ADVAN< ID I M R^.^ I I i HNOD K3IES 



939 



—Hearings on June 7-8, 1978, on "earth resources and drilling 

 technology." The subcommittee assembled information on the 

 relation between drilling technology and the development of 

 underground energy resources — geothermal, petroleum, meth- 

 ane, and uranium. The subcommittee also examined the issues 

 of skilled manpower availability and exploration and drilling 

 priorities. 



-Three days of hearings in July 1978 on gasohol — the production 

 and use of alcohol, derived from grains, wood and other forms 

 of biomass, for use as motor vehicle fuel. The subcommittee 

 went into questions of supply, economics, and energy efficiency. 



—Field hearings on byconversion at Brookhaven National Lab- 

 oratory (wood and municipal solid waste) and in Denver, Colo, 

 (generation of methane from animal wastes and bioconversion 

 of grains and agricultural wastes), during July and August 1978. 



—Hearing on "passive solar energy programs and plans," held on 

 September 19, 1978. By careful architectural design (such as 

 south-facing glass) solar heat gains can be maximized in winter, 

 and proper building design can also increase natural cooling in 

 summer. Since these applications do not rely on any outside 

 source of energy, the term "passive" is used. The subcommittee 

 examined the speed with which the building industry could 

 introduce this technology, along with an improved public 

 understanding of the technology. Harkin and Gore took the 

 lead in requesting this subcommittee hearing. 



—Three significant workshops of a foresight nature were held by 

 the subcommittee in 1978, and their results published in 1979: 

 (1) Nontechnological (societal) aspects of hydrogen energy 

 systems. Results of a workshop held by the National Bureau of 

 Standards at Reston, Va.; (2) CRS workshop on energy use in 

 cities; and (3) CRS workshop on economic effects of energy 

 conservation. 



SOLAR SATELLITE POWER SYSTEM 



With strong and interested support from the committee, NASA 

 had for several years been investigating the possibilities 

 and implications of solar satellite power, beamed to 

 transmission stations on Earth. Both ERDA and the DOE took an 

 interest in these studies, and jointly assisted in carrying them forward. 



On May 24, 1973, Symington's Subcommittee on Space Science 

 and Applications had an historic joint hearing with McCormack's 



