The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1930-02-27
To Hold Another
Hearing on the
DPriest Rapids Dam
May / is Date for Hearing
Application to Develop Pc
wer at that Site-Want ac-
ton Soon
whatever the future has in store

1. at which time nearing VIII De
had by the Federal Power Com.
mission on the application of the
washington Irrigation & Develop.
ment company for a second per.
NIT for the development of that
site.
The fact that the commission
had fixed date for the hearing
was brought out in the national
capital last week during a discus
sion in the House of Representa-,
tives on the miscellaneous office
appropriation bill. ,.
Congressman John w. Summer
explained that the applicant had
Expended considerable sum in
Investigations and that the state
as very anxious for action there
referring to Priest Rapids.
That the question of being able
to market the large amount OF
power is still an important one is
indicated in the following news
story that appeared in last Sun
days Times:
The Federal Power Commission
has grave doubts that the Wash
ington Irrigation and Development
Company, applicant for water
power license at Priest Rapids on
the Columbia river, will be able to
make satisfactory showing as to
a market for power to enable it to
secure license.
F. E. Bonner, executive secre-
tary of the commission, told the
House appropriations committee
during recent hearings about these
doubts. He was replying to ques-
tions by Representative John w.
Summers concerning the status of
Athe Priest Rapids project. The or
iginal application for license was
terminated, he explained, because
Of failure to begin work within the
time prescribed, and a new appli-
cation covering the same project
is under Investigation.
ut seems somewhat doubtful
whether the company will be able
to comply with the requirements
that they must fulfill in order to
get a license" said Mr.. Bonner.
Asked if the commissions re-
quirements are more stringent
than they were, Mr.. Bonner ex-
planned that the conditions have
been made more severe since the
early days of federal license.
AT that time," he said, "the pol
tcy of the commission had not been
very well developed as to the re-
qulrement in respect to market for
the power. The commission has i'm
posed more severe restrictions as
to the showing that must be made
IN regard to the market, and finan-
cial ability, before they even issue
permit. There is some question
about how far we can go in the
matter of requiring an applicant
Tor permit to make showing as
to market and financial ability. 1t
IS really not requirement under
the statute, but is a showing that
they are required to make when
they come up for license. Never
theless, the commission is trying
70 limit permits to those people
VINO offer some hope of making
actual progress"
representative Summers sug-
gested that the people of the State
OF Washington would not look with
aavor upon having Priest Rapids
ued up for term of years without
good prospect of action, to which
Bonner agreed. .sssse..
A license, If granted, runs for
TWO years. If work be not begun
within that time, an extention NAV
oe granted for another two years
II the commission feels that this
should be done.
Eight applications all told have
oeen received for Columbia river
projects, Mr.. Bonner said. Four of
tnem are listed as active and four
inactive or terminated. He supplied
the following list: -
fnest Rapids, by Washington Ir-
ngation and Development Com
pany, s3-foot head, application
pending. Field report not received.
action suspended until May 1, 1880,
ae request of applicant.
Conyon of Clark Fork, by HUGH
= cooper, 245-foot head, prelim-
1880. ~ Ap'ie June 49,
Kettle Falls, by Washington Wa
Ter Power Company, 75-foot head,
completion of field report DELAYED
awaiting receipt of additional data.
Rock Island, by Washington Ell
ecerle Company, license authorized
"pplication for license pending