taxpayers hundrcdl of millions of dollars in welfarepavl ments. • Threw out some changes ttudiI in 1982 in the way school ofHiI are elected in Hampton County,SC I The court ruled unanimously dull changes in the candidateftlintl deadline and election date violatti| the federal Voting Rights Act. Farm measure passed i real. Congress ignores Reagan Egypt, Israel renew negotiations Associated Press JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Shimon Peres and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt exchanged spe cial envoys Wednesday to explore the prospects for renewing Middle East peace talks. Peres met twice with an envoy sent by Mubarak, and the prime min ister’s spokesman told reporters that Israel and Egypt “recognize the need and urgency to further the peace process” and “will intensify their contacts.” The new contacts are the first sig nificant movement toward a Middle East peaie initiative since the U.S.- mediated alks on autonomy for Pal estinians bing under Israeli occupa tion broke lown in 1982. Peres’ s|okesman, Uri Savir.re- peated the |rime minister’s position that he is realy to participate in new Middle East jeace talks with Jordan or with a mixs during the mediation process. When one onore students discover they are involved in a dispute, they should contact the Stu dent Mediation Service. After a request for media tion has been filed, separate interviews will be con ducted for each party in the dispute. At this time, the complete mediation process will be explained and any questions or concerns will be addressed. If both parties agree to mediation (neither party can be forced into mediation), two mediators will be as signed and the mediation session will be scheduled. During the session the mediators meet with all dis putants simultaneously and then with each dispu tant individually. Throughout the session the media tors work to bring the disputants to their own solution. When a resolution is reached, a written agreement is signed by all disputants. The Student Mediation Service is available to on campus and off campus students involved in a student-to-student conflict. The service is free of charge. If you need assistance in resolving a dispute or if you have questions regarding the Student Me diation Service contact: Student Mediation Service 108 YMCA Building Texas A&M University (409) 845-1228 Looking for Roommates ...for the upcoming summer sessions cr or fall semester or both? The Off Campus Center operates the Room mate Referral Service which can help students find compatible room mates. The service is helpful if you have housing and need a roommate, or if you need both housing and QSSaR&Bfil roommates. The Off Campus Center will begin tak ing listings on Monday, 4 March. For more informa tion or to list yourself in the service, contact the Off Campus Center in Puryear Hall or call 845-1741. Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole, R-Kan., pi dieted the amendments passed over his opposition in I “never going to become law” and administration oft| cials said Reagan might veto the bill. In act, after the action on the first amendment,deJ uty White House press secretary Marlin Fitzwater,e; [ pressing disappointment at the outcome of the Senati vote, said: “In all likelihood, we’ll veto" the bill ifi| reaches Reagan with the amendment still attached. The spokesman said the administration renuicsl “steadfast in the belief there is a program out theretkI should be utilized.” The White House had lobbied against any changesitI federal credit help for farmers. Tne administration 11 rushing to put in place its own much-modified I guarantee program, which President Reagan contend!I is adequate to save those farmers with the bestchanctj of long-term survival. The vote had been seen as so close that VicePresiJ dent George Bush had delayed a scheduled tript Texas to be present in the Senate in case his votewertj needed to break a tie.