WSP09112

• File Number: 8040.200
• Description: Section D General Studies-Energy
• Date: 12/19/1974
• Author: Helene C Monberg
• Title: Energy-Oil Shale-Western Resources Wrap Up-Series X No 51-Transportation and Energy
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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12-19-74
Western Resources
Series x, No. 51
transportation and

Wrap-up

RECEIVED

From: Helene C. Monberg
l23-Sixth Street Southeast
washington, P.C., 20003
Area Code 202-546-1350-1

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DEe 23 1974
energy--lead
sto~LO, WATER
CONSERVATION BOARD
washington--Transportation of larger amounts of coal, oil and gas
from Western sources including Alaska would have almost as much impact
on the west as major new coal and oil and gas developments.
That is the conclusion of the task force study on transportation
for Project Independence recently released by the Federal Energy Admin-
istration.

Project Independence was initiated by former President Nixon and
is being carried forward by President Ford with the aim of making the
nation more self-sufficient in energy by 1985. How much more is a sub-
ject of debate now going on in the top Administration circles.
The Northern Great plains area, Alaska and the West Coast would
be most affected by changes in the transportation system that would
have to be made to handle more domestic energy production, according
to the two-volume FEA transportation study.
The nation historically has looked to the Northern Great Plains
area for major grain production. Increasingly it is now looking to the
same area, particularly Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota, for major
new and increasing coal production. This puts increased pressure on
Western railroads serving the Northern Plains area and on Upper Miss-
issippi barge lines to handle a larger volume of coal in addition to
grain. Particularly during harvest time the competition between grain
and coal moving out of the Northern Grain plains on available transport
will be fierce, the FEA transportation study indicated.
"In the past the commodity. accounting for the greatest percentage
1SS
of the tonnage on the Upper Misstppi River has been grain and grain
products. At harvest time the competition for barges and tows is al-
ready fierce. The rate for spot service, ie., the rate for shipping
one'.s harvest from a particular location at a particular time, ran
from 50-100 percent in excess of the normal rate as a result of the
great dernaz:d for barges," the study said.
With increased coal production, competition for transportation -?>

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