Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-06
IVA Acc and Dixon-Yotes

Despite the long and sometimes en-
FILTERED controversy that has ragged around
the subject it looks now as though the
Tennessee Valley Authority and the Atomic
Energy Commission have cleared the way
for a. mutually satisfactory agreement re-.
garding their respective roles in connection
with the proposed Dixon-Y Yates contract
an, arrangement under which two private
companies would build and operate power
plant at West Memphis, Arkansas.
G G This. contract-whi the Acc has been
negotiating under instructions from Presi-
dent EisenhoWer-has met with strong
resistance inside the iva, especially from
Vice Chairman Harry A. Curtis. The re-
sistance has taken the form of sharp criti-
cism attacking the roundabout nature Of
the project, the cost estimates involved in
it, and its possible effects on TWAS normal
operating procedures and future status as
the Nations greatest development in the
field of public power.
But now, according to the joint state
ment just released by Acc General Manager
K. D. Nichols and newly-installed iva
Chairman Herbert D. Vogel, the two agen-
cies have achieved "a meeting of the minds"
on all fundamental issues between them, in
GLIDING presumably the objections raised
by Mr.. Curtis. AS result, although many
technical details remain to be resolved, it
seems more than likely that a final Acc
IVA agreement on the project will be
worked out in the relatively near future.
However, while the prospect of such an
agreement tends very strongly to pull the
rug out from under the more extravagant
critics of the Dixon-Yates contract, the
chances are that the controversy over it
will continue. Certainly, since this is an
electioneering year, politicians like Demo-
cratic National Chairman Mitchell can be
expected to keep on attacking the under
taking as "a raw deal"-an undetermined
move designed to enrich the private-power
"barons" at the expense of the American
people.
Actually, of course far from being
f1it dccompH carried out In the dark, the
proposed contract still is In the process of
negotiation. Further, it has been subjected
to an extraordinary amount Of public de-
bate, and the record up to now has disclosed
nothing more sinister than the following:
a. That the projected plant would feed
900 kilowatts into the iva system for
distribution to on-governmental con-.
sumers in the Memphis area; (2) that this
would make up for comparable amount
of IVA power being delivered to the
Paducah atomic installations; (3) that the
administrative setup and the costs involved
are debatable, but that Congress, for some
years past, has repeatedly refused to appro-
pirate money for new IVA facilities; and az,
that the President has backed the plan in
an above board effort to avoid Federal
outlay Of about 500 million and at the same
time encourage free enterprise without
hurting Twas position.
Everything considered. therefore, even
though some of its features may still be
open to legitimate question. the West Mem
phis project-given firm AEC-TVA agree
ment ON twill almost certainly win the
overwhelming approval Of the Joint Con-
gressionaI Atomic Committee. As for
critics like Mr.. Mitchell, they viii have
another opportunity to be heard when the
committee meets to consider the final con-
tract, but there is good reason to doubt
that they will have anything more impress
sive to say than what they have said
already.