The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-06-19
ELECTRIC POWER PROJECT
NEAR DAVIS IS APPROVED
Public Service Commission OF
West Virginia Approves Con-
structiOn of Eight Dams
BLACKWATER DAM FIRST

Construction of eight of the ID
hydro-electric projects proposed by
the West Virginia Power and Trans
mission company for development OF
water power on the Cheat river water
shed was approved by Governor Con-
ley and the public service commission
of West Virginia on Monday.
The projects which were given the
unanimous approval of Governor Con-
lev. Chairman 1 Wade Coffman of the
commission and Commissioners c. E..
Nethken and Alex Mahood, are to be
located on the main stream Of the
Cheat river in Preston and Monongalia
counties and on the Blackwater river
in Tucker county. Projects which
were disapproved were proposed for
Big Sandy creek, Gladys Fork, Sha-
vers Fork and Dry Fork, tributaries
of the Cheat river.
A lengthy report of their investi-
CATION of the company's application
and of objections by protestants was
given by the commission members and
June "a was fixed as the date for a
meeting of protestants and company
representatives to agree upon the
form of the license.
Case Reviewed
Reviewing the entire history OF the
case from the filing of the company's
application on December 20, 1929,
through the long series of hearings
which included the appearance OF
members of the legislature to reply
to charges that the license fee of the
1929 Water Power Act was charged
"surreptitiously" before its passage,
the commissions held that the COM
pany had met requirements of the act
in its application for the Cheat and
Blackwater projects but had failed
to comply with its requirements for
the five projects on other streams. So
Of the projects approved, four
were listed in the company's report
as those it planned for immediate con-
struction at an estimated cost OF ST.
$4,000. The commissions report said
that construction of two of those pro-
iects, Blackwater storage dam, estl-
mated cost $2,5O7, 900, and Blackwater
Power Development No. 1, estimated
cost $4,O37,O00, both located near
Davis, in Tucker county, shall be
started within one year after the IL
cense is granted and completed within
the succeeding three years.
Other approved projects which the
commissions report said should be
started and completed by order of the
commission were: Blackwater Power
Development No. 2, Tucker county
- estimated cost $5,31O,OOO; Beaver
Hole Development, Cheat river
Monongalia and Preston counties
estimated cost $5,aO4,00O; middle
Cheat development No. 1, Preston
county, no cost estimate; middle
Cheat development No. 2, Preston
county, no estimate; Albright develop,
ment, Cheat river, Preston county, nc
estimate; and Erwin development
Cheat river, Preston and Tucker
counties, mo estimate.
DisapprOved Projects
The projects which were disap-
proved were: Big Sandy storage de-
velopment, Preston county and Fay,
cite county, Pennsylvania; Big Sandy
power development, Preston county
Gladly Fork development Randolph
county; Shavers Fork development
Randolph county, and the Dry Fork
development, Randolph and Tucker
counties.
In granting the application for the
Cheat and Blackwater projects the
commission held that the company:
application for those projects "has
met requirements of the water power
act and the act makes it the duty OF
this commission to issue a license
It also held that "the advantages tt
the state and the people thereof, lnso'
far as the project might include the
development of power at the pro-
posed sites on Blackwater river dc
substantially exceed the disadvan
tages."
Construction Work
Construction work, the commission
directed, shall be started on the Black
water river "within one year from
the date of the license" and completed
within the succeeding three years. The
initial projects for construction are
the Blackwater storage dam and tbs
Blackwater power development No. l
both located in Tucker county. Othe'
developments, the commission said
shall be started and completed by
order of the commission and the
Failure, refusal or declination of the