952 HISTORY OF THE COMMITTI I ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



With both words and deeds, Ottinger continued to stress the 

 necessity for more DOE emphasis in the conservation area. As the 

 DOE authorization hearings got under way on February 21, 1979, 

 Ottinger told DOE witnesses: 



We must do more. The report of the Council on Environmental Quality, released 

 yesterday, along with the studies upon which it was based, indicates that the Nation 

 can achieve meaningful conservation results, and do that generally with a much 

 smaller investment than the equivalent gains in fuel production would cost. * * * The 

 beauty of embarking on sir h a conservation program is that the return on our initial 

 investment is clearly substantial, and with that payback we limit the impact on 

 inflation as well. Indeed, itisclear that the conservation investment might be as 

 little as 10 to 50 percent that of investment in new energy supplies. 



CONSERVATION PROGRESS IN' 1979 

 'Dollar amounts in millions] 



President's budget 

 in 1979 (operating Committee 



expen increase 



Total 



Amount 



$}}2 $91.95 $42}. 95 



The Ottinger subcommittee voted a number of hefty increases in 

 the conservation R. & D. program, all of which were ratified by the 

 full committee. These included increases in municipal waste-to-energy 

 grants and loan guarantees, fuel cell demonstration, industrial process 

 efficiency and industrial cogeneration, alternative fuel utilization for 

 transportation (such as gasohol), appropriate technology and the 

 Energy Extension Service. 



The appropriate technology small grants program sparked a 

 light in the full committee, after Ottingcr's subcommittee had recom- 

 mended a $15 million increase which Walker attempted to cut back 

 to the budgeted request. Walker argued: 



It is difficult for me to support the irresponsible funding level authorized in light 

 of our Nation's current economic situation. * * * By adding $15 million to this 

 fledgling program, we are almost tripling the size of a program that cannot handle 

 these funds. * * * Another concern I have is with regard for the need to eliminate 

 duplication of effort among the DOE programs. This is clearly a problem with the 

 Appropriate Technology program, which funds several solar and conservation 

 activities that are already being done in the solar technology and conservation 

 program area. 



