5
KU fuel supply stabler this year
By BENJAMIN JONES
Staff Renorter
Although the National Weather Service predicts another harsh winter for the city, he said yesterday he thought the University had a stainer fuel supply from a year ago.
"I don't expect any problems with shortages," said Richard Perkins, associate director of Facilities Operations in charge of property maintenance.
Last winter, the University's natural gas pipeline came to a halt in January and February, forcing the city to heat its buildings with fuel oil, a backup system that costs at least twice as much as the gas line.
The 58-day period was the longest the University had operated on fuel reserves.
"If we have to go back to oil like we did last year, that probably won't cover it," he said.
Perkins said the University used almost a million gallons of fuel oil during the two-month crunch. Currently, the University has only about 450,000 gallons in storage.
Perkins said the fuel oil in storage would last for about 25 days of "maximum cold." He said maximum cold ranged from 10 degrees below zero to 10 degrees above zero and required maximum heating of the fuel. The company burned about 18,000 gallons of fuel oil a day.
HOWEVER, WILLIAM Salome, vice president and general manager of the Kansas Public Service Gas Company, said that even if the upcoming winter was as severe as the last one, the natural gas market would be much smaller, would only be cut for one or two days.
Salome said service to the campus could not be interrupted for as long as last year because of a law passed by Congress that took effect this month.
He said this law, the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978, provided for uninterrupted gas supply to residents and allowed gas to heat their buildings. As a result, he KU's priority rating with the gas company was the highest.
Buildings are rated in priority from one to eight. Perkins said buildings with
classifications of priority one were buildings such as residential homes and hospitals.
Thursday. November 29. 1979
Salome said under the new law, KU would be asked to switch to fuel oil only when there was "treemendous gas usage," and then only for a short period of time.
HE SAID the outlook for natural gas was 'probably in better shape going into this winter than the past seven years.'
Perkins said the state legislature had authorized the building of a new fuel oil storage tank at KU. But he said the new tank, to be built within the next year, would merely replace an old tank and would not be the University's storage capacity for fuel oil.
KU has a contingency plan for a three-phase shutdown of the University if its supply of heating fuel should run out. Perkins said he thought the first phase of the计划 probably would be put into effect if there were within 10 days of running out of fuel oil.
"But I would say this. I don't think the state is going to let the University go without heat if they can possibly help it," he said.
Perkins said the old tank originally was a water tank, "but of course oil will seep out in places water won't t."
He said the old tank had harline cracks and was an environmental hazard because leakage could develop.
MARTIN JONES, associate director of business affairs, said the budget for fuel oil
during this fiscal year, which ends June 30,
1980, was $384,169, a reduction from the
$439,000 spent last year.
He said that despite an increase in fuel oil costs, this year's budget was less because the University did not expect to operate on fuel oil for as long as last winter.
Jones said the University spent about $771,000 last year on natural gas. He said the budget for natural gas this year was $822,673, a 19 percent increase.
Salome said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had increased natural gas rates by 15 percent this year. However, Jones said, the budget increase was not caused by costs because of increased University operation of the main heating system.
GENE CROSS, vice president for university facilities at Kansas State University, said a private firm from New York recently conducted a study of the feasibility of building a co-fired power plant to replace the present power plant at Kansas State University, plant, like the one KU is fuelled by natural gas, with a backup system of fuel oil.
Cross said K-State decided not to build the plant, but it was likely the University might switch to a coal-fired plant within the next decade, if fuel costs continue to rise.
Keith Lawton, director of facilities planning at the Lawrence campus, said an alternative fuel feasibility study also was underway to determine whether he was being financed by the state legislature.
and would be completed in about six months.
LAWTON SAID the study sought to determine the feasibility of switching to another fuel source, should a change be desired in the future.
He said there was no direct discussion of when such a switch might take place.
Lawned said the fuel situation at K-State was not comparable to KU's situation because of higher supplier premiums than supplier to KU. Also, KU is closer to major metropolitan centers, which makes it a more attractive option.
If a switch were to be made in the type of fuel used to heat KU buildings, Lawton said, some past studies have indicated that a plant would be the best suited for KU.
Presents
Perkins agreed. He said the University probably would go to a solid-waste plant before it would switch to a coal-powered plant.
Ken Russell's
THE DEVILS
Friday & Saturday, Nov.30-Dec. 1
Starring Oliver Reed & Vanessa Redgrave
12:00 Midnight $1.50
Woodruff Auditorium
-No refreshments allowed
RAMSEY LEWIS AND SPECIAL GUEST
DECEMBER 5TH - HOCH AUDITORIUM
8:00 P.M. LAWRENCE, KANSAS
TICKETS: $7.00 & $6.00 ADVANCE RESERVED STUDENTS: $6.00 & $5.00 ADVANCE RESERVED
($1.00 MORE AT DOOR)
TICKETS AT:
KU SUA OFFICE & KIEF'S (LAWRENCE)
SOUNDBOARD & MOTHER EARTH (TOPEKA)
MAIL ORDER (DEADLINE 11/30) LEWIS CONCERT, P.O. BOX 4054, TOPEKA, KANSAS 66604
FORMER MUSIC CAMPERS
H You Attended
Midwestern Music Art
Camp We Would Like to
Talk to You.
SUA
Special
Events
Please Stop By
214 Murphy
or call 864-4730
University Daily Kansan
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN On Campus
TODAY: BIOLOGY CLUB meeting at 4 p.m. in the Sunflower room of the Kansas Union, GERMAN CLUB meets at 4:30 in Cork of the Union.
TONIGHT: OFF-CAMPUS BOARD will hold a meeting at in the Orcad Room in the Union. DOGG DENNY will have a group discussion and will stress in teaching it on the Satellite Union.
TOMORROW: FINE ARTS FILM SERIES "Discovering the Music of Africa" and "Discovering Jazz" will be shown at p.m. on Friday, April 28th in Resource Center Job club will meet at 1 p.m. at ALRC, 13TH and Oread. AEROSPACE ENGINEERING colloquium with Elder Kortes of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Laboratory will meet at 3:30 p.m. in 3419 Wescoe Hall.
Leatherman, Sevedge, Hilt named as spring KJHK news directors
Leatherman was selected as news director. Sevege was assistant news director
for administration and special projects, and Hilt as assistant news director for assignments and news coverage.
Terry Leatherman and Keeve Seedle, Kansas City, Kan., seniors and Mike Hilt. Leneca junior, have been headed to the head of defense in cording to Dave Dary, KJHR news advisor.
All other applications for KJKH news staff positions should be given to Leatherman. He will hold interviews to fill editorial positions.
Campus Safety Services
is now operating seven days a week.
Call: 864-4848    5:00 pm - 1:00 am
    864-35O6   1 am - 8 am
tor details see ad in personals.
Christmas parties?? . . formals?? interviews over break . . Mister Guy of Lawrence has the largest selection of Harris-tweed sport coats camel and navy blazers . . when you become serious about clothing . . Mister Guy of lawrence . . .
christmas hours:
m-t-w f 10-8
th 10-9
sat 10-6
sun 1-5
sat Dec. 22
open 10-8
920 mass
842-2700