The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1945-04-19
UTILITY CO.
TO PURCHASE
PECK POWER
Montana Dakota Contracts with
Reclamation Bureau for
Distribution

WASHINGTON = Signing of a
contract under which government
produced electric energy will be
distributed over power lines, some
of which are owned by a federal
agency and some by a private utility,
was announced today by Secretary
of the Interior Harold L. Ickes.
The contract was entered into be-
tween the bureau of reclamation,
department of the interior, and the
Montana-Dakota Utilities company,
whose headquarters is in Mime
apols. The h~ydroelectric energy in
volved is produced at the Fort Peck,
Mont, power plant operated by the
army corps of engineers and is
marketed by the bureau of reclama-
ton. The area to be supplied is
eastern Montana and western North
Dakota.
BY using jointly the government
and private facilities, large savings
viii be effected in production cost as
well as in the distribution cost.
Savings in the production and
distribution of electricity under the
terms of this contract will be passed
on TO all users of electric service IN
the area served" Secretary Ickes
declared today in announcing the
contract. IAN almost unlimited sup
ply of energy will be available for
every type of electrically operated
appliance at rates that will bring
the cost of service within the reach
of all"
Commenting upon the contract
Harry w. Bashore. commissioner OF
reclamation, pointed out that 1t calls
for the construction of a 140-mile
ll0,OO0-volt transmission line by the
bureau OF reclamation from Fort
Peck to Glendive, Mont. Power
generated at Fort Peck, he explained,
will be turned over to the Montana
Dakota Utilities company at Glen
dive for distribution over its trans
mission system. serving the are in
eastern Montana and western North
Dakota, starting at Wolf Point and
Forsyth, Mont. and extending east
as far as Stanley and Hettmger, N.
d.
The sMontana-Dakota Utilities
company lines will be used to trans
nit government power developed at
Fort Peck to all of the irrigation
projects and rural identification adj
ministration projects along the val
leys of the Yellowstone and Missouri
rivers. All power contracts with pre-
sent irrigation projects, which are
now being served by Montana
Dakota Utilities company, will be
turned W to the government and
large qualities of power will be made
available for the development of new
projects.
IN addition to distributing power
...- .N- 80 v,=v,frrfa,, rxrcfa,a for tho D
government. the contract provides
for purchase of power by Montana
Dakota Utilities company for dis
tribution to its customers in all the
towns in the area covered by its
transmission system.
The purchase of Fort Peck power
by Montana-Dakota Utilities COM
will make it possible for the
company to reduce the load on its
present steam generating plants and
result in a large saving of natural
gas which is presently used as fuel.
This saving of natural gas is I'M
oortant as a war measure as the gas
will be made available to industries :
producing much needed war mat
srials. At the same time, the power
of the Montana-Dakota
Utilities company will be kept in )
'eadiness for operation in emer- !
to supply power in the area z
whenever necessary. l
The new 1l0.000-volt transmission
ire from Fort Peck to Glendive Will
constructed this year and should
,e ready for operation by late sum-
Intensive rate studies are under
vav. After having received the APP
of the public service COM =
MISSIONS of Montana and North Z
new rates for electric SER =
will be put into effect that will
Ass on to the consumer the savings 4
1aCe by the Montana-Dakota '
Utilities company in the purchase
f rover from Fort Peck. =
Construction on the Fort Peck y
was started in 1888 and was !,
on uleted in 1910. 1t is the largest T.
of its kind in the world. In adj u
iticn to generating electric power, II
also serves to control the level W
{ the waters of the Missouri river p
n navigation and flood control. II
he reclamation bureau has under cl
onsideration large projects for the
evelopment of thousands of acres is
T new irrigated land in the vicinity 81
/ the Fort Peck dam. Many of these di
are expected to get under IA
as postwar projects for the en- OF
Ioyment of peacetime labor and to n
lpply irrigated farms to returning M
sterans. demobilized war workers. 7,
I'd others. 81
Appoval by Secretary Ickes of the n
between the reclamation -
lreau and Montana-Dakota COM -.
marks the first step in a series ST
developments expected to be of az
er1endous benefit to all of the Al
abatement to the Missouri and yo
owstone rivers. RI