Kramer *

Kramer *

In Catalogue

Washington furniture I maker Peter Kramer is the 'only artisan from the {Piedmont Virginia area

included in "A Catalogue of the South,” published by Southern Living magazine.

Describing Kramer’s furniture as “something special,” the article notes that the “distressing” on each pieces is done creatively, keeping in mind the actual marks the piece of furniture would have acquired through use.

The article quotes Kramer explaining his interest in reproducing furniture reminiscent of colonial America: “Since I was quite young, I have gone to restorations and museums and studied pieces of furniture I would loved to have owned. However, I could neither find them in antique shops nor afford them if I. did. That’s what got me started designing and making (this furniture).”

The works displayed and sold from Kramer’s Washington showroom “look old but are my designs just as I would have made them had I lived 200 years ago,” Kramer is quoted saying in the Southern Living catalogue.

Power Project

Loans

Loans of up to $50,000 to study the feasibility of developing small hydroelectric power projects and preparing applications for necessary licensing and approvals now are available through the U. S. Department of Energy.

The purpose of the Department’s Small Hydroelectric Loan Program is to put more hydroelectric power on line to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and other nonrenewable energy sources. At the same time, it will increase reliance on water, a nonpolluting and virtually inexhaustible energy source.

Statistics compiled by the U. S. Corps of Engineers indicate that almost 5,000 existing dams in the country may have potential for hydroelectric development. ~

Small scale hydroelectric power projects in the U. S. once supplied almost one third of the nation’s electrical energy. Large dams and thermal power plans phased out most of these projects but energy shortages and environmental questions have rejuvenated interest in traditional approaches to electric power generation. Europeans and the Japanese have used small scale hydroelectric projects for many years.

The DOE program will make loans available to qualified applicants in two categories:

—Loans for up to 90 percent of the cost of a study to determine the feasibility of undertaking a small hydroelectric project at an existing dam;

—Loans for up to 90 percent of the cost of licensing or getting necessary approval for those applicants whose proposals are supported by favorable feasibility studies.

Regulations limits the loans to a $50,000 maximum. They must have a reasonable < probability of being repaid. However, loans may be forgiven if a project is determined not to be feasible or if hydroelectric construction cannot be initiated. Eligible dams are those which were completed by April 20, 1977, and are not being used to generate electric power. Potential power output must be above 100 kilowatts and below 15,000 kilowatts to be considered for a loan.

Any U.' S. citizen or organization may qualify for a loan under the small hydro program. Only agencies of the Federal government are excluded. DOE will assess the technical and economic, feasibility of each proposal. - For farther information, contact Clarence Council, U. S. Department of Energy, 1075 South Yukon Street. Lakewood, Co. 80226, telephone (303) 234-2472.