Evening star., 1946-06-02
Southwest Power Project
Faces Fight in Congress
Utilities Group Wins First Skirmish in Battle
Over Interior Departments Plan Affecting
Six States Electricity
By George II. Hall

tQe controversy over IIle liltcilol OcpdI u
ment's Southwestern Power Administra-
ton, an ambitious multimilhon- dollar
project that eventually may operate
$4,000 miles of electrical transmission
lines in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas,
Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
This vast system, it has been estimated
In Congress, may affect an area larger
than the State of Texas, but it will not
come into being dnless its sponsors can
defeat the well-armed lobby of privately
owned utilities which bitterly oppose It,
The first skirmish, which took place
In closed sessions of House Appropria-
tions Subcommittee, resulted IN deci-
sive victory for the utilities. Here their
representatives (2S appeared one day.
were able to persuade the subcommittee
to reduce SPAS appropriation from the
requested $23, 3,323 900 to $3,29800o. This
sum later was increased to $7,500000 by
House vote on an amendment offered by
Speaker Sam Rayburn, Democrat, of
Texas, an outspoken critic of the lobby.
The Senate will be asked to restore the
entire amount.
Two Steps Contemplated.
Under the Flood Control Act of 1914,
the SPA is authorized to construct or
acquire a network of high-voltage lines
to interconnect multiple purpose dams
constructed by the Army Engineers and
distribute their power output to Govern
ment facilities, public bodies, Rural Elec-
trification Administration co-operatives
and private electric companies.
There are two steps contemplated in
the program. The first calls for the de-
velopment of system to distribute power
from dams already constructed or au-
thorized. These dams have an aggre-
gate capacity of 666,O00 kilowatts, and
to harness them it is estimated it would
be necessary to construct g. 400 miles Of
lines and 10000 kilowatts of supple
mental steam generating capacity over
period of five years.
Cor comparison, the installed ca
pacity of Union Electric Co. is $4,000
kilowatts)
The second step is based on construc-
ton by the War Department of addi-
tional projects now under study. If
these should be authorized, it would re-
suit in an ultimate installed hydro
electric capacity of 100000 kilowatts
1t then would be necessary to construct
an additional $500 miles of line for the
total of $1,000, and an additional 100000
Elowatts Of steam capacity for total
of 10000 kilowatts, over period of
40 years.
Major Network Needed.
In developing the plan, the admins
tration counted on outright purchase of
some existing facilities. and the negotia-
tion of agreements wherever possible
with other utilities, public and private,
for the mutual use of facilities. 1t would
be necessary to construct the major net
work interconnecting the projects and
load centers.
As starter, the administration asked
for $23 1923 900 for the fiscal year begin
ming July l. This sum was earmarked
for the purchase of the Ark-La trans
mission line and substations, extending
from Markham Ferry, Okla, to Lake
Catherine, Ark, which were used during
the war to deliver power to the Gov
ernment-owned Jones Mills aluminium
reduction plant; to purchase and COM
plete the Government-owned steam
plant at Lake Catherine; to construct
transmission system extending from
Norfork Dam in Arkansas to SPRING
field, Mo, and to connection with the
Ark-La line, from Markham Ferry to
Tulsa, Okla, and from there to Denison
Dam and into North Texas. =.
Such q system would integrate the
Norfork and Denison projects with each
other and with the steam plants, and
would provide for service to Springfield
and other municipalities; to REA CO.
operatives in Missouri, Arkansas, Okla
homam and Texas, and to the Arkansas
Power 6 Light Co., the Public Service
Co. of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Gas g.
Electric Co. and the Texas Power q
Light Co.
Cost Might Reach Billion.
The $7,5o0,000 will provide only thin
minimum" tie-in among the Norfolk,
Denison and Pensacola Dams, Douglas
G. Wright, SPA administrator at Tulsa.
declared. The ALLEGATION of the money
has not been determined fully. Pen
sacola, or Grand River Dam, is in
Oklahoma.
Estimates of the cost of fully electri-
fying the region are tentative, but are
given by Wright as follows on 1865
basis:
The transmission system will cost
$125, 100000 and steam plants ST, 900 900,
a total of $202, 900 900. This investment
would be made by SPA. The power in
vestment in War Department dams for
which ALLEGATIONS of cost have been
made was estimated at $126,000 900.
With regard to dams for which there is
no cost ALLEGATION, 1t was estimated the
maximum power investment which could
be supported by average benefit value
would be $206, 900, 900, although the
actual probable investment would be
much smaller. This makes total of
1884 100000, but, of course, includes only
part of the cost of the multiple purpose
dams. Should the system be constructed
In entirety as now proposed, fair guess
would be that the Government would
have an investment in the neighborhood
sof billion dollars.
81 Two Dams Cost $73,O00,0O0.
A An indication of how this adds up can
be obtained from such figures as are
available on War Department dams
The constructed projects include the
following:
N..sarl- Dono m tho North Eork of