Editing 79-14-B1 (section)

=== Transcript ===
Some time ago when the President addressed us on energy, he advocated
converting more of our utilities and industrial plants from oil and natural gas
to coal. He even set a figure for utilities -- substitute coal for 50 percent
of the oil they are presently using.

Well you can't argue with the fact that we have enough coal to last 900
years. We have an estimated one-third of all the known coal reserves in the
world. But you can ask, why aren't we burning more? You can even ask why aren't
we mining more? We are producing about 150 million tons a year -- well below our
capacity.

The answer to these questions was given a few years ago by a spokesman for
the energy industry. He said very simply, "Under federal policies and regulations,
we can't mine it, and we can't burn it." "It", of course being coal.

A massive network of regulations has led to our present situation.
Washington is aware of this problem because Carl E. Bogge, President of the National
Coal Association, sent a lengthy memo to the White House listing the federal
practices that made the President's request for conversion impossible to fulfill.

I'm indebted to a fine journalist and friend, M. Stanton Evans, for collecting
and making public these government road blocks to more use of coal. They are: A
moratorium on leasing federal lands for coal mining since 1971; the unworkability
of the Department of Interiors coal leasing program; that same department's
regulations under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act which may even
put some operators out of business; some policies under that same act which will
declare some coal bearing lands "unsuitable" for mining; public lands withdrawal;
and emission standards under the Environmental Protection Agency which could make
unusable large shares of the most economically recoverable U.S. coal reserves.

Stan Evans went on to cite more of Mr. Bogge's memorandum, such as taxes on
the coal industry; price controls on other fuels which held them so low, that coal
couldn't compete; and increased coal slurry pipelines for transporting coal which
would compete with existing means of transportation.

By far, however, the biggest road block are the so-called "ambient air
standards." Every air quality control region in the U.S. is in violation of those
standards, mainly because of what are called "suspended particulates." Now this
isn't necessarily man caused pollution. These particulates can be dust, swamp gas
and other of natures wonders. But because they are present we can't add whatever
particulates might be produced by mining or burning coal.

It would seem that a study is called for weighing the regulations and their
benefits against the benefits of utilizing our biggest natural fuel supply. 

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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