836 HISTORY OF THI COMMITTEE ON SCIENC1 AND TECHNOLOGY 



Mosher urged the adoption of the rule, calling the loan guarantees 

 "the most important piece of legislation before the Nation today." To 

 Ottinger's charge that "it is an absolute outrage that we arc asked to 

 consider this complex and very controversial legislation at this time 

 with )ust live legislative days left in the session," Mosher responded: 



I say that I would be outraged it the rule is turned down That would he an indi- 

 cation that the House is not willing to consider this legislation which is so over- 

 whelmingly needed in the national interest. 



Goldwater lambasted the rule for making it "in order to consider 

 a proposal that has to my knowledge only been printed in the Congres- 

 sional Record in small print, in three columns, for page after page, 

 with no reference points such as numbered lines." He scored the 

 legislation .is 



a bill that currently makes the Government both the loan guarantor and the 

 lender, that permits a $25 million oil shale investment to quality tor a much as $1 

 billion in Federal assistance, that fosters energy production concentration, that arti- 

 nciall) allocates credit and displaces citizens from the capital market, that does 

 nothing to eliminate the existing disincentives, and that will almost certainly neces- 

 sitate Federal-taxpayer subsidy of the price of the energy produced. 



The proponents of synfuels loan guarantees started out with good intentions and 

 motives to produce a thoroughbred energy horse. Unfortunately what we are pre- 

 sented with is at best an energy giraffe. 



Frey appealed to his colleagues to move positively: 



For 8 years now I have been serving in the Congress, and we have been trying to 

 get some energy program. For 8 years the Congress has been really effective in doing 

 only one thing, and that is doing nothing. * * * We should ask ourselves, what is the 

 alternative? What are we going to do? Where arc we going to put the money? Would 

 wc rather give $35 billion next year to the Arab nations to import oil and gas and in- 

 crease our dependence on these countries, or would we rather take a chance? Would 

 wc rather take a risk and put $V; billion in loan guarantees and develop new tech- 

 nology? It seems to me we really have no choice I hope the rule passes and we make- 

 needed changeson the floor. 



CHARGES AND COUNTERCHARGES 



Tempers flared as the hot debate proceeded, with only 30 minutes 

 on each side. Hechler charged that "nobody knows what is really in 

 this legislation," calling it a "mishmash" and "they want us to pass 

 it in a pell-mell rush." This brought Teague to his feet to charge: 



It there ever was an unfair statement made in this House in the last 30 years, it 

 was the statement made by the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Hechler) about 

 this piece of legislation. If there ever was any Member that got every break a Member 

 could get, he got it. If there is any Membci who knows what is in this bill, it is the 

 gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Hechler). 



When I recall what he said about its being a new bill and that nobody knows 

 anything about it, I never heard such an outrageous statement. 



