FEDERAL AFFAIRS
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I am interested in special compounds of the rare earths.
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I am not interested.
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None of the above.
By Louis A . A g n e l l o , A s s i s t a n t M a n a g i n g Editor
Petrochemical feedstocks: no relief insight Time appears to have all but run out on chemical industry hopes to gain any meaningful short-term federal relief from its persisting petrochemical feedstock headaches. With little more than a month to go before the Government must firm up its oil import control program for 1971, the President's Oil Import Policy Committee has yet even to suggest any changes in the existing program for petrochemical feedstock imports. This—despite the fact that: The committee was established to bring about needed interim reforms of the program, petrochemicals was the one segment of the overall oil import program which an earlier Administration task force agreed was in urgent need of overhaul, and committee head Gen. Lincoln placed petrochemicals high on the list of priority items on the committee's agenda. The committee should not be held solely to blame for the delay. Certainly the White House has made it clear that it is in no rush to make significant alterations in the politically sensitive program in this, an election year. And the unrelenting barrage of conflicting testimony from the refinery- and the chemical-based sections of the petrochemical industry as to the severity of the feedstock problem hasn't made the committee's task any easier. Still, the committee must stand indicted on at least one count— indécisiveness. There is little if anything remaining to be said by either side on the controversial issue that wasn't brought out during the exhaustive year-long study by the aforementioned Cabinet Task Force on Oil Import Control which was completed 9 months ago. Nevertheless, the committee has wasted valuable time going over ground previously covered by the task force. Also, neither of the opposing forces has retreated from its entrenched position. The chemical industry continues to maintain that it must have access to world-priced petrochemical feedstock if it is to remain competitive at home and abroad. The alternative: build future plants abroad with the resulting loss of jobs for U.S. workers and the deterioration of the industry's now favorable trade balance. The refinery-based segment of the petrochemical industiy, on the other hand, is adamantly opposed to any easing of present restrictions on petrochemical feedstock imports. It contends that the nonrefinery-based segment of the industry is at no raw materials cost disadvantage and that there is abundant low-cost material available at home to meet petrochemical feedstock needs. If political influence is the deciding factor—as it has been in the past on most oil import policy matters—the oil industry will win its case hands down. But if the issue is decided on the relative strength of the two arguments, in this observer's opinion, the chemical industry will get the nod. The chemical industry's case is built upon what is, not what was or what will be. Natural gas—the source of natural gas liquids, the chemical industry's primary petrochemical building blockis in critical short supply now. Already in short supply, crude oil-derived petrochemical feedstocks—olefins and aromatics—will become increasingly expensive as refiners divert them from the petrochemical to the gasoline pool to maintain octane levels in no- or reduced-lead gasoline. Thus the chemical industry finds itself tied to its direct competitor in petrochemicals for its petrochemical raw materials needs, and, in the opinion of many within the industry, is in very real danger of eventually being swallowed up by the oil industry unless its feedstock dependency on that industry is lessened. It is time for the Administration to fish or cut bait on petrochemical feedstock import policy changes. The chemical industry cannot afford to postpone its future construction plans much longer.
The dilemma defined. You might be able to do something with one or more "special" compounds of the rare earths — i f you knew what was available. Or where you could get modest quantities for small-scale evaluation of their properties. The dilemma resolved. We of Lindsay Rare Earths now offer an extraordin a r i l y w i d e r a n g e of w h a t w e c a l l "Special Products." These include some uncommon compounds of the elements 57 to 71 (lanthanum through lutetium) plus compounds of yttrium and thorium. We offer them in starter quantities—from grams up to a pound or so. And now we've prepared a concise listing (including quantity, purity, and price) of these "rarer" rare-earth compounds. The listing is yours for returning the coupon. By the way, do you have the feeling that you've heard of Lindsay Rare Earths before? You have. Lindsay is the name we began with back in 1902. We've decided to revive it. Which is of no great concern to you, perhaps, except to show you that we know what we're about. Over the years, we've watched the rare earths become indispensable as the basics of catalysts, ceramics, lasers, superconductors, CRT phosphors—and the list grows. You, too, may be able to coax something special out of one of our special compounds of the rare earths. But first, find out what's available. Here's our coupon: 0 . 2U
Lindsay Rare Earths American Potash & Chemical Corporation \rfmi
A SUBSIDIARY OF KERRMCGEE CORPORATION
West Chicago, Illinois 60185
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I have an open mind. Send me your "Special Products Catalog."
Name Organization Address City
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NOV. 9, 1970 C&EN
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