D Michael W. Straus, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Depart- Warner Gardner, Solicitor, Department of the Interior H. F. McPhail, Director, Branch of Power Utilization, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior__ William E. Warne, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior. _ . Floyd O. Hagie, Secretary-Manager, National Reclamation Association_ Letter of Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior, to Representative John R. Murdock, chairman, Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation, House Text of section 9 of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939- - Opinion of Fowler Harper, Solicitor, Department of the Interior, rendered Supplemental opinion of September 10, 1945 (M. 33473). Letter of President Truman to Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior__ Letter of Representative John R. Murdock, chairman, Committee on Letter of Commissioner Straus to Representative John R. Murdock, SALE OF ELECTRIC POWER THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1946 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON IRRIGATION AND RECLAMATION, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10:30 a. m., Hon. John R. Murdock (chairman) presiding. Chairman MURDOCK. The committee will come to order. This meeting has been called as the first of probably several sessions of hearings on Congressman Robinson's bill, H. R. 5124. The time has been rather short between the introduction of the bill and the calling of this first session, and for that reason we do not have a formal report from the Department, as is our custom, but I understand it is being prepared and will be available soon. I have asked representatives of the Department to come today to let us hear from them, with the understanding that we will submit the formal report as the hearings proceed. (H. R. 5124 is as follows:) [H. R. 5124, 79th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL Relating to the sale of electric power and lease of power privileges under the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That so much of the second sentence of section 9 (c) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (U. S. C., 1940 edition, title 43, sec. 485h) as precedes the proviso in such sentence is amended to read as follows: "Any sale of electric power or lease of power privileges, made by the Secretary in connection with the operation of any project or division of a project, shall be for such period, not to exceed fifty years, and at such rate as in his judgment will produce power revenues at least sufficient to cover (1) an appropriate share of the annual operation and maintenance cost, (2) payment in annual installments during the period of such sale or lease of one-fiftieth of an appropriate share of the construction investment, together with annual payments of interest on the unpaid portion of such appropriate share at a rate of not less than 2 per centum per annum, and (3) such other fixed charges as the Secretary deems proper.' (The Secretary of the Interior's report on H. R. 5124 will be incorporated in the record and is as follows:) Hon. JOHN R. MURDOCK, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Chairman, Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation, MY DEAR MR. MURDOCK: I am glad to comply with your request for an expression of my views on H. R. 5124, "A bill relating to the sale of electric power and lease of power privileges under the Reclamation Project Act of 1939." I recommend that the bill be enacted, provided that it is amended substantially along the lines hereinafter suggested. 1 |