WATCHING GOVERNMENT EXIT BILL WHITE

With Patrick Crow from Washington, D.C. Deputy U.S. Energy Sec. Bill White is resigning effective Aug. 11 and will be replaced by Undersec. Charles Curtis. White has been the point man on oil and gas issues in the proenvironmental Clinton administration. As such, he has not won many battles in the past 2 years. But Washington oil and gas lobbyists often have praised his efforts. White plans to return to Texas, where he is expected to seek the chairmanship of the state Democratic party He

July 17, 1995

3 min read

Deputy U.S. Energy Sec. Bill White is resigning effective Aug. 11 and will be replaced by Undersec. Charles Curtis.

White has been the point man on oil and gas issues in the proenvironmental Clinton administration. As such, he has not won many battles in the past 2 years. But Washington oil and gas lobbyists often have praised his efforts.

White plans to return to Texas, where he is expected to seek the chairmanship of the state Democratic party He said he has no specific plans, other than "to help rebuild the Democratic party in the South."

Curtis chaired the Federal Power Commission/Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during 1977-81, then practiced energy law in Washington, D.C., before joining DOE in 1994.

As undersecretary, he has been responsible for science and technology, nuclear weapons, and environmental cleanup and safety programs.

DOE ACHIEVEMENTS

At a press conference, White listed some of DOE's achievements during his tenure: It launched major cost reduction initiatives, worked to encourage Latin American and former Soviet Union nations to open their energy sectors to U.S. firms, and focused research and development on oil and gas, renewable energy, and energy efficiency projects.

White also said the administration has pushed Congress toward some "major steps in energy policy" such as reducing offshore royalties, allowing Alaskan North Slope oil exports, and expanding oil and gas research. But Congress has not completed action on any of those measures.

White said, "We have struggled the most with finding a remedy for producers of stripper or marginal wells. The problem has been to develop a responsible approach that targets wells that need incentives without unduly benefiting those that do not. I wish the federal government as a whole could have made more progress on a solution."

White believes DOE is no longer in danger of being abolished. He said opponents have not been able to identify savings from dismantling DOE, and "that gives me some confidence we will be able to make it."

He said, "The basic problem is a lack of public appreciation for what the department does." He suggested that eventually DOE should be renamed the Department of Science and Technology.

DOES FATE

Congress will decide the fate of DOE this summer, but an influential senator argued last week for its retention.

Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) the Senate energy committee chairman, said, "Over half of DOE's budget is dedicated to activities that must be performed, even if the department is eliminated.

"Clearly, we should make cuts in programs that are unnecessary, sell assets that should be privatized, and reform the structure and management of the remaining programs.

"However, at this time I believe we should make decisions regarding these issues and then consider whether what's left should remain at an entity called the Department of Energy."