Page 6 RAIN May 1978 Exactly four months afte_r getting 850 proposals on November 21, 1977, California OAT recommended that DOE fund'85 for a total of just over $1 million. But DOE told them they'd only get to give away $200,000, or enough to fund only the top 16 to 20 small grants ideas. ' Recently, however, OA.T announced that DOE will allow $650,000 to be expended on California projects, so that nearly 60 of the best can be done. A list of the winning'proposals is avail_able from OAT Energy Grants Program, 1530 10th St., Sacramento, CA 95814. Negotiations on the contract~ will begin soon, and most projects will be underway by early May: Although,the second round of the DOE; small grants program will start in September 1978, additional·money.will be provided this time by the state, if a'bill recently introduced passes. State Senator John Dunlap's bill SB 1831 would allocate $2.5 million in fiscal 1979 for an energy technology innovation program that resembles the federal pilot program, but o_ffe::!s more financial and technical assistance. If you're a ·californian, write your local Assemblyman and State Senator urging them to co-sign and support it. If you're not, then why hot get a copy of SB 1831 from OAT and get something similar started in your state. ' Oregon's considering such a bill also, and I'll be there in Salem lobbying hard for it! For details, or to speak in support. of it, contact: Margery Harris, Conservation, Oregon Dept. of · Energy, 111 Labor & Industries Bldg., Salem, OR 97310. Powers of One continued Until then, the balance of things keep me involved." Part of that balance comes.from working in other arenas of action. Forelaws on Board, for example, has another full-time intervenor now, Eric Stashon, working on the Skagit nuc;lear power plant hearings in Washington. And now it is spearheading an initiative effort seeking an outright ban on any nuclear· power plants being operated or constructed anywhere in the state, as well as on the storage or transportation of nuclear wastes and fuels. This is much more point blank than the earlier safeguards ~ffort attempted in Oregon in 1976 and, seemingly, an extreme position for someone so accustomed to the grating subtleties of working through licensing and regulatory processes. But, perhaps not. Lloyd Marbet believes that, ultimately, an outright ban is the only real alternative to the current strategies for defeating the 'nuclear industry. There's a false sense of security, for example, in thinking that the nuclear dinosaur is dying and ready to cave in. He has seen the utilities in action too long, Lloyd says, to know that resting on such a hope is very dangerous. On the other hand, he's leary of the disaster mentality that concludes we need only wait for the first serious nuclear accident, .at which time the public wilJ finally respond. This is, pure and simple, an obstruction process to social change. If any post.uring will destroy the opportunity that we have to be responsible for this moment of time that we share together, it is such an 1 attitude. • Instea_d, enough i_nformation h~s been coming in now to , enable the voter in Oregon to say with confidence: "NO. - There is an alternative!" Of course, with this increase in public awareness, there are also other strategies for bypassing the nuclear option. Coordinating all these efforts for the maximum effectiveness is difficult. While emphasizing that he does not own the nuclear issue, Lloyd is nevertheless anxious to see Forelaws' initiative get on the ballot. In the meantime, he has plenty of work to keep him busy. J. , .Good Giving: I -.s.-----~ - - --~ Some more details on the California program, including the "informal selection criteria," are explained in a recent letter t from OAT to DOE-San Francisco. Lee Johnson Don't misread Lloyd Marbet because of th~ nature of his work, say his friends. Lloyd's not just some "anti" type person, immersed in the negativity of the issue with which he's dealing. He's a positive force, a believer in local control, and people taking responsibility for their own 1ives and their futures. His efforts spell difficulty for all the heavy-handed, overly-centralized systems that interlock with the elitist and oppressive tendencies of nuclear power. What's more, Lloyd is a true b~liever in intergenerational equity-the fact that eyes of the future are upon us, waiting to see if we can rally our sense of limitlessness in dealing with ~his very limited, very crucial piece of time that we call our own. Lloyd puts it a little differently: "I know now I'm not the grand finale ... I'm just a part of the flow. There's no'such thing as glory in making a difference." -Steven Ames FORELAWS FOR THE SOLO ACTIVIST Whether a part of a large organization or working in more intimate ways to effect changes, we can all use some good advice on how to go about it. Lloyd Marbet's experience as a solo activist has given him a lot of insight into how to find the right role for'the right time. And how to stick with it. For those of you striking out on your own, his words are well taken. But don't forget, there are a lot of you out there! -Get a good push from someon·e you respect and admire. , . -Have friends who will lend their support and assistance, especially at critical times. -Do those things which you can best do in the here and ndw. -Be willing to change the rest of your life. Any other suggestions from our readers? -SA .
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