ADVAN< ID ENERGY IK HNOLOGIES 91 1 



ERDA TOO CAUTIOUS AND LEISURELY SOUNDING 



At further oversight hearings in July, the subcommittee reviewed 

 the progress in implementing the Solar Energy Research, Development, 

 and Demonstration Act of 1974. Once again, members expressed the 

 sense of urgency which they felt should be shared by ERDA. Mosher, 

 in addressing ERDA's Assistant Administrator for Solar, Geothermal, 

 and Advanced Energy Systems, commented: 



There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and expectation and belief in the 

 potential of solar energy and I am trying to think of what the average guy would 

 think as he sat here and heard your presentation. 1 have a feeling that he might feel 

 that it was a remarkably cautious and leisurely program. 



In October 1975, the subcommittee held two days of oversight 

 hearings to spur the application of the Geothermal Energy Research, 

 Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974. 



Among its many other activities in 1975, the subcommittee also 

 somehow found time to hold hearings on helium, hydrogen, methanol, 

 and industrial conservation. An ERDA report on "the energy related 

 applications of helium" was the basis of the May hearing, which 

 investigated the use of helium for superconducting transmission lines, 

 helium-cooled nuclear reactors, and fusion reactor technology. The 

 hydrogen hearings in June zeroed in on the possibilities of producing 

 hydrogen in large quantities at economical rates, and examined stor- 

 age, transportation, and environmental problems associated with hy- 

 drogen. The two days of hearings on methanol, complementing 

 methanol hearings held in the Fossil Fuels Subcommittee, investigated 

 the use of methanol (wood alcohol) as a potential automobile fuel, 

 natural gas substitute and feedstock for the chemical industry. In 

 September 1975, the subcommittee also held three days of hearings on 

 methods of speeding up the development and utilization of industrial 

 conservation technologies. 



THE INITIATIVE ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES 



In March 1975, McCormack and Brown teamed up to introduce 

 legislation which represented one of the major statutory initiatives of 

 the committee — the electric vehicle research, development, and dem- 

 onstration bill. In their statement introducing the bill, McCormack 

 and Brown pointed out that electric cars had a great potential for 

 more efficient energy use as well as a reduction in pollution. The bill 

 called for advanced research on electric vehicle storage and propulsion 

 systems, along with a demonstration project enabling 8,000 electric 

 vehicles to be used over a 5-year period by government, industry, and 



