The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-04-11
SENATE PASSES
GREAT FALLS
MEASURE
Hydro Power for District Now
Depends on Prompt
House Action.

For the third time in a decade
the Senate has gone on record in
favor of the development of the
water power at Great Falls.
All that is lacking for the realiza-
ton of this vast project. with its
promise of cheap electric power for
Washington, is affirmative action
by the Housee. Whether or not the
legislation can be brought up in
the lower chamber at the present
session of Congress is dependent
entirely upon the House District
Committee.
In view of the action by the
Senate, House leaders will seek to
speed up a report from the sub
committee which has been consider
ing the Great Falls project for sew.
eral months. There is a chance for
action in the House if prompt com
mittee action is taken.
Urge PepcO Claims.
In the report from the District
Commissioners on the project to the
Senate District Committee, some in.
teresting data is given. Upon the
question either of Junking the pres.
ent plant of the Potomac Electric
Power Company in the event of the
Great Falls development or Of re-
tanning it as an auxiliary steam
plant, the Commissioners say:
1T is proper to call attention to
the fact that so long as the public
utility companies are required to
maintain their own steam plants as
a reserve, either due to the fact that
sufficient hydro-electric power can
not be supplied or that the supply
is not continuous. the saving to
them in procuring part of their
power from the hydro-electric de.
velopment will not be very great
Should it become possible, to Junk
their existing steam plants, fair
value of these plants should be
given consideration.
Valued at $6.OOO,OOO.
"a rough unchecked estimate of
duction plant by that company is
approximately 100000 including
power station buildings, but ex,
elusive Of the land on which they
are situated"
The fact that the Great Falls
project is believed by the army en-.
gineers to have far greater posi-.
bilities than merely supplying the
demand for electrical current in
Washington is seen in the follow
ing paragraph from the report of
Major M. c. Tyler:
"It is not economical to devolp
the power at Great Falls merely to
supply the small public demand IN
the District Of Columbia, and sound
policy in the use Of a continuing
natural resource, such as water
power, and in the conservation of
an exhaustible one, dictates the ut.
most possible use of the water
power. The District engineer makes
this clear, but the board believes
that even greater stress should be
laid upon the point to the extent
Of insisting that to the requirement
at reasonable figures of all needed
property and property rights, as an
indispensable prerequisite to the de.
velopment Of any water power.
there should be Joined the further
advance requirement of a definite.
legally enforceable contract between
the public utility interests of the
District of Columbia and the license
for the water power, binding ,the
former to receive and the latter 10
deliver all available power that can
be used in place of steam power. i"
The Public Utilities Commission
suggested to the Senate District
Committee paragraph in the
Great Falls bill which will compel
any public utility in the city To
purchase it's power from the falls
when developed, but the suggestion |
was NOT accented