954 HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



Mrs. Rosalynn Carter testifies before the Ottinger subcommittee on April 30, 1979, in 

 hearings in a tent on the Mall near the Lincoln Memorial. Chairman Ottinger is at left, and 

 Staff Director Spensley at right. 



CONSTRUCTION OVERSIGHT AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGY 



In order to maintain tighter oversight over DOE construction 

 projects, the committee in its markup adopted amendments recom- 

 mended by the Ottinger subcommittee which limited DOE's discretion 

 in transferring funds from operating expenses into construction projects 

 without committee authorization. Also adopted was an amendment 

 requiring DOE to submit an engineering design report, firm cost esti- 

 mate, draft environmental impact statement, and detailed management 

 plan to the committee for approval prior to spending money on con- 

 struction projects amounting to over $50 million. 



For the first time since the start of the geothermal program, the 

 committee, on recommendation of the McCormack subcommittee, 

 voted only a very modest increase — $500,000 — over the administration 

 request in the hot dry rock program. In 1979, the McCormack sub- 

 committee once again authorized a second 50-megawatt hydrothermal 

 demonstration plant. The McCormack subcommittee, supported by the 

 full committee, finally convinced the administration of the need for 

 a second hydrothermal plant. 



