February 27, 1964
Page 3794
AUTHORIZATION FOR INTERNATIONAL PASSAMAQUODDY TIDAL POWER PROJECT
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I introduce on behalf of myself, my senior colleague [Mrs. SMITH], a bill to authorize the construction of the Passamaquoddy-St. John hydroelectric project, subject to appropriate agreements between the United States and Canada. This proposed legislation carries us one step closer to the realization of a dream to harness the tides of Passamaquoddy and Cobscook Bays in Maine and New Brunswick and to develop the resources of the upper St. John River, to the advantage of Maine, New England, and the Maritime Provinces of Canada.
The bill, which would authorize construction of the necessary civil works and powerplants by the Corps of Engineers, construction of high voltage transmission lines by the Department of the Interior, and marketing of the power developed by the project by the Secretary of the Interior, opens the way to the development of 1 million kilowatts of peaking energy, 250 thousand kilowatts of firm energy, and 1 billion kilowatt-hours of dependable off-peak energy annually for our northeast region at prices one-fourth lower than average rates in our area.
Mr. President, this bill is important to our region and to the Nation. It has the backing of members of both parties, in and out of Maine. It is backed by sound and imaginative engineering studies; it is a feasible economic project.
As President Kennedy said, when he endorsed the project, July 16, 1963:
Any proposed natural resource development must, of course, meet the national interest test. It must strengthen the economy of the whole Nation and enable America to better compete in the marketplaces of the world. The Passamaquoddy-St. John project now meets the national interest test. Each day, over a million kilowatts of power surge in and out of the Passamaquoddy Bay. Man needs only to exercise his engineering ingenuity to convert the ocean's surge into a national asset.
We hope we can bring this legislation to hearings this session, so that the advantages of this project can be considered by the Congress. We also hope that our Government and that of Canada will negotiate an agreement on an equitable sharing of the benefits from this combined project. When such an agreement is reached we will be in a position to give final authorization to Quoddy-St. John, and a potential asset can be transformed into a national benefit.
I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Secretary of Interior Udall, the members of his Department, to the Corps of Engineers, and to the Department of State for the technical advice they have given us on this legislation. Since President Kennedy referred the 1961 International Joint Commission Report on the proposed Passamaquoddy project to Secretary Udall, we have enjoyed the closest cooperation and assistance as we have worked to make our dream a reality. The combination of technical skill, imagination, vision, and enthusiasm we have encountered has given us great courage in the pursuit of this goal of new opportunities for our region, and for the Nation.
Mr. President, I ask that the bill lie at the desk for 24 hours to permit other Senators to become cosponsors.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The bill will be received and appropriately referred; and, without objection, the bill will lie on the desk, as requested by the Senator from Maine.
The bill (S. 2573) to authorize the international Passamaquoddy tidal power project, including hydroelectric power development of the upper St. John River, and for other purposes, introduced by Mr. MUSKIE (for himself and Mrs. SMITH), was received, read twice by its title, and referred to the Committee on Public Works.