Erosion Plan Gets Boost

By Engineers

CAPE MAY — Plans for a multi-million dollar project to combat beach erosion here have moved forward another step in federal channels. A report by district and division engineers recommending the project has gone to the Army Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors at Fort Belvoir, Va. fPar Vowed on Pineland Rules COURT HOUSE — The County of Cape May will not comply with buildmg restrictions imposed by the Pinelands Commission, will assist anyone in challenging the plan, and will, if necessary, initiate litigation and legislation to protect property owners’ rights. \ That pledge was macfc by Freeholder (Page 3 Please)

The action follows a public hearing on the plans held May 19. BEACH EROSION CONTROI/measures for Lower Township and storm protection measures for the entire study area were found to "lack economic justification” and were not recommended. Interested parties have until Nov. 7 to present their written views to the Board at Ft. Belvoir. The Board will not take final action until the end of that period, or any necessary extension, and after consideration of any information submitted regarding the plan. THE TOTAL FIRST COST of the project, at July, 1979 cost levels, is estimated at $12,126,000. The annual maintenance and periodic beach nourishment costs are estimated at $739,000. Since the plan is intended to mitigate shore damages caused by the federal navigation project at Cape May Inlet, all costs would be borne entirely by the federal government. THE PROJECT, AS recommended by (Page 3 Please)

DESPITE THE DROUGHT, which many farmers are calling the worst in 25 years, there are good supplies of pumpkins perfect for carving, displaying or rating — like this pumpkin pathway along Rt. 9.

County Climber Installs

COURT HOUSE - Members and friends of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce gathered at the Top of the Marq in Cape May for the chamber’s annual meeting and installation banquet. Robert J. Smeltzer was installed as president. Smellier is Director of Public Relations and Recreation for the city of Cape May and is a resident of Lower

Township. He succeeds Matthew R. Tomlin, who became chairman of the board. SMELTZER HAS SERVED as vice president, committee chairman and a director of the chamber fpr the past five years. Dennis Curley, manager of the Golden (Page 3 Please)

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Interview with William Hughes

You’re pushing for a major gasohoi production plant in South Jersey, saying the area is Ideally suJted' , because of the proximity of farmland to nearby

refineries.

Do you really believe there to sufficient acreage that could be planted in. say. corn? Wouldn’t thousands upon thousands of acres be needed to make production economically feasible? We do have sufficient acreage. Our Dept, of Agriculture has made an assessment of the acreage that's available — not Just in South Jersey, but in the

region.

We lie, here in South.Jersey, in a vast agricultural belt that we could draw on. We are also ideally suited to skilled and unskilled labor markets so that we have both the labor and the acreage. We now have two major projects before the Dept, of Energy^that are receiving top policy consideration. Both those projects are for the South Jersey area. Gasohoi production, that is the production of ethyl alcohol to go into a mixture that we call gasohoi, is a natural for the region, and it T s necessary for the

country.

I think it's important that we broaden our base. If we are to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we’re going to have to bring on line all kinds of alternative technologies, and ethyl, to be used in gasohoi, is just one of them. Yea have stated that oceaa thermalbased energy has the potential to meet 19 per cent of U.8. electricity needs with in the ■ext 20 years. If such an exotic approach canid in itself provide one-tenth of oar needs by the year 2SSS, shooJd we coatinae spending billions on unclear energy, whose fatare to ascertain la the minds of many, aad whose waste prsdacts are a con-

tinuous concern into the future? No, I do not think we should make major commitments to build nuclear power plants at this point until we resolve some of the nagging issues that surround nuclear power. And one of the major issues is the

question of economics.

We’re not so sure that nuclear power is as cheap as originally forecast by the industry. With uranium, which only represents a small portion of the cost, going up each month; when you consider that the cost of building has escalated, in

recovery and recycling — which I think is extremely important; that is, the ability to take sludge and solid waste (trash and garbage) and recycle that into useful products, which can provide also a very significant portion of our energy; and when you consider that solar energy has a potential of providing a very significant portion of our energy as does tidal power and geothermal and the other forms of alternative energy -1 think that we’ve got to put more eggs in those baskets at this point and fewer eggs in the nuclear basket

The Incumbent Democratic Congressman

many instances almost 100 per cent; when you consider that we have not even begun to consider the decommissioning of these plants once they have met their useful life; and when you consider the high risk in controversy that’s involved, not just In the risk which, granted is minimal to the public, but the risk to the security of the world because of the possibility of nuclear proliferation — I think that we have to answer all those Questions before we start making additional major commitments in nuclear power. I think the answer to to make some decisions in the next two to three years, certainly at the earliest possible time, as to what future role nuclear power has to play in our overall energy needs. Nuclear power has an important shortterm role to play. We depend upon nuclear generation to provide some 13 per cent of our electrical power in this country. The long-term role, I think, has to await decisions as to whether or not these other nagging issues can be resolved and whether, when you compare that to the alternative sources such as

until we resolve these nagging issues. I, frankly, think fusion power has tremendous possibilities for the long term, that is beyond the year 2000. But we have not yet had the breakthroughs that are necessary to bring fusion power on line. But certainly in the long pull, that offers a great deal of hope. In the near term and in the long term, conservation to our biggest hope. We've established that we can reduce consumption of energy by just moderate conservation methods. We’ve just reduced in the last year our demand upon petroleum products by S per cent. So we’ve demonstrated that we can conserve. Experts tell us that we could conserve up to 50 per cent of our present usage. That’s as much as we now import. So, if we begin a massive program of enlightening the public on the need for conservation, provide the tax and other incentives that are necessary to get people to winterize their home and otherwise plan their homes so that we take advantage of the sunlight thru passive procedures — we can conserve a lot more than we do now.

Incidentally, that's why I have that energy fair every year to to get peoplethinking in terms of conservation. We have all these technologies but it’s not really being brought down to the average individual. And that energy fair I have — this past year we had 12.000 or 13,000 people thru — to a way of bringing the technologies to people and getting them thinking in terms of the way that they can reduce their energy costs, and reduce our dependence upon oil. What’s the biggest problem facing South g Jersey, and to the challenge being met adequately? Weil, I think the biggest problem facing South Jersey to adequate housing, inadequate mass transportation system and, of course, year-round employment. Now the latter wC’re beginning to address with the revitalization that's taking place in the Atlantic City area in particular. But also the growth that's taking place in the back counties. You know, we re building a whole new economic infrastructure in Cumberland County and parts of Atlantic County. And I see the rebirth of the fishing industry in our region taking place. You can look at the statistics, and every year we’re developing more and more of a fishing industry. And with the advent of the 200mile limit, which I was a prime sponsor of, and the American Fisheries Promotion Act that was just passed that will phase out the foreign fisheries over a period of the next five years — I see a revitalization of industries that are naturals for our region. I also see industries like acquaculture coming into the region; the ability to grow seafood in hot houses to a natural for our region. And I already have groups that are interested , in exploring possible (Page 31 Please)