March 10, 1978
Page 6493
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM TO BE HONORED FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENCOURAGING ENERGY CONSERVATION
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, this Saturday, March 11, the Maine Sunday Telegram will be honored by the Department of Energy, the National Newspaper Association, and others for excellence in encouraging energy conservation.
The Sunday Telegram won first place in a competition which included many of the country's most prestigious newspapers among the more than 40 entries.
In cooperation with Maine's Department of Energy, the newspaper developed a 16-page supplement entitled "Energy Conservation is a Family Affair." Topics ranged from the proper method of installing a wood stove to the conservation efforts of Maine's paper industry to the need for developing building code regulations to encourage conservation.
The entire supplement must be seen to really be appreciated, and anyone who wishes to review it may contact my office.
I want first to congratulate Sanders R. Johnson of the Sunday Telegram, who developed the supplement, and the entire staff of the newspaper, for being honored for excellence. Second, I would encourage all who are interested in promoting public interest in energy conservation to attend the awards ceremony Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Third, I would suggest that representatives of other newspapers attend, to give recognition to the Sunday Telegram, but more importantly to learn a lesson in excellence from our Sunday paper in Maine.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a Maine Sunday Telegram article describing the award, along with a representative excerpt from the October 16, 1977, supplement on energy. conservation, be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
[From the Maine Sunday Telegram, Mar. 5, 1978]
FIRST PLACE! TELEGRAM ENERGY SECTION NATIONAL AWARD WINNER
The Maine Sunday Telegram's special section on energy management, published Oct. 16, 1977, has been awarded first place in national competition sponsored by the Federal Energy Administration, the National Newspaper Association, and the Home Improvement Time Organization.
Sanders R. Johnson, who edited the section, will receive the award at the NNA Government Affairs Conference to be held March 11 in Washington D.C. John F. O'Leary, Energy Administration administrator, is scheduled to present the award.
Theme of the special section was "Energy Management is a Family Affair." Johnson worked with the Maine Energy Office in preparing the material for the section.
Johnson, editor for special sections appearing in the Portland newspapers, also has won awards for sections for the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Association of Major Appliance Manufacturers and the National Laundry Appliance Manufacturers Assn.
Two other awards will be presented to newspapers at the event, with one going to a weekly.
Gary Eagling, director of advertising for Publishers Auxiliaries, a NNA publication, who was one of four judges, termed the Sunday Telegram section "the most outstanding, the best of all entries, in my opinion. It showed community responding with positive action; it was an excellent entry, a lot of hard work and good planning."
Another judge, Miss Shelley Launey, program analyst for the Department of Energy, said the Telegram scored in the 90s, the highest of any of the more than 40 newspapers participating in the competition.
[From the Maine Sunday Telegram, Oct. 16, 1977]
FOUR-STEP POLICY IN MAINE'S ENERGY POLICY TO ACHIEVE CONSERVATION
Maine has an official, four-step energy policy that was formally adopted by Gov. James B. Longley in April.
The Maine energy policy statement has four objectives: Conserve energy; encourage the development of native, renewable resources; ensure an adequate supply of energy to citizens of the state and diversify the state's energy supply.
The primary goal is to assure, within established environmental standards, a stable energy supply at competitive prices to maintain the health, safety, economic strength and general welfare of Maine's people.
The policy draws heavily on the findings of the State Comprehensive Energy Plan completed in January. Following is a summary of the four parts of the policy statement:
CONSERVATION
Energy conservation is viewed as an important potential reduction in demand which will benefit the state economically while buying time until other resources can be developed. Steps to achieve conservation include:
Starting and maintaining public awareness programs for voluntary conservation. Evaluating all potential energy conservation ideas and implementing those which will bring about a reduction of waste while avoiding disruption of the state's economy.
Implementing mandatory conservation measures in cases where it is advisable or necessary.
Establishing positive incentives for energy conservation through load management techniques and alternative rate structures.
Participating in energy conservation programs established by Congress.
Promoting public funding of projects which have demonstrated an effort to improve energy efficiency in production.
Encouraging public transportation systems where feasible.
IN-STATE RESOURCES
It has been decided that the state should promote the use of wood, solar,. wind, tidal, hydro and other native resources despite the fact that they may be economically disadvantageous at this time. Policies in this line include:
Providing information on the way the public can utilize native energy sources.
Investigating the economic and technical feasibility of solar energy for space and domestic hot water heating.
Working with state colleges and universities to investigate and promote native energy sources.
Encouraging safe, efficient, economical equipment for home heating with wood.
Encouraging legislation of tax exemption or other economic incentives for the use of solar, wind and small-scale hydroelectric energy.
Seeking funding from state, federal and private sources for research, development and demonstration projects concerned with Maine's native resources.
Encouraging citizens to participate in federal energy research, development and demonstration programs.
CONVENTIONAL ENERGY
Working within a framework of federal policy, a system should be developed and maintained to assure the equitable distribution of available energy resources using the following policies:
Creating and maintaining an energy emergency contingency plan which will insure adequate allocation and distribution of available energy supplies and impose necessary restrictions upon demand.
Monitoring available supplies of all energy sources to determine, in advance, any potential shortage.
Maintaining a corps of personnel trained in the federal fuel allocation process which can be brought quickly into service in event of a petroleum shortage.
Developing and maintaining programs which will insure that low income and elderly persons will not suffer undue hardship because of the economic ramifications of rising energy costs.
Encouraging maximum energy emergency preparedness and self-reliance.
Encouraging a federal petroleum reserve in New England.
DIVERSIFICATION
Encouraging improvements in Maine's transportation systems to ensure that energy sources such as coal can be delivered economically and safely throughout the state.
Promoting coal for heavy industrial and electric generation use.
Promoting industrial siting and development which allows one facility to use energy rejected by another.
Encouraging research, development and demonstration of alternate energy resources and making the information produced readily available.
Improving the regulatory process governing energy development to minimize government interference while insuring protection of consumers.
Evaluating costs, benefits and supply potential of energy resources transported or transmitted through the state for outside consumption.
Taking no action which would preclude development of nuclear electric generation facilities.