Tsongas Seats

WASHINGTON--Sen. Paul Z. Tsongas (D -Mass.) narrowly missed election to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but successfully obtained seats on the energy and banking panels.

Tsongas said he had no "emotional investment" in the foreign relations post but that he had been led to believe it was possible.

The Democratic Steering Committee voted 12-8 to give Sen. Edward Zorinsky (D -Neb.) the foreign relations post. Zorinsky, who has more seniority, had prior claim to the title, Tsongas said, adding that he was pleased with the positions he had received.

On the Energy Committee, Tsongas said, he wants "to focus on technological alternatives--solar, wind and the second generation systems for coal and nuclear energy."

As a member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Tsongas will pursue his interest in urban revitalization.