Power Game

Solutions to the energy crisis are like the World Series. They're hard to find and they're very expensive. But once you get them they seem well worth the trouble. The graph I can't promise you tickets to the series or even a program from an exhibition game but I can promise you that a game of more importance the energy crisis or if you will the power game. We're all players and one look at our fuel bills tells us we're losing by quite a few runs the game doesn't promise to deliver the ultimate answer to our energy problems. But we're not ready to pull the team off the field either. We're putting players on base and scoring a few runs too and to keep you up to date on the score timely reports on the latest energy news whether it's another ole PAC or the reasons behind that jump and your utility bill. How the energy news affects you directly is frequently the topic of Carol Pearson's report. That's right. I visit families like yours who are paying more money at the gas pump and higher fuel bills at home. This family's efforts at conservation around their home decrease their fuel consumption by 30 to 40 percent.

Stimulated mostly was the oil embargo of 73. We felt that. That was a clear message to this country that. We better do something about reducing our. Dependency on foreign oil in the oil countries so the world can turn us off. I felt like it. And the only immediate impact you could have was by conserving. I also visit with people who are fighting the energy crisis with alternative fuels. You should have to commit yourself to it make sort of a game out of it I suppose if you enjoy that. You know. Power is becoming important to people like this enterprising horticulturalist 600 hundred dollars per month. 300 400 hours.

The efforts of family and government in the quest for a brighter energy future a brighter future are available to us now. Each week we explore the easiest and least expensive ways to make your home energy efficient for $60 a year. We also detail ways to save on your hot water use. We look out of the. Good to find ways to cut your gas consumption. And of course we don't overlook the tax advantages of energy conservation on a much broader scale our weekly interviews provide a forum for timely and provocative discussions. For instance we asked Harvard professor Daniel Yergin author of the widely read energy future about our country's precarious position in the Middle East. In fact they occurred within three months. And I believe that we continue to live on a razor's edge. Our well-being depends upon the generosity and the stability of Saudi Arabia. It's a very uncomfortable situation to have the entire world economy depend upon a country of

three or four million people. But that's the situation we're in today and it's likely to persist for a number of years unless we decide to do across a broad range of of items taken Porton steps to get a better energy future for us. We also probe the motivations and concerns of some of our oil export friends with the James Akins former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Too much control of the Saudis. You know that would surprise the Saudis and surprised me. I think that their position is that they have no influence whatsoever over us. What happened they say that well do they have any what have they done. What have they done that. What have we done. Because a Saudi and for that a lot of people look at the gas lines and the high prices and say they've done something to us what they have done is by keeping up production. They have made sure that the price is low and that the supplies are adequate to meet our needs.

You can't you're talking about influence of our policy and there hasn't been any one player in the political power game today is budget director David Stockman and his budget years. One item that has yet to feel the cold edge of his blade however is nuclear energy. Well rather than ration unfounded and really alarmist conclusion that we ought to drop the nuclear option. What we ought to do instead is learn from that event that we need better operator training that we need less pounds less procedures in the control room but then move ahead decisively to develop this domestic source of energy that every other industrial country in the world is developing. The only country that has been overcome by this kind of. Hyped up hysteria which is just not warranted by the basic facts of the nuclear power issue. Of course not everyone shares Mr Stockman's affection for nuclear power and as our discussion of the controversial Clinch River breeder reactor project in Tennessee indicates the debate seemed to get hotter than a meltdown.

John you don't know you you don't know you nuclear physics you get out when you get a better grade of plutonium out of the blanket material in a breeder than you do from the production reactors and that's when I've been aware because I do not have the issues you have classified access to weapons information I have had for 20 years. I now say that it's better to use plutonium in a reactor and burn it up in a reactor and letting it sit around and that's what they want to do. Not only do we offer heated rhetoric we also give heated national energy situations a media analysis for instance when Reg and they control the oil. We discussed the ramifications and when voters in Maine he did nuclear referendum we examined its impact. Of course we don't dwell exclusively on the gloomier side of energy. There are some lighter moments like the time when Carol and I helped Santa Claus deliver some energy inspired Christmas gifts to get this solar powered planes for half the cost of that helicopter. I'm more impressed with that and they're like This is $55 and get a little plane will be able to wear around the window if you have a friend who is a bird lover.

Well sort of the bird lover one that doesn't want to fool around with a bird that likes the idea of the bird if they have a solar powered doghouse. And listen with you when the sun strikes it gives off little bird noises you don't have to feed it you know when you have to $25 to get you know you've heard of things that go bump in the night while this goes were in the light. We've even taken time out to wish you all back very happy 20th birthday. Actually we often find ourselves in the gift giving one of our favorite presents is our Power award for distinctive or dubious achievement in the world of energy. Each week we try to award you with the essential equipment to play an active and winning role in the power game. We hope you'll join us. Again.