Carla Hills

Failure to develop a national energy policy "could truly make the Great Depression look like a joyride," Carla A. Hills, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under former President Gerald R. Ford, said yesterday at a press conference at the Institute of Politics.

Hills, co-chairman of the Alliance to Save Energy, stressed the "private, bipartisan, broad-based" nature of the group in its effort to heighten public awareness of the energy problem.

"I don't believe that conservation of energy is the final answer," Hills said. "However, it is necessary as a bridge fuel until alternative sources can be developed. We can come up with new supplies but we can't do it tomorrow," she added.