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Wednesday, december 4, 197;
lincoln.nebraska vol.98
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Tougher lobby laws called for
if
State Sen. Steve Fowler advocates
lobbying reforms in the Nebraska
Legislature.
Editor positions open
Applications are now being accepted
for Daily Nebraskan news editor and
managing editor for second semester.
Applicants should pick up and return
applications at Nebraska Union between
8 a. ii'. and 5 p.m. No applications will
be accepted after noon Dec. 5.
State Sen. Steve Fowler Monday called for
a toughening of Nebraska's lobby laws.
Fowler told seven members of a Free
University lobbying class in the Nebraska
Union Monday that information channels
between voters and legislators must be
opened.
Lincoln and Omaha news media give good
coverage to the Legislature's actions, but
more outstate press coverage is needed, he
said.
Fowler said by publicizing important
issues pending in the Legislature voters
could control their elected officials and limit
the influence of wealthy lobby interests like
insurance and banking lobby interests.
He said a "muckraker" type Of reporter
is needed in the metropolitan news media.
"Many of the Lincoln and Omaha news
papers have reporters who don't want to
anger their news sources (senators)," Fowler
said. "If a reporter dug into lobby practices,
like disclosing areas where lobbyists enter
tain legislators, lobby reform could result,"
he said.
Cutoff money
"Cutting off money available for social
circles in the Legislature" was Fowler's
second point of reform.
"There is a building at 13th and S in which
legislators and lobbyists pair up, have a few
drinks," Fowler said. "It's kind of singles
bar for the Legislature."
Lobbyists who provide entertainment for
senators, especially for outstate senators, act
as the senators' friends away from home.
"Anyone who has spent a night alone in a
motel knows how lonely it can be," Fowler
said. "Outstate senators look for a diversion
when they " come to Lincoln and lobbyists
provide diversion through entertainment."
"Business isn't discussed during these
entertainment functions unless the legislator
brings up an issue,." Fowler said.
Increase salaries
Fowler, said he would also like to see an
increase in legislators' salaries. Legislators
earn $4800 a year, without reimbursement
for travel or living expenses, he said.
He told the class that outstate senators
cannot afford many trips to their districts for
discussing issues with constituents. He
added that personal staffs to research
pending legislation would aid legislators by
gathering unbiased information.
Fowler proposed to increase part-time
legislators' annual salaries to $10,000, and to
reimburse them for living and travel
expenses. He defined part-time senators as
those senators who maintain their offices in
Lincoln during the legislative session which
runs throughout the first half of the year.
For senators who work year-round, he
proposed a salary of $20,000, with reimburse
ment for expenses.
Although lobby reform is needed, there
have not been any bills passed to bring about
reform, Fowler said. Legislators don't want
their entertainment stopped and so are slow
to introduce measures that would limit
entertainment spending by lobbyists, he
said,
Union
Program Gouncil interviews scheduled
Interviews for 18 members of the Nebraska
Union Program Council (UPC), an organiza
tion which accounts for 85 to 90 per cent of all
campus cultural events according to UPC
president Terry Mahlman, will be held Dec.
14 in the Nebraska Union. The room number
and time have not yet been determined,
Mahlman said .
Of those selected, four will bo members at
large and the others will serve as chair
persons of the 14 programming committees.
The members will participate in orientation
activities in January and begin their one-year
term early in February, according to Suzanne
Brown, assistant program director.
At that time the new council will elect
officers from the four members-at-large, she
The primary function of the UPC, Brown
said, is "establishing, reviewing and facilita
ting the work of a series of program
committees which provide a large portion of
the educational and entertainment pro-
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I he committees are: Foreign Films, laiKS
and Topics. Model United Nations, Con
temporary Arts. Jazz and Java, Visual Arts,
Black Activities, Record Lending Library,
Calendar. Human Potentials. Special Events,
Concerts. Coffeehouse and Hostessing.
Application forms arid information about
the committees are available in Union 115.
All applicants must sign up for 15-minute
interviews. Brown said.
Expert speaks on energy crisis, Arab imports
By Greg Wees
The choice facing Americans
in the energy crisis is to either
rely on foreign oil imports in the
future, or take drastic steps to
curb oil consumption altogether .
according to Roy Kottman, dean
of the College of Agriculture and
Home Economics at Ohio State
University.
A nationally recognized expert
on the energy crisis, Kottman
told about 200 persons in the
Centennial room Monday that
Arab oil imports are indispens
able. "It is unrealistic to stop
imports. We have enough oil for
at least the next decade if we can
rely on foreign sources for a
portion of our oil," he said.
Oil reserves dwindling
Although domestic oil reser
ves have dwindled from a
twelve-year to a nine-year sup
ply, Kottman predicted the
United States had enough oil to
last from 40 to 135 years at
present consumption and import
rates.
However, those same supplies
would last only 10 to 35 years, fie
said, if the United States was to
double oil consumption and elim
inate imports.
"We need to continue to
accelerate conservation efforts,
and save 17 per cent of the
energy we otherwise would have
consumed to make it," he
emphasized.
"It depends on the establish
ment of priorities by our govern
ment. But the government must
not unnecessarily restrict the
freedom of our democratic soc
iety" in the name of conserva
ation, he added.
Former President Richard
Nixon's avowal to make the
United States self-sufficient by
1980 using only domestic fuel
sources is not possible, Kottman
said.
"More likely it will be by the
vear 2.000," he claimed, "We
con meet our future energy
needs from our own resources,
but will take time."
$500 billion estimate
Kottman estimated that the
entire energy industry from
1971-85 would spend over $500
billion. And that is a conserva
tive figure, he said. Some
estimates have placed the cost
as high as $2 trillion, he said.
Kottman recommended con
servation methods that included
better building and housing
insulation, more efficient air
conditioning and heating, shift
ing from highway to railway
transportation, developing mass
transit systems and using the
most efficient fuels.
He also recommended greater
use of natural fibers, such as
wool and cotton, in place of
synthetic petroieum-ba?e ny
lons, rayons and orlons.
Return to coal
"We should return the crown
to old King Coal," Kottman
said, referrina to the abundance
and usefulness of that fossil fuel.
The United States presently
burns about 700 million tons of
coal annually. But this could be
increased to two billion tons, he
said. Even at that rate, supplies
would last 400 years, he sug
gested. Restrictions on the burning of
coal, which has high concentra
tions of sulphur and thus cannot
be used as fuel, should be
removed, he said.
Continued on pg. 9
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Roy Kottman, nationally recognized expert on the energy
crisis, speaking in the Nebraska Union Centennial Room.
