The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1958-01-31

| NelOp large generating anu ITdHS-
mission facilities, move which the
public utility districts of the area
have maintained would be contrary
to the public interest.
The proposed project is known
as the Mountain Sheep-Pleasant
Valley Project. The applicant is
owned in equal shares by Montana
Power Company, Washington Wat
err Power Co., Portland General
Electric Co., and Pacific Power and
Light Co.
The project involves a proposed
255-foot dam at the Mountain Sheep
site and 534-foot dam at the Pleas
ant Valley site. Together these dams
would have an initial capacity of one
million kilowatts, with an ultimate
capacity of IL million.
POOR DEVELOPMENT
But the plan for river development
into which the private project fits
would produce only 100000 acre
feet of storage as compared with
plan of the Corps of Engineers for
producing 100000 acre-feet of
storage. The latter involves construc-
ton of 595-foot dam at the Nez
Perez site, which would back up the
flood waters of the Salmon River as
we'll as the Snake. 1t is this plan for
which the public power agencies, la
Dor and farm organizations of the
Northwest have been fighting.
In its opinion the FPC declares that
the proposal of the private companies
sis not best adapted to a comprehen-
sive plan for developing the river"
within the meaning of the Federal
Power Act. It's opinion is based, not
only on the fact that it would not pro-
duce as much electrical energy as the
Nez Perez Dam, which would have an
estimated capacity of IT million hlo-
watts, but that it, would produce only
about half as much flood control pro-
lection.
The FPC points out that to control
the Columbia River to manageable
proportions, when in flood, some 20
million acre-feet of storage are re-
quired. The great 1913 flood of the
Columbia River, into which the Snake
flows, caused damage of $78,800,000
along it's lower reaches where farms
and industrial plants and towns were
OF DECISION
Public power advocates interpret
the opinion of the FPC as an in
direct Acknowledgement of error
in it's Hells Canyon decision. In
that instance the commission grant
ed a license to the Idaho Power
Company to build three low dams
in the Snake River, which would
produce only fraction of the stor-
age capacity of the proposed high
dam planned for construction by
the federal government.
Proponents of the high dam still
hope that the House of Representa-
lives may pass bill for the construc-
ton of high dam in Hells Canyon
passed last year by the Senate. A high
lam would wipe out the low dams,
on which already has
been begun. Public power interests in
he Northwest say that the govern
nent could afford to pay for the con-
3truction work already done by the
IDAHO Power Company and still pro-
luce power from the high dam to sell
or half the price the Idaho Power
Company will charge-and that it
would produce millions more acre
eet of storage for the prevention of
foods.
A particularly important part of the
TPC decision is the support which it
,ives to the opinion that the major
'roblems in preserving the fish runs
n western states have now been
olved, and that such problems as re-
main are no greater than many other
in the building of high
ANS.
Whether the great Nez Perez site
5 to be developed by private power
or by the federal govern
nent remains open. Denial of the
tainSheep-Pleasant Valley Ii
ense application was without preju-
ice to an application being made by