Congressional Record - Appendix

              A6984	CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-APPENDIX	1961 September 5 
 
years, there may be no nations to aid nor immigrants to welcome." 
 
In reply to doubts about the possibility of disarmament in the present conditions of tension, Father Conway argued that plans must be ready for presentation in saner times. "After the contestants over Berlin have teetered on the brink of thermonuclear hell for a couple of months, they may come to their senses and decide that one such balancing act is enough," he predicted. 
 
Father Conway closed his address with an appeal and a warning: "It will take many months to produce a thoroughly safe and scientifically and politically feasible arms control program; and, therefore, it is absolutely imperative that this agency be approved in this session of Congress. 
 
"Both officially and privately, the religious groups of this country should press the Congress to complete action before it adjourns. The reasons for cooperative action are megatons more important than they were 18 years ago." 
 
Overwhelming Superiority of Combination Transmission Proposal Wins Support of Upper Colorado River Commission 
 
EXTENSION OF REMARKS 
OF 
HON. ROBERT H. MICHEL 
OF ILLINOIS 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
 
Tuesday, September 5, 1961 
 
Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, I have just received a copy of the resolution from the Upper Colorado River Commission dated September 1, 1961, endorsing the proposal of the utility companies for transmitting power from the Colorado River storage project. This Commission, representing the four Upper Basin States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming was established by interstate compact, authorized and ratified by Congress in 1949 to supervise the regulation, conservation, and utilization of the waters of the Upper Colorado River Basin. 
 
This commission is not concerned with the public versus private power issues involved in the controversy but only with the best interests of the project which both the Congress and the commission recognize as the reclamation or irrigation features. The commission's endorsement of the utilities' transmission proposal represents the official position of the four sovereign States and is adequate demonstration of the overwhelming superiority of the combination system. 
 
If the Western States are to continue to receive funds from taxpayers of the East and Midwest to develop the lands of their area, they should be aware of the wastefulness of Federal funds on projects such as the public power advocates favor under the guise of reclamation. 
 
As a member of the Appropriations Committee I am naturally very concerned with unnecessary spending and wish to call the following to the attention of my colleagues: 
 
Denver, Colo., September 4, 1961. 
Hon. ROBERT H. MICHEL, 
House Office Building, 
Washington, D.C.: 
 
We understand that very soon House Appropriation Committee will be considering Bureau of Reclamation appropriation to construct an all-Federal transmission system to bring hydroelectric energy from the Colorado River storage project to the preference users of the area. 
 
Within hous the Upper Colorado River Commission has obtained a concession from five investor-owned utilities that they stand ready to negotiate a firm contract with the Bureau of Reclamation to deliver hydroelectric energy from the Colorado River storage project to preference users at competitive wheeling rates which we believe are distinctly advantageous to the Colorado River Basin. 
 
In the last minute developments Mr. Ival Goslin, chief engineer and executive secretary of the Upper Colorado River Commission, will hand you a copy of the unanimous endorsement by the Upper Colorado River Commission of the revised combination transmission system sponsored by the utilities. The members of this commission are Gov. George Clyde, Utah; John Bliss, New Mexico; Earl Lloyd, Wyoming; and former Gov. Ed Johnson, Colorado. 
 
If combination system is approved by Congress funds requested by Bureau of Reclamation could be reduced by approximately $135 million for transmission facilities without decreasing services or increasing delivery costs to preference users. Most respectfully we urge favorable action on our recommendations. 
 
EDWIN C. JOHNSON, Colorado River Commissioners. 
 
UPPER COLORADO RIVER COMMISSION, Salt Lake City, Utah, September 2, 1961. 
 
Hon. ROBERT H. MICHEL, 
House of Representatives, 
Washington, D. C. 
 
DEAR CONGRESSMAN MICHEL: After having received assurances from the five investorowned electric utilities of the Upper Coloradio River Basin area that the utilities will reduce their charges for transmitting electrical energy to preference consumers after the utilities's capital investments in transmission facilities used for wheeling have been amortized, or after the initial 50-year period of wheeling, whichever is earlier, to actual costs of ad valorem taxes and operation, maintenance and replacement, the Upper Colorado River Commission adopted the enclosed resolution endorsing the combination transmission system proposed by the investor-owned utilities for transmitting electrical energy to be generated by the Colorado River storage project. 
 
The resolution was adopted by the commission at a special meeting on September 1, 1961. 
 
Sincerely yours, 
 
IVAL V. GOSLIN, 
Chief Engineer and Secretary. 
 
RESOLUTION OF THE UPPER COLORADO RIVER COMMISSION 
 
Whereas the Congress exercises the policymaking power of the United States; and 
 
Whereas Congress authorized and ratified an interstate compact among the States of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming which created a commission representing Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming to supervise the regulation, conservation and utilization of the waters of the Upper Colorado River Basin; and 
 
Whereas the legislature of each of said five States ratified said Upper Colorado River Basin compact; and 
 
Whereas the chairman of said commission is appointed by the President of the United States; and 
 
Whereas the commissioners are appointed by the Governors of the said four States-each Governor naming one commissioner to serve at his pleasure; and 
 
Whereas the utilization of the waters apportioned by said compact for the generation of hydroelectric energy is subservient to the use and consumption of such waters for agricultural and domestic purposes; and 
 
Whereas the regulation, conservation and utilization of the waters of the said basin requires the construction of both storage projects and participating projects; and 
 
Whereas this development is implemented by the enactment of Public Law 485, 84th Congress, an act authorizing the Colorado River storage project and participating projects; and 
 
Whereas said projects will generate electric energy which will be marketed; and 
 
Whereas the revenues from such marketing must repay the construction costs of said storage projects including electric facilities and a portion of the construction costs of said participating projects; and 
 
Whereas the early development of the participating projects is of great importance to the progress and welfare of the upper basin States; and 
 
Whereas at the hearings of the House and Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committees in 1954 and 1955 on the authorization for the construction of said Colorado River storage project and participating projects, the investor-owned electric utilities offered to wheel storage project power to preference users over their transmission systems; and 
 
Whereas the Congress in House Report No. 1087, 84th Congress, 1st session, expressed favorable interest in these proposals and stated at page 17: "The Department of the Interior advised the committee that it was sympathetic to the private companies' proposal and indicated that the suggestions would be given studied consideration if the project were authorized. Therefore, the committee expects the proposal by the private power companies for cooperation in the development to be carefully considered by the Department of the Interior and the electric power and energy of the project to be marketed, so far as possible, through the facilities of the electric utilities operating in the area, provided, of course, that the power preference laws are complied with and project repayment and consumer power rates are not adversely affected"; and 
 
Whereas under the provisions of law certain parties are entitled to a preference for the purchase of project electric energy at the price estabilshed by the Secretary of the Interior; and 
 
Whereas in the Upper Colorado River Basin investor-owned and Federal transmission lines serve both preference and private users; and 
 
Whereas the investor-owned utilities have proposed a combination transmission system with certain lines to be constructed and operated by the Federal Government and the remaining lines to be provided by the investor-owned utilities with wheeling service for Colorado River storage project energy over such lines to specified load centers; and 
 
Whereas according to recent tables submitted by the Bureau of Reclamation changing from the yardstick to the modified system thereby increasing the number of delivery points from 15 to 24, the irrigation assistance to States has been reduced approximately $50 million; and 
 
Whereas the controversy over the construction of transmission lines has been exceedingly detrimental to reclamation and must be resolved quickly on merit alone; and 
 
Whereas the Upper Colorado River Commission believes that the investor-owned utilities after their capital investments in wheeling facilities have been amortized should adjust their wheeling charges to cover only ad valorem taxes on such transmission facilities, plus operation, maintenance, and replacement costs actually incurred; and 
 
Whereas such reduced wheeling charges would substantially increase the revenues available for the basin fund as compared with the originally proposed "combination" system; and,