Biddeford-Saco Journal from Biddeford, Maine • 1

-4 Weather CLEAR COLD Complete Report Oa Pago Two Our Numbers News Dept 282-1S3S Business Depis 283-362S VOL 90 NO 234 York LOCALaews Daily Slice UU BIDDEFORD-SACO MAINE THURSDAY Oct 3 1974 AP Times Wire Services 22 PAGES FIFTEEN CENTS FOIL Will Be Intervenor In BEP Refinery Hearings By PETER KINGSLEY Staff Writer SANFORD Coming as no great surprise the anii-rcfincry group FOIL Friends of Intelligent Land Usd iil file for intervenor statu at the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) hearing on the proponed NEECO refinery The official announcenient was made by FOIL Executive Director Philip Smith at a special press conference held it the Northeast Bank building here Wednesday noon The conference also was called to criticize the Sanrord local bi-weekly the Sanford Tribune lor what FOIL Com munications Director Mart Mather and Smith considered biased pro-refinery ness content FOIL is in the process of selecting a group of expert witnesses" to testify Smith said The anti-refinery stance at the hearing is baaed on intensive research all of which led to the conclusion that there should not lie a refinery in Sanford Smith explained Mather later conceded that FOIL would naturally appeal to emoions in its an'i-rclincry drive but nut solely so Smith said the report of the incorporation of the Granite S'ale Refineries in Rochester which plans to build S7W 1 i ji far as he's concerned toe NEECO refinery still has some major hurdles to overcome including awaiting the outcome of the FOIL suit against Sanford for violation of state laws which require a comprehensive plan before' any zoning change is permissible That suit should le resolved before hearings begin fell Smith Additionally NEECO hat several "title and interest" problems with regard to ter minal facilities and pumping stations in Portland- pipeline rights of wav In sum Smith sees the fight far from over In his opening statement Mather charged that the Sanrord Trbune "is so anxious to have Sanford become an oil town- that they are not only coloring their words to-suit tiicir purpose but actually changing facts to suit their purpose" He cited several examples including recent articles on the incidence of pipeline accidents The article Mather said misrepresented the frequency and severity of the pipeline accidents nationwide when it reported there were only 273 (Continued on Page 2 Col 3) million refinery in Rochester NH was exactly what FOIL a year ago feared and predicted would happen "It's one more indication that the whole area is under scgr particularly from foreign interests This (Sanford) is just the beginning and it's going 'o be a long struggle" hr predicted conjuring up visons of a refinery corridor "The foreign oil dependency which the refinery here represents is exactly 180 degrees away from -our statrd national policy of seif uf-frcicncy" he added As further evidence he referred to Sanford Planning 'Board Chairman Fred Gowcn's revelation 'that two major oil companies had approached him about locating other refineries in the area TOIL'S- effectiveness at the NEECO hearings will depend a lot on the amount of money the FOIL group can raise but they are heartened by rrcent response which has adclixl to the war chest "More and more people are beginning to realize that the refinery is nut some far off thing really coming and they are really worried" Smith said of the upward climb in donations So far they have approximately in a kitty and hope to raise more Intervenor status could cost as much as $50000 based on the semi-abortive Pittston refinery hearings Smith hinted that FOIL is contemplating several other legal steps to block the refinery but would not elaborate on these i a Environmental Groups Fear Large Oil Complex irSMOLTH il (AIM -lampshirc and Maine en- groups fear Jliat a complex of oil refineries may be built in the seacoast area of the two stales -Morton Mather head of Maine's Friends for Intelligent Land Use (FOIL) said "The entire seacoast area from Portsmouth to Puriland is under siege by foreign oil interests" The announcement by Granite State Refineries Inc of plans to build a refinery in the Rochester area brings to three the companies pursuing the idea or locating a refinery near the New Hampshire coast A fourth if planning a refinery in Sanford a southern Maine community just 18 miles from Rochester The relatively large number of companies talking about a refinery in the same general area has prompted ry groups to question whether there may be common plans to use one pipeline extending from Portland Maine to Sanrord Spokesmen fur groups in Maine and New Hampshire aid the 48-inch pipeline planned fur the Sanford refinery has the capacity to supply oil to several refineries They said that if a plan were developed for a deep water su-perporl off Portland Harbor several refineries could be supplied with crude oil from it The new Granite Stale Refineries has begun obtaining land options and negotiating with crude oil suppliers as part of its plans to build a $700 million refinery The 400000-barrel-a-day refinery would be located on 221)0 acres at the center of a triangle formed by Rochester Dover and Somcrsworlh said Lewis JJ Wayne Bergeron a resident of Frenchboro upper photo takes time from his work with lobster traps to talk to his daughter Amy Amy ia the only girl in the island's six-student class this year A boat loaded with lobster traps right photo heads out of Frenchboro harbor Lobsiering is the main source of income for residents Most of the island's SO residents live around the harbor bottom photo (AP Photo) Fisher a Dover lawyer and isia of Ihe corporation's directors His announcement comes just a week after Constantine Gral-sos president uf Olympic Refineries- Inc which is owned by Aristotle Onassis said ho is still interested in building -a refinery in New Hampshire Peter Booras a former spokesman for Olympic also announced formation of Yankee Refineries Inc and said he is investigating building a refinery in New Hampshire And the New England Energy Co has announced plans to huild a S630-million refinery in Sanford FOIL said it will seek to block approval of New England refinery application to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection Mather said news of the proposed Rochester refinery is proof that several refineries are planned for the area He said FOIL representatives have met with members or Save' Our Shores (SOS) the New Hampshire environmental group which successfully opposed plans Tor a refinery at Durham The newest company Granite State Refineries is not related to any other- companies intending In build refineries in New- Hampshire Fisher said The president is Harold Burke of Bal Harbour Fla who owns 470 of the 500 shares of slock in the corporation Fisher said "We have already negotiated with a bank in Texas for a substantial portion of the financing" he said adding that a large chemical company was considering joining Granite Stale Refineries to develop a pctro-chcmieal facility cancer operation Saturday Mrs Ford was reported continuing' to make a good recovery A medical-bulletin said she is oil a regular diet arid had gained almost full mobility of her right arm A spokesman for the American Cancer Society said telephones "have been ringing off the hook" with calls from thousands of women who want to make appointments with doctors and clinics for breast cancer examinations a tragedy for Mrs Ford but she may have saved an awful lot of women's lives" said i a spokesman for the American Cancer Crusade which long sponsored an educational campaign to alert women to the need for early detection and periodic checkups The outpouring of prayers good wishes and hopeful advice from those who have recovered from breast cancer surgery like hers has been dramatic In only four days' the volume of mail at the White House ap- pears to have exceeded anything First Ladies in recent' years have received Wives of senators have been helping Mrs Ford cope with the flood of messages After more flowers arrived it Inside The Mrs Ford Ordeal Spurs Interest In Cancer Detection Maine Gets First Snow PORTLATD (AP) Snow showers were reported today in western mountains as some areas of the state gut preview of wintry weather The National Weather Service in Portland said it received no official word of snow accumulations from any of its reporting stations around Maine Sugarluaf Mountain in Carra-hassctl and the Sunday River ski area 'in Bethel said they received six inches of snow Wednesday allowing some pre-season skiing Accumulations were also reported in the "snow belt" towns of Greenville and Rangeley A spokesman at the Weather Service said this was "one of the earliest snowfalls ever had but certainly not Ihe earliest I remember one in July once happened" rare but it's the hospital than Mrs Ford could possibly accommodate in the five-room presidential suite during an expected 10-day stay President Ford appealed to those who might want to send flowers to -contribute instead to the American Cancer Society still too early yet to tell how the donations to the cancer society will be affected by the appeal a spokesman said But even the White House is getting donations many of them small although there was one check for $5000 "One thing is definite the cancer society spokesman noted of women around the country are asking the American Cancer Society clinics hospitals and doctors about getting breast examinations It has galvanized everyone into action" The letters to Mrs: Ford hsve come from young and old people in public life and women who want to encourage her Some cured cancer patients even sent their pictures Alice Longworth 90-year-old daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt sent this message to Mrs Ford: a line to wish' you well from one who a number of years ago had the experience you just Journal FOIL Utility Gas Shortage Predicted By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Public utilities are warning businesses across the country that they may not get natural gas for heading this winter Some utilities are refusing to accept new customers industrial or residential An Associated Press survey showed there is a shortage of natural gas In almost every area with the East Coast apparently facing the most severe problem Natural gas provides 31 per cent of the energy used in the country Sixikesmcn for the utilities and some state officials blame the Federal Power Commission for the shortage They say the FPL' ceiling price for natural gas is too low and discourages expiuration "The companies need more money to explore and gel additional said George I Bloom chairman or the- Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission Other officials note that as fuel oil became more expensive many people switched to natural gas boosting the demand over a short period nr time without development of new supplies Meanwhile The Associated Press learned that federal officials are preparing contingency plans to deal with a possibli shortage of coal if miners walk out when the current coal cond tract expires Nov 12' The plans include diversion of some coal supplies from electric utilities to other industries an embargo on coal exports and standby legislation under which industry could be ordered to cut back on production They also include plans to seek legislative authority for an excise tax on electricity in the event of a need to reduce demand The contingency plans are outlined in a memo from the Federal Energy Administration to the Interior Department The AP obtained a copy of the memo Last June the FPC revised its pricing system for natural gas replacing a series of regional limits with a single national price of 42 cents per 100 cubic feet for so-called gas from wells that began operation after Jan 1 1973 Previously the price ranged from 199 to 34 cents per 1000 cubic feet and averaged 27 cents the commission said -The government action was expected to mean another boost in prices for consumers who already are paying more than last year A spokesman for Minnesota Gas Co said for example that rates for residential customers are 12 to 14 per cent higher than last year and industrial customers are paying 30 per cent more than they did in 1973 The shortage will hit hardest at customers large industrial users whose contracts call for them to be' cut off in times of trouble These customers make ar-rangements for alternate sources of energy like heating oil Cold weather frequently has meant' cutoffs for the in the past and officials say the situation will be worse this year Most utilities said residential customers and high-priority Users like hospitals and schools would not be effected by the shortage But some companies are -trying to discourage ney customers 1 -is By 11W3 there were Ion few 'children to open the schoolhuuse and the very existence of the island community in liic future appeared doubtful The islanders applied Yankee ingenuity and through the Maine Department of Health and Welfare -14 'homeless' mainland' children began a new lire on this almost inaccessiuiu island 10 miles at sea from Seal Harbor birthplace of Vice President-designate Nelson A Rockefeller Bui that was nearly 10 years a grrr-and-Aod the children have gone Some or the foster childrenreturncd to their original-parents others failed to island life WASHINGTON (AP) Betty Ford's sudden ordeal with can cer has touched off a sympathetic reaction among women serosa the country "arid an (wakening to the dangers they also face: Ten thousand letters more than 500 phone calls over 200 telegrams and scores of flower arrangements have poured into the White House and Bethcsda Md Naval Hospital sine word came- of Mrs Ford's breast Quake Jolts Peru LIMA Peru (AP) earthquake shook Lima central Peru today and radio reports said a number of persons were killed and many were injured There was no immediate official report on casualties The quake struck at 1021 am EDT and another tremor hit five minutes later Electricity and gas supplies were cut off for about an hour Radio reports from Canete about 120 miles south of Lima iaid many houses collapsed crushing a number or people In Lima people were struck with terror as signs and masonry fell At least six old houses in the downtown ares collapsed 1 America worst recorded earthquakehlfTPeru on May 31 1970 20000 persons Another 50000 were missing 50JW0 injured 00009 homeless An No Population Problem Here In the meant me fiw island children have been born Two foster children did join four island youngsters in beginning ihe school year There would have been eight students this year but an island family moved to the mainland because the oldest of two sons suffers from diabetes Once again Frenchboro is faced practically without -a generation of tomorrow Chances of attracting new families' to the (island are unlikely according to first assessor David Luni Thejmly einjt'oymcnt oil Frenchboro is iobstcr- fishing: and r-andeg-Maine law a person must be a resident for three years before qualdying for a' commercial lo bites fishing license FRENCHBORO (AP) It was as though a missing generation had been found day the childreifc-fiame-nine years ago The island's one-room choolhouse 'reopened a basketball court sprouted overnight on the main street at the head of the harbor and once again there was the sound-of a child's laughter Fourteen foster children had been embraced in Frenchboro homes in hopes they would give the island a renewed lease on the -home- life Island population had dwindled persons mostly lobster fishermen and their wives -during the first half of this century Lottery Numbers Drawn At Fryeburg Fair Chuckle Why Is if that the guy in the third car back is always the first me Jo-see the light change? 1 i.