GOVERNMENT Congress Tightens Atomic Control New bill requires advance approval of all AEC power reactor projects; hearings start ahead of time LiONGHEss will get veto power ovei all Atomic Energy Commission power reactor projects, including the coopera tive program with industry, if a new bill becomes law. And there is little doubt that the bill, approved by AEC. will gain House and Senate approval. Last week, the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, meeting in executive session with AEC members, approved a bill (H.R. 7992) sponsored bv Rep. Carl T. Durham (Π.-Ν. O . This bill would amend the Atomic Energy Act to require advance approval by the joint committee of these things: • Construction projects of AEC. in cluding all nonmilitary experimental re actors designed to produce more than 10,000 thermal kw. or used to generate electricity. • Cooperative arrangements under which the Government gives various kinds of assistance to industry for building reactors. In addition, before AEC can estab lish a fair price or a guaranteed price period for special nuclear material, it must submit the proposal to the joint committee for approval. Proposals to waive the use charges for nuclear fuel must also be submitted to the commit tee. The committee has 45 days in which to study these proposals, but this waiting period may be waived at the option of the committee. • Point of O r d e r . Last April, Rep. Clarence Cannon ( Π . - Μ ο . ) . chairman of the House Appropriations Commit tee, severely criticized AEC in a House speech. Rep. Cannon charged AT''. with obtaining House approval for on Κ a small part of the reactor demonstra tion program. The larger appropria tion, he said, is buried in "operating expenses" which Congress cannot su pervise. According to Rep. Cannon, each project in the power program should be authorized by Congress on an individual basis before appropria tions are made. Using Rep. Cannon's argument, any Representative could raise a point of order—either in the Appropriations Committee or on the House floor. A favorable ruling by the chair could block any vote on AEC appropriations for the coming fiscal year. T h e new bill would eliminate the 34
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chance of AEC appropriations being blocked for lack of proper project au thorization. However, if the joint committee does not approve some of AEC's projects, the atomic power pro gram could be thrown into confusion. Rep. Cannon has asked Rep. Chet Holifield (D.-Calif. ), chairman of the Subcommittee on Atomic Legislation, to furnish a complete justification for each one of the nine atomic power plants which AEC either has planned or is considering. • Fast Action. No sooner had the joint committee approved H.R. 7992. than Rep. Holifield announced that his Subcommittee on Legislation would hold hearings beginning the next day. First to appear were A E C witnesses Κ. Ε. Fields, AEC's general manager, and W . Kenneth Davis, director of the Division of Reactor Development. Said Fields. "We are appearing in an ticipation of the pending legislation." Target for most of the committee's questions as the hearings opened was the second round nf invitations in AEC's power program. In this round, four proposals for building small (10,000-40,000 kw.) atomic plants were approved by AEC. Three of the con tractors are cooperative public electric power companies and the other is a city. Davis told the committee what fi nancial arrangements AEC has made with the cooperative power companies. AEC will pay for all the research, de velopment, and design needed for each plant, and AEC will pay for construc tion of the nuclear reactor. The co operatives will furnish the plant site and the conventional electric generat ing equipment. However, it was brought out under questioning that the cooperatives expect to borrow money from the Rural Electrification Admin istration to pay their share of the cost. Committee members wanted to know why AEC bothered with the con tractors since this seemed to b e a gov ernment operation, and the coopera tives had nothing to contribute in the way of atomic experience. However, Davis argued that if the Government is ever going to get out of the atomic power business, other people must have a chance to get experience in the
atomic field. In h i s opinion, this is the h>est way t o do it. Davis then explained that A E C is negotiating research, a n d development contracts with the cooperatives t o fur nish financial aid d u r i n g the first five years of operation. This apparently was news to the committee, and a vigorous discussion arose over t h e pur pose of the post-operational R&D aid. According to IDavis, this m o n e y will compensate for the probable low power production during t h e first year or t w o of s t a r t u p , and will help bring t h e cost of nuclear p o w e r closer to the cost of conventional power. After all, Davis said, these public p o w e r cooperatives don't have a n y money to lose in this venture. Total cost of the special R&D contracts is estimated a t $11 million. Some committee members were dis turbed over the "special treatment" given to the cooperatives, and feared that this might set a pattern for all industry-government atomic power projects. However, both Fields and Davis assured the committee t h a t n o such contracts were being considered for the first o r third rounds of pro posals. Hearings will continue for at least two more weeks. During this time, other government agencies and all t h e contractors a n d equipment manufac turers involved in AEC's p o w e r prograin will be called to testify.
Ag Program Changed Right on schedule the President's Commission on Increased Industrial Use of Agricultural Products last week turned over its final report to Congress. Although m o s t of the commission's proposed program is the same as its in terim proposal (C&EN, April 29, page 47), there are some important changes. Two new recommendations have been added, and some of the earlier ones have heen changed. O n e new recommendation is on basic research. T h e commission calls on Congress to declare as a national policy the obligation to foster basic research in agricultural products and their uses. T o carry o u t the research program, the commission says t h e program di rectors should have authority t o con tract with outside agencies such as privately-endowed universities, non profit or profit-making research organ izations, a n d private corporations. This would b e in addition to making full use of facilities of the Agriculture Department, land-grant colleges, and state experiment stations. W h e r e pos sible, some of the research should b e done in foreign countries where Public L a w 480 funds from the sale of surplus crops may b e available.
• Cost S h a r i n g . T h e directors of the proposed program should h a v e authority to make dollar-matching contracts with other organizations, t h e commission says. This is a new recommendation for t h e research program. Special attention should h e given to making these agreements with industrial firms, h u t contracts w i t h other p u b lic research agencies should also b e considered. To direct t h e proposed program t h e commission in its interim report suggested a board appointed by t h e President. In t h e final report, the commission proposes an alternate m e t h o d of directing the program if t h e first is n o t acceptable. Under t h e n e w plan, t h e Department of Agriculture would carry out t h e program under an Assistant Secretary for research. T h i s would r e duce competition for funds between Agriculture a n d an independent agency, t h e commission says, a n d would make it easier t o integrate an over-all research p r o g r a m . T h i s is t h e type of organization favored b y U S D A (C&EN, May 27, p a g e 3 8 ) . H o w e v e r , the commission warns, this approach may reduce the impact of the program. A n u m b e r of bills h a v e b e e n introduced* during this session of Congress to set u p n e w research programs d e signed t o step u p industrial u s e of surplus farm crops. Some of these bills propose to use t h e commission's p r o gram as a blueprint. Although n o dates have been set, Congress is almost certain to hold hearings o n t h e commission's plan before adjournment.
BDSÂ Tightens Belt Officials of t h e C o m m e r c e D e p a r t ment's Business a n d Defense Services Administration are relieved that Congress p u t back 82.1 million of t h e $3.5 million the House cut from BDSA's budget. But they now face t h e knotty problem of cutting back operations to fit t h e slimmer budget. Personnel in BDSA's industry divisions a n d headquarters staff h a v e b e e n trimmed from 4 5 0 to 300—110 people were let go and 4 0 jobs t h a t C o m m e r c e had been unable to fill w e r e abolished. The Chemical a n d R u b b e r Division, largest division in B D S A , h a s been c u t back from 4 1 people t o 2 6 . Most of the cuts in this division were in t h e rubber unit. H o w will this affect BSDA's service to industry? According t o H a l G. Johnson, chief of the Chemical a n d Rubber Division, no essential services will b e eliminated, b u t some m a y b e curtailed. W i t h a smaller staff, it will take longer to gather a n d analyze industry statistics, a n d c h a n c e s are that
The man who rolled his own Then there was this P. A. of exceedingly individual tastes. Couldn't abide ready-towear suits. H a d his shirts hand-stitched. Even rolled his own cigarettes — couldn't find any packed to his liking. You could see it coming when w e made o u r first call. " W e use only raw materials exactly suited to our processes. Not that w e don't like to save money, you know, b u t . . . " "Of course," we said, fetching u p an ambrosial sample, "and we think our A C I N T O L * F A - Tall Oil Fatty
Acid is tailor-made for your alkyds." H e picked u p the bottle gingerly. "Tailor-made? But, remember, we need excellent color stability." W e said, "Couldn't fit better." H e frowned. "But odor is a vital consideration and naturally we c o u l d n ' t . . . " W e lifted %the lid, he sniffed carefully, then took a last deep breath. "But isn't it — " he blanched ^ % —"cheap?" W e thought he had us there, b u t we said, "Well, let's say it's — economical! " "Young man," he said, "you seejsn to have a perfect understanding of diir particular needs," and signed ocKthe dotted line — n o t only for A C I N T O L * Fatty Acid, but for our AciNTQL·* D - Distilled Tall O i l .
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World's largest supplier of chmtcals based on tall oil DISTRIBUTORS: A. J. Lynch & Co., Los Angeles, San Francisco * Charles Albert Smith Ltd., Toronto, Montreal a n d Vancouver · G. R. Nottingham Co., Atlanta ·* T. G . Cooper & Co., Inc., Philadelphia · Fgrac O i l & Chemical Co., Chicago · George E. Moser & Son, Inc., Detroit · Donald McKay Smith Co., Cleveland · Thompson-Hay w a r d Chemical Co.. Houston and N e w Orleans «IVan Waters & Rogers, Inc., Dallas · N. S. Wilson & Sons, Boston
GOVERNMENT
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All-stainless and aluminum construction extends useful life of storage structures for ammonia and derivatives
At Sohio Chemical's $17 million ammonia plant, near Lima, Ohio, extensive use was made of stainless steel and aluminum for tanks used to store the highly corrosive products of this new petrochemical operation. Among other structures, CB&I designed, fabricated and erected the two 80-ft. diameter by 40-ft. high aluminum tanks shown above, built of Alcoa Aluminum. They are designed to hold 35,000 bbls. each of ammonium nitrate. The handling of special metals, including design of structure, fabrication and erection, is a specialty—and an art with CB&I. Our plants are staffed, experienced and equipped to handle special alloys and to fabricate from a variety of cladding materials. Included is Hortonclad ,: , produced by the CB&I high-strength, vacuum-bonding process. Write our nearest office for further details. C34 2/3
OTHER CB&I STRUCTURES at Lima plant included a 30-foot diam. 304ELC solid-stainless tan k for nitric acid storage. 545 alum inum drums for ammonium ni trate solution and the four 20,000 barrel Hortonspheres® at left.
Chicago Bridge & Iron Company Atlanta · Birmingham · Boston · New Orleans ·
New York ·
San Francisco · Plants Australia,
36
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in
Chicago · Cleveland · Detroit ·
Seattle ·
South Pasadena ·
BIRMINGHAM, CHICAGO, SALT
Cuba,
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Philadelphia · Pittsburgh · Salt t a k e Cily LAKE CITY
Tulsa
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REPRESENTATIVES A N D LICENSEES: England, France, Germany, I t a l y , Japan, Netherlands,
1957
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some statistics will not be broken down as fax as they used to be. Tbte division's monthly industry report, "Chemical and Rubber," will continue to b e published, but Johnson thinlcs the scope of t h e publication may be curtailed. Some thought is being given to reducing t h e amount of information published each month on rubber, b u t no decision has been made as y e t . More information is compiled on r o b b e r than on any other product in trie division. All industry divisions in BDSA will continue as they are—none will be merged w i t h others. But each division has b>een c u t back in proportion to the budget c u t .
FDA May Ban Yellows Tizme h a s run out for filing objections to t h e Food and Drug Administration's order t o ban the use of FD&C Yellows 1, 2 , 3 , and 4 in foods (C&EN, June 3, p a g e 1 1 ) . During the 30-day protest period, only one organization objected and requested a public hearing to stop the order—the Certified Color Industry Committee. This group of seven color producers says it can prove Yellows 3 and 4 , used for years to color oleo and butter, are not harmful in the amounts consumed in these products. THe committee says F D A should set maximum concentrations for colors in foods and asks FDA for a chance to supr>ort i t s claims for limited use. FOA's order, the color industry says, is based o n tests where large doses of the yellows were fed to animals over long periods. It says adverse effects did not appear during the tests until the color concentration approached 100O p.p.m. Triese results set the "no-harm" level for f:he colors far in excess of actual use, the committee says. An average adult would have to eat about 45,000 grams of hutter or oleo (maximum color concentration 40 p.p.m.) a day to reacli a color concentration of 1000 p.p.m. in his diet. Earlier this year, FDA called for comments on i t s proposal to restrict the FD&C Yellows to external use. Objections filed a t that time, F D A said, did not show t h e colors to be "harmless and suitable for use." As a result, F D A issued t h e present order that would s t o p use of t h e yellows in foods. F D A c a n now let its order become law after 90 days ( August 4 ) or it can schesdule public hearings. If F D A decides to call hearings on the order, the color industry will try for a "limited use" interpretation of the law.
