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<br />000411 <br /> <br />-11- <br /> <br />The neclamaLiun Project ACL of 1939 (Act of August 4, 1939, 53 SLat. <br /> <br />1187) deals, so far as power is concerned, solely with contracting and rate- <br />making by the Secretary of Interior .dth respect to electric energy produced <br />by a project authorized and constructed under the Federal Reclamation program. <br />In this paper I have covered the Government authority and participation <br />in power production at some length because in recent years there has been so <br />much controversy in the matter, and, it is quite apparent, there has been much <br />misunderstanding of the subject. P~1er produ.ction is an important factor in <br />comprehensive river basin development and likewise cannot be overlookedcin.the <br /> <br /> <br />activities of Interstate Compact Commissions. <br /> <br /> <br />4. Federal reclamation of arid and semi-arid lands as it is known today, <br /> <br /> <br />aas initiated by the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388), It <br /> <br /> <br />authorizes the Secretary of Interior to establish, construct and maintain irri- <br /> <br /> <br />gation projects to make marketable and habitable l~r:e ~reas of desert land <br /> <br /> <br />.dthin the public domain. It establishes a revolving f'lnd for reclamation <br /> <br /> <br />construction. The original Federal Act and subsequent legislation establish <br /> <br /> <br />the Federal reclamation program for the seventeen ITestern States. The early-day <br /> <br /> <br />concept of Federal irrigation development of the public domain has been expanded <br /> <br /> <br />over the years by numerous acts of the Congress to include supplemental irriga- <br /> <br /> <br />tion of private lands, incidental power production, flood control and relief from <br /> <br /> <br />detriment to fish and iuldlife from reclamation activities in connection with <br /> <br /> <br />multiple-use projects. Also it is no longer financed solely from proceeds of <br /> <br /> <br />the Reclamation fund. <br /> <br /> <br />The authority of the United States to engage in reclamation was sustained <br /> <br /> <br />tr. the beginning by Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution giving Congress <br />