OCR Text |
Show 501 larly, in its consideration of works and projects, the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors is required to have in view the "amount and character of commerce," existing or reasonably prospective which will be benefited by the improvement, and the relation of the ultimate cost to the "public commercial in- terests" involved.36 Power-Resource and Power-Requirement Data.-Operating on a nation-wide basis, the Federal Power Commission has express authority to make investigations and collect data con- cerning the utilization of water resources, the water-power in- dustry and its relation to other industries and to interstate or foreign commerce, the location, capacity, development costs, and relation to markets of power sites, whether the power from government dams can be advantageously used by the United States for its public purposes, and the fair value of power from government dams.37 Exercising this authority, the FPC makes continuing surveys and technical studies of marketing areas within economic distance of proposed hydroelectric plants to determine their usable capacity, possible rate of develop- ment, and type of load to which they are suitable.38 In addition, it has broad investigative power to secure information in connection with its regulatory duties and as a basis for recom- mending legislation.39 No other federal agency has corre- sponding express and specific authority. But a number of statutes impose duties upon other agen- cies which require use of power-resource and power-require- ment data. For example, reports by the Army Engineers on preliminary examinations for navigation projects must in- clude, among other things, data regarding the "development and utilization of water power for industrial and commercial 86 Act of June 13,1902, § 3, 32 Stat. 331, 372, as amended, 33 U. S. 0. 541. In connection with the overlapping statutory provisions mentioned in the text, we have previously noted steps taken under the 1942 Federal Reports Act to eliminate duplication of effort here. See supra, n. 74, p. 87. 87 Act of June 10,1920, § 4(a), 41 Stat. 1063,1065, as amended, 16 U. S. O. 797(a). See also supra, pp. 274-275, 292-293. 88 See supra, n. 208, p. 293. 89 Act of August 26,1935, § 311,49 Stat. 838, 859,16 U. S. O. 825j. See also supra,, pp. 274-275. |