/o 



Senator Hollings. You notice, also, their complaint. They say, 

 "Look at the golf course at Hilton Head Island, near Port Victoria, 

 the BASF site. You can dredge there to put in pleasure yachts, but 

 if you dredge to give poor people jobs, the Department of Interior 



comes running " 



What is your comment about that ? 



Secretary Hickel. I don't know of any dredging they have done 

 since I have been in office for pleasure boats in South Carolina. 



Senator Hollings. The same rules would apply. 



Senator Hickel. The same rules would apply. That is what we 

 have been doing since I have been here ; that is what we will continue 

 to do as long as I am here unless the legislation is changed to take 

 some of the authority away from us. 



I think, yes, we see the necessity of the use of a natural resource. 

 We want to do that without abusing another natural resource. So we 

 could blindly say build the plant, put several thousand men to work 

 and by that same action, or same disregard, possibly put more than 

 that out of work in the fishing industry. It is the balance we are trying 

 to achieve. 



Mr. Chairman, I sincerely believe they both are compatible. _We 

 just have to make them live together imder the kind of regulations 

 that we think is attainable. And, for example, whether it is a chemical 

 plant or a power generating plant or whatever it might be, when 

 they use public water, it is free. We don't charge them for it. All we 

 think they should do for the public is return that resource in the 

 condition it was in when they first obtained it for free — in the same 

 degree of purity. 



So, if they get clean water free, fine, we want them to use it. But 

 let them return it in the same state. 



Senator Hollings. Finally on that point, Mr. Secretary, I think 

 you and the Governor have corresponded, and over the weekend the 

 Governor did not seem satisfied with your answer. He said it still 

 left it in a confused state. 



What do you consider the next step to be ? 



Secretary Hickel. I never saw the Governor's statement; I don't 

 Imow exactly what he meant by confused state. I am not confused in 

 my mind. 



What we would have to do if the plant were built, along the lines 

 they want to build it, and then it polluted the oyster or shrimp beds, 

 then I would take action. That is all I said; that is all I have ever 

 done ; that is all I can do. 



If he would express to me what he is confused about, I would try 

 to clarify the action we did take. It is a matter of public record and 

 I just don't know exactly what he means by confused. 



Senator Hollings. I agree with you ; the authority should be vested, 

 so you can act in an expeditious manner and not wait for the crime it- 

 self to be committed before the Department can act. Specifically I am 

 referring now to an article of last week that says "Oil refinery planned 

 in Charleston." I don't know how we are getting all of these things, 

 but it continues, "Oil refinery, if pollution is permitted." They talk 

 of a $10 to $15 million oil refinery by Clinton Oil Co. of Wichita, 

 Kans. They talk about a satellite factory, because the main or prin- 

 cipal plant would go into Brunswick-Kernel's Island area, around 

 Brunswick, Ga. 



