The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1954-08-13

ton as they began to prepare
the main brief they must soor
file with the Federal Power
Commission hearing examiner
now that the Hells Canyon
hearings have ended.
The year-long hearings before FPC
Hearing Examiner William J. Costello
ended on a note of bitterness between
lawyers for the association and those
for the power company. Summary
briefs must be submitted to him by
FPC lawyers and the two contending
parties by Sept. 10.
BIG QUESTIONS AT STAKE
At stake are big issues
Twill the Pacific Northwest be
aided in developing all the hydro
electric power available in the Column
bia River and its tributary rivers
power it needs desperately for indus
trial development? Will the power be
cheap enough for such use?
2-Or will the Federal Govern
ment permit partial and piecemeal
development of great natural re-
sources by private companies whose
plans call for low dams with compare
lively low and expensive power out
put.
3-Or will it go ahead with high |
dams providing more power at lower
unit cost-dams built by the govern
ment as part of comprehensive plan?
4-Is the Eisenhower Administra-
tion's policy of turning over federal
power resources to private interests
. the so-called partnership" be-
tween federal and local" private
power interests-to be permitted to
take the place of the previous part
nership between Federal Government
and local power-cOnsuming groups? ;
The Idaho Power Co., a private
Utility whose largest stockholders are
eastern financial groups and instis {
,utions, is seeking FPC license to
1uild a series of three low dams on +
he Snake River between Idaho and
Oregon at and upstream of Hells Can {
7on. T
FOR ONE DAM t
The association is fighting against
he license application and for fed q
eral construction of one high dam at q
1ells Canyon = the deepest river I
Forge on the American continent.
The Hells Canyon site was chosen l
" federal engineers as a key dam
tie in the comprehensive Columbia
river Basin development plan. 1t
would be multipurpose, unlike the
rivate plan. 1t would provide power,
lood control, irrigation, recreation. d
The utility was not interested in y
he site until after the Reclamation II
bureau in 1947 announced public
earrings on it. Then the utility asked
PC for go-ahead on a preliminary l
tudy. In 1913 the bureau published Il
S first report praising the federal II
reject. In 1850 the utility asked FPC s.
or license to build small dam up b
5ream of Hells Canyon, so located
nat it would be drowned out by a ii
Ugh Hells Canyon Dam. Later the RI
inn changed it's application repeat F
dly, first proposing five and now tt
1ree dams. N
Both the Interior and Agricultural p1
apartments, under the Truman Ad-
Illustration, filed objections against p,
lie Idaho Power Company's applica- CT
on. The FPC failed to hold hearings =
uring the nearly three years remain to
g to the Truman regime after the
,mpany made application. And the 9
,mpany did not object to lack of y
,tion on the application. r
MCKAY RETREAT
Then the Eisenhower Administra- :,
IN took over. Ezra Taft Benson's =;
griculture Department promptly -,
thdrew the objections that the de- ~ ~
rtment had filed under Democrat %
larles Brannan. After a few months ne
office, Interior Secretary Douglas I'D
Kay on May 5, 1853, withdrew Pc
departments objections, which
d been filed under Truman ap- Sc
ntees Julius A. Krug and Oscar nu
apman. III
McKay's action left the Idaho Pow If
NJ