State energy future lit by nuclear, coal-fired plants
bvSTEVENSTINGLEY
Staff Writer
Despite continued controversy about the safety of nuclear reactors and their radioactive wastes,
nuclear power has come to Russia.
And it looks as if it is here to stay.
As the price of oil increases and the supply of natural gas decreases, Kansas utility companies are faced with the problem of finding and developing other energy sources to provide electrical power...
The utilities have found the answer to these problems by stepping up their use of coal and by increasing the efficiency.
The construction of the a $1-billion nucleus reactor near Burlington, called the "Wolf Creek" project, is
THE PROJECT, on which construction was started more than a year ago and which should be finished in 1983, is equally financed by Kansas Gas and Electric company in Kansas City Power and Light Company (KCPL).
evidence that Kansas electrical companies consider nuclear power a feasible energy source for Kansas.
Sprawling over 11,275 acres of land, the Wolf Creek project will use conventional four-story, Westinghouse water-cooled nuclear reactor set in a concrete and steel containment structure 20 stories high. The reactor will pressurize steam that will drive a 1,196-megawatt turbine generator. It is now the largest power unit
planned in the state and has the capacity to supply electricity to 325,000 homes.
Kansas Power and Light (KP & L) the third major utility company in Kansas, also is seriously concerned with its water.
DERRICK MILLER, KP & L construction vice president, said recently that it was a matter of time before his company began to use nuclear reactors to produce some of its electrical power.
"We will use nuclear power just as soon as economics say we should," he said.
Mike Evans, the KCPL nuclear engineer who is responsible for KCPL's installation at Wolf Creek, said that his company's involvement in nuclear power also was a matter of economic feasibility.
The main question is "What is it going to cost to power the machine?" he said. "Nuclear power holds the edge."
The expansion of nuclear power depends on two things: the demand for electricity and the costs. You can also avoid this with a solar
EVANS SAID that construction of nuclear-power plants was expensive, but that lower fuel and plant costs would be cheaper.
KCPL also is building a coal-fired plant north of Kansas City. Evans said construction costs for Wolf Creek were $920 a kilowatt hour, compared with $330 a kilowatt hour for the coal-fired plant.
However, Evans said, Wolf Creek will produce electricity at a lower rate than the coal-fired plant
during a 30-year period, the standard use or any power plant.
Wolf Creek will produce power at 4.0 cents a kWh hour, compared with 4.7 cents a kWh hour at the other rate.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Evans said that in the 1980s, oil and natural gas would cost from 15 cents to 20 cents a kilowatt hour.
THESE FIGURES are steering Kanaas power companies away from gas and oil to coal and nuclear energy.
"We have only two real choices now." Evans said. "We 'et can not put all our eggs in one basket. We cann't do it all with coal and we can't do it with nuclear energy. We have to build up both."
See NUCLEAR POWER page six
KANSAN
Vol. 88, No. 24
The University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Monday December 12,1977
Amtrak keeps Midwest service
By DAVID SIMPSON Staff Writer
The Amtrak passenger service through Lawrence and other Midwestern cities, which had been in danger of being discontinued, was repurposed last week when Congress allocated funds to keep the service operating.
The Lawrence Amtrak service would have been eliminated before students could have taken the trains for Christmas break. The Lawrence Amtrak service will run as usual during the break.
John Mills, Amtrak district supervisor of services for Kansas, said last week that Congress allocated money last Monday to keep Amtrak trains running until the system can be evaluated by the U.S. Department of Transportation in March 1978.
"The Department of Transportation will come out with a new route structure for the Amrtak system," Mills said. "Whether or not we can run through law enforcement we do not know."
The financial problems arise in part because of the indecisiveness of past and present administrations about the funding of Amtrak, he said.
MILLS SAID Amtrak had planned to discontinue service in Lawrence and many other Midwestern cities because of financial problems.
"Congress is now in favor of increased funding for the Amtrak system," Mills said. "However, the Ford and Carter administrations haven't come out with a policy on railroad funding. Amtrak only receives 1.8 per cent of every dollar spent by the government, but companies from government, passenger fees have left the system coming out short."
Mills said the proposed shutdown would have affected the University of Kansas, the University of Oklahoma, Baylor University and many other smaller schools along the Amtrak route, which runs between Chicago and FL. Worth.
"STUDENT USAGE of trains is very heavy," Mills said. "One hundred ten students from the University of Kansas and eight students in train during the Thanksgiving vacation."
Mills said that service to Lawrence may still be cut off in the new proposal. The governor's
"Congress has final say on any proposal for rerouting." Mills said. "If people want continued rail service they should write their congratulations and let them know this."
Mills also said that an Amtrak public opinion line, which had been installed to handle the large volume of complaints from travelers on the routes, had been discontinued for now.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Capsules
From the Associated Press. United Press International
O'Neill predicts $25-billion tax cut
WASHINGTON—Although administration officials have said they expect tax cuts next year to total $20 billion to $22 billion, House Speaker Thomas O'Neill said yesterday that he thought the cuts would amount to about $23 billion. He also said there would be no unemployment rate to be reduced to 6.5 per cent by spring. See story page two.
SAN DIEGO—The first 127 American freed from Mexican prisons in an unprecedented inmate exchange settled yesterday into one of the most comfortable jails in the United States. The exchange was prompted by recent charges of brutality and violations of human rights.
Americans leave Mexican prisons
More than one-third of the prisoners, who arrived in two planteleads Friday and Saturday, will be paroled from the hotel-like federal Metropolitan Police Department.
Begin hopes talks basis for peace
JERUSALEM—In a joint news conference with Secretary of State Cyrus Vance yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Mehamed Begin said the purpose of this week's visit could be to see what would happen if he could be used later as the basis for peace with other Midest countries. Begin said there was reason for hope because Israel and the largest Arab country would be sitting down to serious peace negotiations. Starting from June 10, the countries is a matter of time, he said. See story page two.
Aside from medical and biological experiments, the crew will carry out the maintenance review, control checks and testing of the second docking device of the vessel.
MOSCOW—Two Soviet cosmonauts successfully docked with an orbiting space station yesterday in what could be the first step toward linking two spacecraft with the lab at the same time. Soviet space experts called the linkup a textbook docking.
Soyuz docks with space station
An attempt in October by Soyuz 25 to link with the space lab failed, and the spacecraft returned to earth 48 hours after liftoff.
Japanese surplus concerns U.S.
WASHINGTON-Japan's international trade surplus probably will exceed $10 billion this year, and Japan's minister of external economic affairs, Nobuhiko Ushiba, is in the United States this week to talk with the Carter administration about reducing the surplus. See story page two.
Locally...
Even for Kentucky fans, there was a touch of sadness after Kentucky beat Kansas 73-65 in a basketball game at Allen Field House Saturday night. Adolph Rupp, Kansas native, KU graduate and legendary Kentucky coach, died just before the start of the NCAA tournament, which shadowed a tense game played before a capacity crowd. See stories page nine.
Silent protest
More than 700 tractors were among the lines of farm vehicles that farmers drove to the state capital building Saturday afternoon in Topeka as part of a nationwide agricultural
Staff Photo by ELI REICHMAN
Stall Shade by CLI BRIPURAH
protest. One farmer drove onto the capital lawn to voice his complaint, but he was later told to move his tractor.
Farmers rally in Topeka to support strike
By DIRCK STEIMEL
Staff Writer
TOPEKA-Insulated coveralls were the rule as more than 4,000 Kansas farmers braved the freezing temperatures and blustery winds here Saturday to show their support of a farm strike to protest low prices.
A 10-mile caravan of 72 tractors, several hundred trucks and other farm vehicles circled the state capitol building Saturday morning to demonstrate for the strike.
mosphere. Tractor drivers waved to onlookers, and each of the vehicles carried signs displaying the demonstrator's position.
The tractor caravan, which at one time stretched from its starting point at Forbes Air Force base in southern Topeka to the capitol building, had a parade-like at-
In the afternoon, farmers and their families jammed into Topeka Municipal Auditorium to listen to strike leaders and Gov. Robert Bennett.
Some of the demonstrating farmers had begun driving as early as Tuesday dawn at a 18- to 18-mile-an-hour route to reach Topesa by Friday evening. A few even drove the route from western Kansas in sub-freezing temperatures without heated cots.
SOME OF THE SIGs read: "We want parity, not charity," "Not a bite, till things are right," and "We'll take back Nixon and $ wheat."
Some of the tractors in the caravan were loaded onto trailers and hauled to Forbes on a train.
Harold Millsap, a farmer from Linn County near Mound City, said Saturday that
the strike, which originated in western Kansas, was gaining momentum in eastern Kentucky.
"You betcha, we're going to strike. We've got to get some attention before Washington can do."
MILLSAP SAID 25 tractors had been driven to Topkapi from the Mound City area to Kabul.
Delimer Meyer, Gaylord whaler, said, "This strike may take a while, but it's going to show a lot of people in Washington. You're going to have to show the strike. Kyle wasEveryday every day."
The afternoon rally in Municipal Auditorium took the farmers out of the cold, but it did not calm their spirits. The farmers in the packed auditorium were continually getting up to give speakers standing ovations.
The caravan and rally in Topeka were held in conjunction with similar demonstrations across the country. The biggest of the rallies was in Atlanta, where more than 12,000 tractors were assembled at the capitol building.
**FARMERS SUPPORTING the strike** are threatening to discontinue all planting of new crops and selling of already harvested crops and to quit buying any new farm equipment after Dec. 14 if their demands for 100-percent petroleum are not met by the government.
The farmers rallying in Topeka were mainly concerned with low wheat prices in the spring, and they demanded $2.40 a bushel. One hundred-per-cent parity would increase the price of a bushel of wheat by about 15 cents.
See FARMERS page five
Sunflower House taking spring applications
BY LINDA FINESTONE AND
Staff Writers
Although the Sunflower House, a student living group at 1406 Tennessee St., will be open this spring, whether it will remain open this summer depends on the restructuring of the house's contracts, John Wright, chairman of the University of Kansas Student Housing Association (UKSA), said last week.
"When the residents' contracts expire May 31, we are keeping the option open on children to attend school under the contract," Wright, also a professor of human development and family life (HDFL), said. "After that we will decide whether the contract and which new residents to accept."
In the meantime, Sunflower House is
accepting applications for the spring semester.
The contract will be restructured, Wright said, so that the problems the house has had are addressed.
In the last year, a house conflict resulted in the eviction of three residents. Seventeen residents were evicted.
SOME RESIDENTS said that the house was being used as a research project by members of the HDLF department. Conflicts developed between the dissenting residents and others in the house who say they enjoy living there.
"We are trying something new and innovative, so it is natural that we make mistakes and have problems and misunderstandings." Keith Miller, secretary-treasurer of UKSHA and HDFL professor, said. "People who have lived there know
that it is an experiment and that it has problems."
UKSHA is a nonprofit organization designed to provide housing for University of Kansas students. It is made up of eight members, six of whom are from the HDFL. Other members are student Wright and Miller. The other members are student residents of Sunflower House.
"The purpose is not only to develop a program that works now, but one that will
MILLER IS the faculty member responsible for a group of six graduate students working to improve the Sunflower system. Miller calls them a research group.
Torn Welch, one of the six graduate students, and a Sunflower House resident, said the group wanted to develop the new classroom to make the house a comfortable place to live.
last," Welsh said. "It's also to develop procedures and programs that other living creatures can interact with."
One of the programs is a work-sharing program, in which the residents volunteer to work around the house with the incentive of a partial rent rebate.
"THE WORK-SHARING program was essential to keep the house clean," Siobhan Fitzmarra, Lawrence sophomore and past resident said. "There were faults in the system but in general it ran well. I enjoyed living there very much."
Laura Houston, Baldwin City senior, lived at the house for one semester.
"I was critical when I first moved in there because I didn't like the idea of living that closely with a bunch of people," she said, and "I think I live there was a good experience."
See SUNFLOWER page seven