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<br />authority was delegated to FERC by the Secretary of DOE in the case of four PMA's <br />(Delegation Order No. 0204-33), and given to FERC by Congress in the case of the <br /> <br />Bonneville Power Administration through provisions of the Northwest Power Act (16 <br /> <br />U.S.C. 839-839h, Supp. V 1981). <br /> <br />FERC has stated that its role in reviewing and approving or disapproving PMA <br /> <br />rates set by the Secretary of Energy: <br /> <br />. . . ultimately could be viewed as in the nature of an <br />appellate court, deciding whether proposed rates have a <br />rational basis and are consistent with statutory requirements <br />(Federal Register, Vol. 48, No. 207, October 25, 1983, <br />p. 4930 1). <br /> <br />Proponents of the ultimate development concept maintain that FERC has no <br /> <br />right to second guess Congress, the Department of the Interior and its Bureau of <br /> <br /> <br />Reclamation regarding whether an entire water project (the ultimate development) is <br /> <br /> <br />or is not a "rational basis" for setting power rates (Weinberg, 1983). In a letter to <br /> <br />this effect, then Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Robert Broadbent stated in <br /> <br />part: <br /> <br />We do not believe that the Department of the Interior is <br />required to prove to the satisfaction of FERC that the <br />projects authorized by Congress and scheduled by the <br />Secretary of the Interior will be built in order to have the <br />required funds included in the power rate. This would <br />subject the program of the Secretary of the Interior to <br />oversight by the FERC. If Congress intended such an <br />oversight function over the development of water projects <br />authorized as part of the Colorado River Storage Project, it <br />would have clearly expressed its intent. Congress alone must <br />express that intent, as' the Secretary of Energy has no <br />authority to oversee the Secretary of the Interior's water <br />resources development program (Weinberg, 1983, pp. 14-15). <br /> <br />In its notice of proposed rulemaking of October 25, 1983, FERC stated: <br /> <br />-12- <br />