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area in New England. Scheuer noted that it the big corporations 

 wanted to get in on loan guarantees, they ought to agree to limits on 

 profits and prices. Fuqua, Thornton, Hall, Frey, Emery, Wirth, Myers, 

 and Pressler spoke for the legislation, with only Ottinger and Hechlei 

 very stronglv opposed, "Time is running out," Fuqua summarized 



MOVING FORWARD ON H.R. 12112 



At the conclusion of the session, Teague was sharp and clear: 



I think u is obvious chat (he attitude ol the committee is to move forward on 

 the legislation. 



He announced the committee would start the next day — April 28 — to 

 mark up the hill, and vote each amendment up or down and proceed to 

 report the hill out for action. The process was long and arduous, it 

 took ten markup sessions, one of which lasted four hours. The com- 

 mittee made the following modifications in H.R. 12112, including 

 new safeguards: 



Doubled the limit to $4 billion. 



Set asule no less than 20 percent and no more than 50 percent tor renewable 

 resources and conservation technologies. 



Required public financial disclosure by ERDA officials administering program, 

 to minimize conflict of interest. 



( ongressional review of projects over $200 million 



Provided for an advisory panel including affected States, Indian tribes, environ- 

 mental organizations, industry and the general public. 



$300 million community public impact assistance fund. 



The committee voted out the bill by 27-8. Twenty-four committee 

 members cosigned a letter to their House colleagues urging support for 

 the bill. Notable additions to the supporter list, from the 1975 op- 

 ponents, wereSvmington, Harkin, Hall, Blanchard, Dodd and Wydler. 

 The eight hard-core committee opponents in 1976 were Ottinger, Hech- 

 ler, Blouin, Hayes, Krueger, Roe, Waxman and Goldwater, the latter 

 being the only Republican in opposition. 



Despite the larger support within the committee, the loan guaran- 

 tee provisions faced a tortuous road ahead. Three other House com- 

 mittees claimed jurisdiction over its provisions —Banking, Ways and 

 Means and Commerce. The Banking Committee reduced the total to 

 $3-5 billion but then added $500 million for price supports. Ways and 

 Means recommended changes in the tax-related provisions concerning 

 municipal bonds for community impact assistance. But the Commerce 

 Committee, of which Ottinger was a member, slashed the bill to rib- 

 bons, recommended a new bill for only $2 billion confined to biomass 

 (various forms of waste), oil shale, conservation and renewable 

 resources. 





