The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1927-03-03


House bill No. 1877, introduced by
Cooney and Arnold. which has passed
the lower house and now is before the
state senate, was characterized here
Thursday by L. G. stevenson, head Of
the Stevenson and Sunburst oil inter
ests as measure that would retard
Montana, make it more difficult to
pipe gas to Great Fails and, in effect,
give monopolistic control to exist
ing gas utilities Of the state"
Mr.. Stevenson, who with his associ-
ates is largely interested in gas prop
critics in northern Montana. has plans
well advanced for gas development in
Toole county with the objective OF
piping gas to Great Falls. He inter-
prets the bill as granting a perpet-
ual and essentilly an exclusive right
to all existing gas utilities" in the
state. The bill would, he stated, pre-
vent new enterprises from producing
or transporting natural gas without
first obtaining from the state utility
commission a certificate Of public
convenience and necessity"
Careful study OF house bill No.
1877 viii reveal, said Mr., Stevenson,
that its provisions are dangerously
aginst the interests and rights Of the
home owners and industries Of Great
Falls and all other cities and towns
Of Montana that are situated where
there is. or may be large natural gas
supplies avilable as cheap fuel
Affects Land Owners
sThs bill also contains provisions
equally alarming to Montana land
owners whose lands have natural gas
deposits under the surface, and to the
opertors who may discover and un-
derfake the development and sale Of
natural gas from geologic structures
OF the state. Operators will real
ize this from reading section one (a9,
which in part prohibits anyone from
doing anything toward the production
Of gas without first having Obtained
from the public service commission
certificate Of public convenience.
and necessity
The passage Of H. B. 1S7 BY the.
senate would amount, in effect, to
granting perpetual and essentially
an exclusive right to all existing gas
utilities. Its provisions take away en-
tirely, SO far as affecting US is con-
cerned, the constitutional protection
to customers of public utilities which
provides that exclusive franchises
shall not be granted in Montana. This
bin gives present gas utility COM
panies rights that never in the world
could be obtained by consent Of the
voting consumers in the cities and
towns Of Montana.
~The bill, IL made a law, would
practically destroy all incentive to
exploration for natural gas, and re-
move pretty completely all chance or
right Of reasonable opportunity or re-
alizing advantageously from the sue
cessful discovery or development OF
natural gas in Montana by independ-
ents. 1t would result in non-com-
petitive and therefore higher prices
and more limited enjoyment at the
lowest possible prices of wonderful
natural resource OF which Montana
promises to her people an enormous
and long sustained supply
"The bill in effect goes to the limit,
FOR practical purposes, of preventing
all new natural gas enterprises or ser
vice wherever there is any service
whatever now, and on the other hand
gives any existing gas utility prac-
tically unlimited rights Of extension
without consulting either the consum-
ing pubAc or the public service com,
mission;
Retards Development
1T would l6rgely prevent thel
owner Of lands and the producer oil
gas from realizing any return except
at sdcA fis6ees as the monopolies Of
distribution seem inclined to
give In other %0rdss Would in ef-
feet throttle and prevent Montana
from enjoying to full degree great
natural resource and would retard
industrial development and so COM
pletely prevent competitive sale and
delivery Of low priced gas fuel to in
dustries.
1--WE understand its promoters rep
resent that its passage is essential to
securing natural gas for Shelby. Bill.
ings, Havre, Chinook, Glendive and
other points. I'VE know its passage
is not essential in the case OF Great
Falls. to the contrary, its passage,
would very likely result IN collapse