Nu ant 61 sts federal SEAUMO.tiT ENTERPRISE MAR 2 9 By LYNN GARNER Staff Writer Federal energy programs are compounding the nation's energy problems and fuel prices will con- tinue to climb, Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Nugent said here Wednesday. • it Nan reg hons "Each time Texas has taken a leadership role, we've been kicked," Nugent told members of the Rotary Club of Beaumont. "We (the commission) intend to fight them (federal energy officials), sue them ... or do ha wtever is necessary to encourage oil and gas pro- duction," the former Kerrville legislator said. Federal pricing regulation has become so costly and time-consuming, Nugent said, that a Houston oil producer has asked the commission for permis- sion to plug a producing well. Secondary recovery methods have been en- couraged by the commission, which has increased the state's proven reserves, Nugent said. 'The East Texas oil fields are now estimated to produce about 71/2 billion barrels of oil before they're completed, the commissioner said. "But we (the commission) don't regulate pricing — the federal government does," Nugent said, lamenting the "massive intrusion of Washington politics into oil and gas production at the state level." "Our enemy resources are declining at a rapid rate," Nugent said. _ At the same time, the nation's daily consumption has jumped from 15 million barrels in 1970 to 19 million last year, he said. Nugent, appointed to the three-member commis- sion in December by former Gov. Dolph Briscoe, predicted the state's reported natural gas surplus will be gone in a year or two. "We're supposed to have a gas surplus, according to the federal energy planners," Nugent said, "but in January, there .were gas curtailments in Texas cities." "That surplus came from the free market system in Texas," Nugent said, "and is now being used to substitute for the shortages of foreign oil." "The majority of oil found in this state has been by wildcatters ... The role of this commission must be to encourage people to take the risk ... to squeeze out every drop of oil that is technically feasible," Nugent said. Nugent blasted the Natural Gas Policy Act, pass- ed by Congress in November, which requires the commission to study production of every gas well in the state. The commission's findings are used by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deter- mine pricing. This program will cost a half million dollars to operate for a half year, Nugent said, and will not find any new oil or gas. - Nugent, who succeeded Jon Newton of Beeville on the commission, also criticized the Carter ad- ministration's proposed gas rationing plan. Nugent, a lawyer and engineer, said the plan will allocate gasoline to states on a computed national average of driving distances. large states like Texas will be penalized, he said, while smaller states will receive more than their fair share. "It s definitely slanted toward the Nor- theast," Nugent added. The commission also complained of the federal government's push to develop alternate sources of fuel, such as coal and nuclear power, while at the same time requiring 10 years or more in delays to meet regulatory requirements. However, Nugent said, Texas has some reason to be optimistic about the future. The state is not only the producer of a third of the nation's oil and gas supply, but it leads the nation in the production of lignite coal. "We have enough coal to run the state," he said, but he questioned whether federal programs will allow coal supplies to be fully developed. Also, Texas is third in uranium production, pro- ducing 5 million pounds a year, Nugent said. Also attending the noon luncheon was state Rep. Al Price of Beaumont, who serves on the House Energy Resources Committee which oversees the Railroad Commission programs. House votes to exempt trucking rate bureaus from anti-trust laws ALLAS TIMES HERALD By ROBERT T. GARRETTmAR 3o Times Herald Austin Bureou AUSTIN — The House squabbled over but approved by a wide margin Thursday a bill that exempts the Texas trucking industry's "raw bureaus" — self-appointed groups that get together and agree on rates and routes — from anti-trust laws. Despite warnings that the industry- backed trucking bill would encourage price-fixing, the House tentatively okayed the Senate-passed measure, 93- 39. It would, argued House sponsor Lynn Nabers, D-Brownwood, merely confirm what is already common practice by giv- ing the Texas Railroad Commission au- thority to consider trucking rates pro- posed by rate bureaus and protecting them from federal anti-trust challenges like those now underway in five other states. "My bill continues the existing sys- tem," Nabers said. "The (Railroad) Commission sets the rates; the rate bu- reaus don't. There's even double control in here because the commission will set the rules for the bureaus, and will also set the rates:" However, State Rep. Ted Lyon, D- Mesquite, claimed the measure was "against competition" because it would sanction rate bureaus and a cozy kind of industry regulation that works to the detriment of both non-member trucking 00339 Clements shares stage Jr. Jr. shared the stage with thrice-il jaed with evangelist Roloff DAL_LAS TIMES HERALD By DAVE MONTGOMER-Y--Erra.z, 79 ing on that separateness." Cle • es Herald Austin Bureau' evangelist Lester Roloff Thursday night said. AUSTIN — Gov. William P. Clemen ernents, who -p-To—vakecr cria from members of the clergy when he irst issued the position before the Texas ts '--- , in an emotional revival-style rally extol- ling the philosophy of separation of church and state. "IVro-re than 4,000 Roloff followers packed Austin's Municipal Auditorium and responded with "amen," cheers and enthusiastic applause as Clements, Ro- loff and other speakers said, in effect, that government and churches should tay out of, or limit their involvement aft: Clements received a standing ovation as he was introduced by Roloff as a "wonderful man" who was "elected by the Christian people here tonight." Cle- ments was supported by Roloff in his underdog gubernatorial campaign against former Atty. Gen. John Hill, whose office waged an ongoing legal battle against the 63-year-old Corpus firms and consumers alike. Lyon produced a telegram from the U.S. Attorney General's Antitrust Divi- sion terming the proposed bill "bad pub- lic policy" .because "collective ratemak- ing creates substantial economic costs and provides no countervailing public benefits." His motion to table the meas- ure, though, failed 103-24. Two other Dallas-area legislators. Carlyle Smith and John Bryant, also at- tacked the bill, but failed to make their proposed changes stick. Smith, the conservative Democrat from Grand Prairie, lost (87-42) in an attempt to amend the measure so that. the Railroad Commission would decide when it needed the rate bureaus' help in determining rates and routes. Bryant, the firebrand reformer and populist Democrat who represents Pleasant Grove, proposed a requirement saying that any of the three Railroad Commissioners accepting campaign con- tributions from persons associated with the rate bureaus would have to remove himself from ruling on their cases. "Since we're going to allow them (the rate bureaus) to meet to fix prices, I think we need some restrictions on the Railroad Commissioners," Bryant said. House Speaker Bill Clayton, however, ruled the proposal out of order after State Rep. Robert E. "Bob" Davis ob- jected that it was not germaine to the bill. The rally — billed as "Christian Inde- Pence Day in Texas" — was designed to build support for two bills pending in the legislature to exempt religious-on- child-care facilities from state reg- ulation Without commenting on the bilk Cle- ments repeated earlier statements that, "the church and state should strive to Christi evangelist for failure to meet state licensing requirements in running his Texas children's homes. Conference of Churches last month, read a letter supporting his view from Dallas First Baptist Church pastor W. A. Criswell. "Government ought not to interfere with the free conduct of church affairs and the church ought not to seek to thwart the democratic processes of gov- ernment," Criswell wrote. be separate from one another to t greatest degree possible. "This means that the church not be a Roloff was jailed three times on (-un- political force, unless it feels govern tempt charges for defying the licensing ment is excessively or wrongly infring requirements. /0