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Show 1934,10.9% RURAL ELECTRIFICATION Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture. Rural Elec- trification Administration. Farms served: under 25% 25-50% over 75% FIGURE 17.-Progress of Farm Electrification in the 15 Years before REA Contrasted With That Since REA 100 kilowatt-hours a month to industrial use of 200,000 kilowatt-hours a month. According to this study, the 12 States hav- ing the lowest over-all electric rates include the TVA and South Carolina Public Service Author- ity area States of Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Kentucky; the Bonneville Administration area States of Wash- ington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana; California, with its Central Valley program; Nebraska, in which all electricity is distributed by public or cooperative systems; and Utah. On the same basis the 12 States having the highest composite rate structures include the northeastern. States of New Hampshire, Massa- chusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware, and the States of Florida, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Da- kota, and Minnesota. For a household with electric refrigerator and range, the saving in electric bills from living in the low-rate group of States would average about $24 a year. For the medium-sized commercial power customers the saving would average about $312 per year. For the medium-sized industrial plant the savings would run to nearly $5,000 a year. Low Rates and Hydroelectric Power The question has been raised as to whether the lower rates in certain States are not attributable to availability of hydroelectric power rather than to factors over which the managements of power systems have control. A comparison of the hydro resources of the southeastern group of States, characteristically in the low-rate group, with those of the northeastern States, largely in the high- rate group, shows that this is not necessarily the case. Thus the developed and undeveloped water power of New England and the Middle Atlantic rivers totals 11,797,069 kilowatts, as com- pared with 11,933,938 kilowatts for the south- 232 1950, 86.3% |
