The Brattleboro Reformer from Brattleboro, Vermont • 4

4 OPINION Brattleboro Reformer Friday, June 9. 1989 future may lie in two statesmen from the past Vermont Republicans NORMAN RUNNION VERMONT EDITORS NOTEBOOK Morse, who is a Vermont native, left politics to become executive director of the Windham Foundation, the mega-rich entity that owns much of Grafton and distributes goodly sums of money to Vermont causes. When Morse went to the Windham Foundation five years ago, a friend told him, You know all there is to know about getting a bill through the House; now take some time out and find out if the bill should have been introduced in the first place. Morse has done just that. In the last five years, he has organized a series of think-tanks, the Grafton Conferences, that occur several times a year.

To them he has attracted some of the brightest and most active minds in Vermont for three days of immersion in problems facing the state. As a result, Morse probably is as finely attuned to the great issues confronting modem Vermont as anyone in the state. He has listened, he has debated, and he has learned. Morse will make up his mind by the end of this month whether he will run for governor in 1990. He may not announce it then, but at least he will know where he wants to go.

He has a lot of tough factors to weigh a very high-paying job that he deeply loves as executive director of the Foundation; a newborn son; and the prospect of an expensive GOP primary. Michael Bernhardt, who lost to Kunin last year, is raising money for another try in 1990. Former Snelling development Secretary Milton Eaton, who now works for the U.S. Commerce Department in Washington, also is thinking about running for governor on the Republican ticket. If he does seek the Republican nomination for governor, Morse will be doing it for the right reasons.

Ask him why he wants to run, and he quickly replies that its because he has visions for Vermont that he wants to deal with the property tax, with education, with the future of this state as it faces the enormous conflicts between Vermonts great heritage and the pressure to change the character of the state irrevocably. Snelling, who always has taken risks in business and in politics senses that Morses problem is that he has become too comfortable with the Windham Foundation. Giving that up for the uncertainty of a political campaign is a trade-off that Morse must weigh. If Morse believes that life is fulfilling if it includes risks, hell go for it. If he decides to stay in Newfane, Richard Snelling with that stationery still proclaiming him Governor may step into the breach.

Norman Runnion is managing editor of The Brattleboro Reformer. When Richard Snelling writes letters to friends and acquaintances these days, he signs them Dick. That handwritten signature is above a typewritten line saying, Governor Richard Snelling. The title is either nostalgia, or anticipation, and more likely the latter. Former Governor Richard Snelling is actively thinking political reincarnation.

He is a busy man these days, he tells acquaintances. He is managing his money which, since his fortune is considerable, is no mean task. Snelling always has enjoyed finances and the manipulation that goes into making money. He is sailing, on a large yacht he purchased after leaving the governors office in 1982. Hes also keeping in touch with current affairs, including talking to the many experts he knows throughout the country.

This summer hes embarking on an ambitious trip to Africa that will include a safari through the great animal kingdoms of Kenya. His mind is as full of curiosity as ever. Not long ago he bought Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses, following the controversy surrounding this novel generated by the Ayatollah Khomeinis death threats against the author. Like many Americans unfamiliar with the life of Mohammed and the religion of Islam, on which Rushdie bases the novels plot, Snelling found himself quickly bogged down in the text. To un-bog himself, he purchased a copy of the Koran and read it to learn about Islam and to help him understand the novel.

Putting this all in perspective, Dick Snelling is bored, although he might not use that particular word. Basically, he appears to be feeling unfulfilled. His intellect, his always astonishing energy, are idling in neutral when he likes to have them in overdrive. And when he surveys the Vermont political scene, he gets very, very restless. He is privately appalled by what he perceives to be the lack of leadership of his Democratic successor, Madeleine Kunin.

He shares the pessimistic views of some acquaintances who are dismayed by the low level of talent on the Vermont political scene, in both the Republican and Democratic parties. And all of this chemistry is coming together to make a campaign for governor by Richard Snelling one year from now a possibility. In many ways, Snellings fledgling desire to seek a fifth term as governor of Vermont is, perhaps subconsciously, all for the wrong reasons. He probably wishes to avenge his loss to Patrick Leahy for the U.S. Senate three years ago, a defeat that embittered him for a long time; he probably would like to be governor again because he is confident that he can do a better job than Kunin; and he probably has a lot of things he wants to prove to himself.

In short, a lot of Dick Snellings ego is tied up in all of this. But the inescapable conclusion Snelling leaves with those who talk to him about Vermont politics is that he would never run for governor if Stephan Morse will do it instead. The two worked closely together when Snelling was governor and Morse, a Republican legislator from Newfane, was speaker of the Vermont House. Snelling appears to genuinely admire Morses abilities more than anyone elses on the political scene. He and Morse have talked vaguely in recent weeks about the 1990 governors race, but it has been no more than an inconclusive conversation.

LETTER BOX The public outcry against the Champlain Pipeline continues It is clear that someone stands to benefit from the largest private development project in Vermonts history, but shouldnt that someone be the people of Vermont? Gerald Martel Executive Vice-President Vermont Oil Heat Institute P.O. Box 255 Ludlow Freedom from pipelines Editor of The Reformer: One morning a little over 200 years ago, the residents of old Boston awoke to a forest of masts in their harbor. This was the first time some of our ancestors truly grasped the concept of us and them. Unfortunately today, we doqt have anything as dramatic as the British occupation to signal the cessation of rights. But we do have the Champlain Pipeline.

One morning well wake up, and be forced to move. Or perhaps well wake up and notice the scenery a little less green, the wildlife a little less present. We should all take a few moments, what with the advent of July 4th and reflect on which freedoms we enjoy the most, which ones would be missed the most. For me, the liberty of owning property is most precious. Perhaps because Ive worked so hard to keep and maintain my home.

We all enjoy some liberties no matter how small. To me, the Champlain company is brutalizing the liberty Ive fought so hard to enjoy. If Americas founding fathers were among us, Id implore them for some help. Im sure they would welcome a chance to further the cause of liberty. How many of us, today, would enlist in this cause.

Probably only those of us, like myself, who have been victimized. Its tragic. If everyone wrote their senators and congressmen, it would still happen; the pipeline, I mean. You see big business is at work here and energy is being called upon like a demi-god. What chance does mere liberty have against a technological beast like energy? Not much, Im afraid.

But what choice do I have? I must resist this thing and hope. Because when I give up, then liberty has truly been defeated. Stephen H. King Town Rd. 31 Rockingham Editor of The Reformer: In regard to the proposed Champlain Pipeline project, many people are unaware how aggressively interestate pipeline companies have pursued limiting their responsibilities toward landowners, towns and states through legal action.

They have successfully litigated to: 1. lower the property taxes they owe towns through which their pipes pass; 2. site above- and below-ground additions to their facilities (i.e. extra pipelines, compressor stations, microwave towers, etc.) against the wishes of landowners and towns; 3. deny states a role in enforcing safety criteria and compliance upon pipeline companies; and, 4.

deny towns the ability to rid themselves of a pipeline even after pipeline company negligence leads to a devastating accident. It is worth noting that a number of the above cases involved two of the owners of Champlain, Algonquin and ANR Pipeline companies. If you think Champlain will be any different because it is Vermont based, think again. Eighty-five percent of Champlain is owned by out-of-state, and even out-of-country, interests. One of these firms, No-verco of Canada, through its subsidiaries also owns Vermont Gas Systems, which is contracted to be the sole distributor of Champlains gas in Vermont.

Since Champlain will be able to charge more for its gas in Massachusetts and can hook into the Algonquin pipeline network there, how Vermont-oriented, or considerate of Vermont interests, do you think these owners of Champlain are really going to be? Perhaps this question has already been answered by Champlain in their refusal to bind themselves to abide by Vermonts Section 248 review findings. In this they are saying that they are above the laws and concerns of our state. And this is exactly what we will get more of should this project go through Leon Cooper Putney Opposed to pipeline Editor of The Reformer: Dear Governor Kunin Those of us with serious concerns about the Champlain project's impact on the environment and future of Vermont look forward to meeting with you in Brattleboro this month. I have attached four articles that will help you understand our steadfast opposition to the pipeline. Now that Champlain has committed itself to bypassing or ignoring all state powers of regulation or jurisdiction, I wonder whether they will give more than a nod to the news that they could use the highway corridor.

The article from The Wall Street Journal highlights the tenuous, if not dubious future of this entire project, given the economic constraints acting on the Canadian producers. How would Mr. Moulton look if he were to hard-sell the Brattleboro business community into multi-million-dollar investments in gas-fired industries, only to have the entire line dropped in favor of the Iroquois line? It is a likely prospect, Id say, considering that TransCanada owns 39 percent of Iroquois and none of Champlain. Even more likely, I figure, since Nordic Power, which has yet to site or apply to build their plant in Col-rain, cant even find customers for the power it hopes to generate, as the Springfield Sunday Republican has reported. Isnt it time you accept Champlain for what it is: a loser? Isnt it also an appropriate time for you to look toward Vermonts future in a way that transcends Act 200 and commits us to a leadership role in matters of air quality? We are off to a good start, with the recent CFC ban.

Why not take the next step, and ban the large-scale burning of methane, which has recently been shown to contribute 60 percent more atmospheric warming than fuel oil? Why not preclude the emission of tons of nitrogen dioxide from those compressor stations simply by following southern Vermont landowners example when Champlain has come to our doors to get permission to survey our properties? You can do it as easily as we do: Just say no! Why not wake up to the fact that Champlain has continued its record of lying, deceiving, fabricating, and misinforming its way through the notifications process, while simultaneously touting their virtues before secret or illegal meetings with such groups as the BDCC and the Brattleboro Board of Selectmen? Gee, Governor, do I sound bitter? Why should I be bitter, just because these poor fellows like Dwight Curley and Jim Dodge are just trying to help Vermonters find jobs? After all, they dont have that much to gain from the project, do they? Just because they completely ignored the re-routing requests made by people whose homes, livestock paddocks, wells, and farmed fields happened to stand in the path of the pipe after promising those people It can happen here Editor of The Reformer: Your editorial of June 6 about the gas pipeline disaster in the Soviet Union was titled Learning through Tragedy but it seems to me that by describing it as just the latest in a series of communist failures you have learned the wrong lesson. What we should learn from the tragedy is that some technologies are very dangerous and that safety measures dont always work as they are supposed to. I dont think we can take much comfort in this country in the idea that it was a communist gas pipeline that failed. Our system of regulation of gas pipelines has more in common with the system the Soviets are trying to change than it does with free enterprise. What we should learn from the tragedy is that it can happen here.

Having learned this, we should act locally (as many communities in the Soviet" Union have been recently) to defend ourselves against dangerous and ecologically harmful projects planned for us by our central planning commission (i.e. FERC). Fred Atheara RFD, Paradise Hill Road Bellows Falls QUOTE theyd be in touch shortly after April 4, only to file exactly the same route in their final filing with the FERC that doesnt mean theyd actually follow that route, does it? Of course not! Champlains Land-owner database manager, Mr. Wigman out in the Houston engineering office of Fluor Daniel, gave me a perfectly reasonable explanation for those omissions in the final route filing: Theyve simply been too busy! Well, why worry, since the FERC will certainly take out those nasty wrinkles before they license this thing. Isnt that right, Governor? Hey, when you come down to Brattleboro this month, let me show you where the pipeline goes right through my bedroom, and then over my well.

Well have a good guffaw over how silly and paranoid some people get, thinking such things could ever happen in Vermont. Benjamin Kaghan RR 3 Box 137 Putney Gas may not be such a bargain Editor of The Reformer: Enough is enough. Pipeline proponents have repeatedly claimed that their gas is as cheap as water. However, Vermont Gas Systems own rate figures show that gas is more expensive in Vermont than heating oil Is now. With over $1 billion of proposed pipeline expansion needed to accommodate Champlain Pipeline, this gas would be significantly more expensive than it already is.

Ninety -seven percent of this gas is not for Vermont and will be primarily used for electrical generating facilities in southern New England. This expensive energy would be used for peak load electrical generating power capacity on a cost-plus basis to the entire New England power grid. Thus, everyone In this power grid would pay for the pipeline expansion with higher electrical rates. Champlains association with Alberta gas suppliers is tenuous. The vice president of Pan-Alberta Gas was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article of Thursday, April 20, as stating that, they (the producers) were uneasy about the cost of the big pipeline expansions needed to move this gas and what that will do to the profits from the sale of gas.

The Alberta gas producers would like to sell the gas to the West Coast which is a thousand miles closer to them. There is also a 20-year lock-in contract between the Alberta producers and Champlain which would prohibit any gas from the southwest United States to reach Vermont through cheaper, fully depreciated lines. This is contrary to Champlain Pipeline Co. propaganda. So if the consumers dont benefit through a lower cost energy; land-owners dont benefit from the destruction of their property where they would be paid a pittance for their land; the towns along the line dont benefit from lower taxes because the line is a capital asset and will have no taxable value in 20 years; Vermonts environment won't benefit by being damaged through increased energy consumption instead of conservation; who does benefit? Could it be Champlain Pipeline Company who would make huge profits on the transportation of an energy that is not needed? Could it be Champlain's utility stockholders like CVPS who would profit from both transportation of gas and the higher electrical generating costs which it could pass on to the rate base? Could it be the energy conglomerates like Noverco, who Is a 30-percent stockholder in this project, who also wholly owns Gas Metropolitan of Canada and Vermont Gas Systems, the sole franchisee of the gas in Vermont? One staffer cant take the fall for an entire Republican political operation thats up to its knees in sewer-style politics.

Ron Brown, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, referring to a Republican press aide who quit after writing a memo comparing House Speaker Thomas S. Foleys voting record with that of a homosexual congressman. We are making progress, and I think we will be able to make a vaccine eventually. Dr. Clifford H.

Lane, head of AIDS vaccine testing at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, saying he is optimistic enough to recommend wide testing of the vaccine. Detroit never seemed so beautiful. Dr. William Mays, who left China along with hundreds of other Americans during armed clashes and government instability in Beijing. brattleboro Reformer Kelton Miller, publisher Richard Macko, general manager Norman Runnion, managing editor and editorial writer Marianne Ogden, assistant editor Robert Rand, news editor Linda DuCharme, night managing editor Barbara J.

Davis, advertising manager Glen Wilson, circulation manager AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER, DEDICATED TO CONSERVATION AND PROGRESS IN PUBLIC AND HUMANE APFAIR8 SINCE 1U Lattan to Uta tdUor an waicomt and mrourtgad Lattan muaC ba tlnad by a full tmam In ortar la ba pubitahad Addraaa andor phcna numbar ahould ba bx-ludad (or wrBwMw. Add nm lattara to Uttar Box, Brattlabcro Raformar. Bladi Mountain llaad. P.O. Baa Brattlaboro.

Vt. am, (Ml) M-ni 1 ALMANAC By The Associated Press On June 9, 1954, In one of the most dramatic confrontations of the Senate-Army hearings, Army counsel Joseph N. Welch assailed Senator Joseph R. McCarthy for his attack on a member of Welchs law firm, Frederick G. Fisher.

"Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency? Welch said. On this date: In A.D. 68, the Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide..