March 10, 1976

Gas Rationing Will Follow Oil Embargo

The next Arab oil embargo will bring gasoline rationing within 90 days," said Frank Zarb, federal energy administrator, at a press conference this week in Canton.

"It will make the last one look like a picnic," he declared.  "The price of oil will double and it won't do any good to get in line at a gas station for there won't be any gas."

To cope with this crisis, Zarb said the government would act quickly to distribute the warehouse full of gas rationing books printed, but not used, three years ago when the Arabs brought the western world to its knees.

The federal energy czar was pessimistic about the effectiveness of rationing, however.  "It will fall apart in six months or a year," he predicted, "Then the lights will start to go out!"

Zarb hastened to brighten this gloomy outlook with a positive but "tough" program to make the United States self sufficient in power resources within ten years."

"Until then, we're vulnerable." he stated.

Zarb said Americans have four tools with which to fight the energy battle during the next decade:

1. Conservation, including higher prices to discourage use.
2. Finding and developing new sources of oil and gas by de-regulating abnormally low prices imposed by the government.
3. Increased use of coal, providing we can solve the problems of mining, transporting and burning this plentiful fuel.
4. Building new nuclear power plants.

"We need to use all of these four tools to the fullest," said Zarb.  "We can't subtract one."

Zarb tipped his hat to the importance of environmental concerns but warned "ecology and production must work together" to meet our energy needs.

He said the new Alaska pipeline would "help" relieve the pressure for oil, as would 200 new nuclear power plants.

"The main effort, however, must come from conservation and coal."

Zarb said Americans still were shamefully wasteful of fuel, particularly natural gas.

"We have held the price of natural gas so low that it is cheaper to burn this precious fuel for electricity than abundant coal.

"It blows my mind to see us paying $3 to $4 for a million cubic feet of liquefied natural gas from Algeria rather than to deregulate Texas natural gas and let the price go to $1.70," Zarb said.

Among the "four tools" available to us are use of the naval military oil reserves at Elk Hills, Wyoming (of Tea Pot Dome scandal fame) and development of new off-shore oil wells on the east coast.

This revelation is certain to hot up the mimeograph machines of the defense hawks and the environmentalists.

Those who worry about the military might and aggression of the Soviet Union are more than a little upset about dipping into the petroleum hoard we put aside before the First World War for emergency use.

Those who worry about clean air and clean water thought they had prevented the government from letting the big oil companies set up their rigs off the coasts of New Jersey and Georgia.

Zarb didn't waste much time with the worriers.

"In the next war we are not going to have time to drill wells at Elk Hills and convert it into fighter fuel," he said.  "And we need that oil off the East coast just to stay even."

Zarb said any opposition to the energy polices he has outlined will be a "period of stall that can be replaced only with foreign oil.  He made it clear he was going to press ahead toward energy independence at flank speed.

"If we have not lost our ability as a nation to be tough-minded and take the obvious actions, we will reduce our imports and increase production enough to eliminate our vulnerability," declared Zarb.  "Our forecasts show that we can indeed regain energy independence, but we must be realistic and dedicated to our goals."

This is old style "biting the bullet."  The question is whether the citizenry and the Congress will follow suit.  Detroit says the big gas-guzzling car is returning to popularity.  Congress is afraid to turn natural gas loose in the free market.

Technology "eventually" may solve our problem.  Zarb predicted that hydrogen fusion - unlimited sun power - will be practical by the year 2000.

If the Russians and the Arabs will just cooperate until then we will be home free.  

If.

Author: Lindsey Williams