Carter decides to hold petrol price controls

Press, 12 July 1979, Page 7

Carter decides to hold petrol price controls

NZPA-Reuter Washington A new American energyconservation plan devised by | President Carter will include I new limits on heating and cooling in public buildings' but will not lift price controls on petrol, according to .informed sources. Mr Carter signed an order: on Tuesday restricting thermostat settings in most non-1 residential buildings to no: lower than 25.6 for air eonIditioning and no higher than l 118.3 deg. for heating. I The order takes effect oni Monaay and violations would bring fines up to ,SUSIO,OOO. ' He has been working on' the country’s energy crisis I for over a week at the (Maryland Presidential re-1 treat. Camp David. Omi Walden, an Assistant ( Energy Secretary, said his' department estimated that. 200,000 to 400,000 barrels of' oil a day would be saved I through temperature restric-1 tions. Informed sources said] .President Carter had decided . against lifting price controls 1 on petrol because such a, I move would incease in- ( (flation, further damage the (economy — and draw an I I angry response from a pub-; I lie already suffering queues: and shortages. Advocates of the proposal to lift price controls, including the Energy Secretary (Mr James Schlesinger), argued that it would force Americans to conserve petrol and be the best way to

deal with the immediate pjti • rol shortage For more than a week ‘Carter has been meetfhg 'i dozens of advisers tram 11 Government agencies si ; Camp David in an effort is formulate a sweeping energs > programme. The advisers are drafting a comprehensive merw> . Irandum for the Pres idea i which is expected to i shortly. The President aithouel ipleased by- Saudi Arabics ,decision to increase the pmf duction of oil for export ana thereby ease shortages in ’ the United States, is said to have focussed on measures that would Help to lessen l! thc country’s dependence on foreign supplies. Some Congressmen and advisers who have been asked to Camp David haye . said proposals under considc eration include a big deve£ . opment project for synthetic fuel, emergency rationing Hand conservation prOr ■lgrammes, and a temporaw (lifting of clear-air laws the I prevent the burning <2 I dirtier fuels, such as coal. * Politically, the President & ij under pressure to move 'quickly after his embarrass ■ inc cancellation last week cj na scheduled energy speech > While criticism i|him has died down since ha i has retreated to Camp David I jto formulate his programme White House aides appacr , ently feel that Mr Carter must announce his plans aj soon as possible to help at ' leviate the energy crisis as ’ well as recoup his > fortunes. >