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Show THE WESTERN WEB 49 Power was a by-product of, and incidental to, a pro- ject. That, too, was the law in 1947. The planners of the new Reclamation Bureau pro- gram wanted all this changed: 1 - They wanted the repayment period on irrigation features indefinite and largely under control of the Bureau of Reclamation. 2 - They wanted electric power to be the main source of revenue and the main product of a project. They wanted it to pay not only the capital cost of power features but also the capital cost of irrigation features. 3 - Instead of returning to the Treasury the interest charged on the power features, they wanted it to go toward repaying the capital costs of the project. 4 - They wanted, also, the 9-e Contract. Put together, these things added up to one thing: absolute control of the West. Senator Millikin of Colorado, the chairman, tapped for order a few minutes after ten o'clock on June 23, 1947, and recognized the senior senator from Arizona, Carl Hayden. 6 Hayden was a busy man. He could not stay long with the committee. Several important appropriation bills were awaiting his attention. But he had a few words he wished to say. Probably the most influential, behind-the-scenes senator in office, he was in a good position to kick off the debate on S. 1175. It was his own bill. The legislation, Hayden said, was based on sheer necessity. Arizona had to have more irrigation water. |
