| OCR Text |
Show not for use in the upper States but is primarily for out-of-State or basin use elsewhere in New Eng- land. Objection is made by the upper States to the loss of tax revenues and of other economic values allegedly lost in reservoir inundation. A Maine statute operating to prevent shipment of hydroelectric power from the State is a further problem. This prevents realization of the advan- tages of interconnecting and coordinating existing and potential Maine power supply with that else- where in the Northeastern States. Pollutants discharged into the Connecticut River in New Hampshire and Vermont do not materially affect the sanitary quality of the waters reaching Massachusetts and Connecticut. As the river passes through Massachusetts, however, it picks up a large amount of harmful industrial and domestic wastes. The river is a polluted stream as it enters Connecticut. The upper basin States have a stake in this condition as the pollution helps to deprive them of migratory fish, thereby lessening potential recreational values. Conclusions There are no known problems of an interna- tional character which grow out of the fact that 115 square miles of the Province of Quebec, Can- ada, lie in the extreme upper region of the Con- necticut Basin. Any that may arise should be of minor significance. Problems of interstate character arising from inundations and tax losses are of major importance. Interstate compacts, such as that proposed for the Connecticut River Basin to assist in meeting these problems, should be encouraged, provided they are in harmony with a sound program for the best utilization of the basin resources to meet regional and national needs. Cooperation in planning be- tween States and between the States and the Federal Government should be continued and extended. Additional means for consultation between public agencies and the local people concerning the physi- cal characteristics and effects of a program of development should be found. To assure the most effective use of the region's resources, Maine should be encouraged to repeal the law which operates to prevent coordination of hydroelectric power developed within that State and power produced elsewhere in New England. To assure the most effective use of the region's resources, full information should be made widely available to the public on the possibilities of the St. Lawrence International Rapids Project and other base load power supply interconnections with po- tential Connecticut River hydroelectric facilities. To assure the most effective use of the region's resources, full information should be made avail- able to the public on the effects of industrial waste pollution, and the possibilities for its control. Above all, the local people should be given a full opportunity to decide their own destiny, for the full development of the basin's resources may be the controlling element in the growth and sta- bility of the region. In deciding that destiny they should have full knowledge of the implications of their actions. 513 |
