Author Warned of Fights for Public Resources 50 Years Ago
In spite of what some have said, opposition to the idea of granting a private monopoly over a public resource, such as what Alcoa wants to achieve in its relicensing application for 50 years of hydroelectric operations on the Yadkin River (the Yadkin Project), is not new. In fact, concerns about such a situation already existed nearly 50 years ago, ironically enough.
In 1959, Judson King wrote The Conservation Fight, a history of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and how it was established. In telling the story, King documented the proceedings leading up to, and the intent behind, The Federal Water Power Act of 1920 – namely, the rights of the people to maintain control of the rivers of the United States.
King was concerned about local and national political practices and private monopolies that threaten America’s natural resources. He saw the potential for abundant, cheap hydroelectric power to benefit the citizens of the United States, not the pockets of scrupulous private entities, who sought ways to tie up these resources for personal gain. So determined was he to record the issues and proceedings in his book that he refused to give up his writing, even though an illness zapped him of his energy and caused him to dictate from his bed and edit until late into the night (he died two weeks after finishing the manuscript at age 86).
The book’s first 58 pages document the legislative battles and the ultimate passing of The Federal Water Power Act of 1920. Included in the discussion as “The High Points of the Compromise” on page 57 were the following prophetic statements:
“Who shall say that fifty years hence states, counties, cities, irrigation districts may not be eager to secure many of the sites we now propose to pass into private ownership? ... Let us so write this bill that fifty years hence they [the people] may have another chance.”
The book documents why we are where we are today, because although by law there could be no more private control perpetually, the politically appointed commission had the authority to grant and renew licenses to private entities on public waters worth millions – and yet recapture at the end of a 50-year license period was expensive and “tricky” because of the way the clause was written. It is this sort of battle that opponents of the Alcoa relicensing find themselves now in raising the same issues the book discusses.
King’s book can be read in its entirety at www.questia.com (registration required). His words from a half a century ago resonate in the present Yadkin Project relicensing discussion – and warn us about the impact of granting licenses to private monopolies for those who use public resources, including all residents of North Carolina, in the next 50 years and beyond if it occurs.
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