Evening star., 1955-11-15
New Bid Sent
Unit for
|PEpCO Plant
Montgomery Cites
Advantages Of
Mpnocucy Area

A montgomery County group
today made . new bid for sup
lport Of a Maryland location for
1.-THE Potomac Electric Power Co.'s
controversial new generating
plant.
The effort came In o letter
from George c. Warner. jr..
counsel of the Citizens Com
lmittee to Bring PEPCo's Pro-
posed 500 Million Power Plant
Ito Montgomery County. !" to Sem
lator Morse. Democrat Of Oregon.
chairman Of q Senate District
subcommittee looking into the
matter.
Mr.. Warner, attacking pro-
lposals that the big plant be
located across the Potomac in
ILoudoun County. Va. said an
l"erroneous impression" has been
created In the public mind that
electricity could be generated
more cheaply. IN Virginia than in
Maryland.
Sites Held Adequate
Specifically, Mr.. Warner con-
tended that, despite published
statements to the contrary:
/. Adequate sites exist In
Montgomery County. "topograph-
lically suited for an economic
power plant operation"
2. And higher taxes paid in
Montgomery than In Loudoun
would "be relatively nominal"
land not substantially higher as
had been claimed.
8. The cost Of coal to operate
1.-The plant would be less In Mont
Igomery County than in Loudorn.
Mr.. Warmers letter did not
pin point q specific Maryland
Isite but said feasible sites are
available in the "Monocacy River
larea," which Is near the Mont
lgomery-F Frederick County line.
Quotes Tax Figures
on relative taxes IN the two
States. Mr.. Warner quoted Mont
Igomery County Manager M. i.
Reese as saying taxes on the 500
million plant would be between
$3.50 900 and 81 million q year.
lHe quoted an estimate BY 4 Vir-
lginia attorney that LOudoup
County taxes would be only $3.50, 3
1000 year, but Mr.. Warner said
lthat figure was based on 8 STA
million plant.
Related to the 500 million
investment nov contemplated, :
lhe said. the tax would be raised
10 eo18.O00. TT appears, there.
fore he added, "that at the
Ilnost the increased taxes on q
plant in Montgomery County
would be relatively nominal.
On the coal issue, Mr.. Warner
ATTACHED q letter from the Fair
mont Coal Bureaus, which esti-
mated that coal from Northern
West Virginia fields could be de-
Ilivered ct less cost to the Monoc-
lacy than to the Loudoun site.
Years ,Industriaiization
T4e Maryland lawyer also con-
tended that selection Of the
lLoudoun site would be followed
by heavy industrialization Of
nearby land on both sides Of the
Potomac. He said this would be
brought about by a syndicate
that owns the land and has given
IPEPCO an option 10 buy about
500 acres Of 1t in Loudoun.
| Contrary to statements By
lPEPCo officials, Mr.. Warner said
his group believes the firm still
is bound by terms Of its original
Ioption contract to assist the syn
idicate In obtaining industrial
iZ0ning for all the land.
| pEPCO oflicials. on November
Il, said they had accepted go
1day extension on the Loudoun
County purchase option but am
lnounced the extension was Of
lfered without q request from
IPEPCO.
In other arguments to Senator
Morse, Mr.. Warner contended q
MONTGOMERY County location
would do t'the least violence. TO
1.-THE city's water supply, fish life,
property values and esthetic