Washington Public Power Supply System v. Pacific Northwest Power Co.

217 F. Supp. 481, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7962, 1963 WL 110905
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedMarch 18, 1963
DocketCiv. No. 62-110
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 217 F. Supp. 481 (Washington Public Power Supply System v. Pacific Northwest Power Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Washington Public Power Supply System v. Pacific Northwest Power Co., 217 F. Supp. 481, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7962, 1963 WL 110905 (D. Or. 1963).

Opinion

KILKENNY, District Judge.

This is an action for a Declaratory Judgment, in which each party asks for a Summary Judgment. The plaintiff asks that the court adjudicate and declare:

1. That subject to the requirements of the Federal Power Act (Title 16 U.S. C. A. Ch. 12) the plaintiff is authorized under the laws of the State of Washington, particularly ROW Ch. 43.52, to construct either the Nez Perce or High Mountain Sheep Project, each of which is more particularly described in Exhibit A attached to plaintiff’s complaint.

2. That the Federal Power Act authorizes the Federal Power Commission (FPC) to issue a license to the plaintiff herein for the construction of either project and to grant the plaintiff herein authorization for such construction independently of any state statutes.

3. That any statute of Washington, Oregon or Idaho relating to such matters as the diversion and use of water, the issuance of any certificate of public convenience and necessity or the acquisition of any property necessary for the construction of either of the projects mentioned is superseded by the Federal Power Act to the extent that any such state statute is inconsistent with the full exercise, by plaintiff herein, of any license which is issued to it by the FPC on either of such projects.

Defendant filed a Motion for Summary Judgment which raises essentially the same questions. The Motions are based on the records and files and certain Affidavits. All of the facts required for a determination of the Motions are admitted, and, in large measure, those facts are set forth in my previous Opinion, on the sufficiency of defendant’s contentions, D. C., 213 F.Supp. 404. Nevertheless, I feel that another statement might clarify the issues raised by the present Motions.

The Washington Public Power Supply System (Plaintiff) was created pursuant to order of January 31, 1957 by the Department of Conservation and Development of the State of Washington and, under the laws of the State of Washing[483]*483ton (RCW 42.53.360), is a corporation, described as a municipal corporation, and, also described as a joint operating agency, for the purpose of acquiring, constructing and operating electric generating and transmission facilities.

The Pacific Northwest Power Company (Defendant) is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Oregon and qualified to do business in the states of Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Montana. On March 31, 1958 the defendant filed with the Federal Power Commission an application for a license to build a hydroelectric project entitled the Middle Snake River Project. The license application described the High Mountain Sheep Development, the Lower Canyon Development, and the Nez Perce Development as alternative developments that might constitute the Middle Snake River Project, and the license application requested a license for the High Mountain Sheep Development. The defendant proposes to sell the entire output of the project, for which it is licensed by the Federal Power Commission, to four sponsoring utilities. The application of the defendant was duly noticed by the Federal Power Commission, and a hearing was scheduled to commence before the Commission on March 21, 1960.

On March 15, 1960 the plaintiff filed an application for a license with the Federal Power Commission for the Nez Perce Project, to be located on the Snake River in the states of Oregon and Idaho, about three miles below the proposed site of the High Mountain Sheep site, and a project which is mutually exclusive of the High Mountain Sheep Project. At the time of filing the application for the Nez Perce Project, the plaintiff had not filed with the Director of Conservation and Development of the State of Washington application to add additional projects to its list of authorized projects. The plaintiff had not, at that time, nor has it since, filed an application with the State of Idaho for any permit to appropriate water of the State of Idaho. The plaintiff stated in its application that it intended to file an application for license with the Hydroelectric Commission of Oregon under the Oregon Hydroelectric Act, but in a subsequent amendment to the application the plaintiff took the position that no such application was required, and did not and has not since that date filed an application under the Oregon Hydroelectric Act. The plaintiff has not qualified to do business in the States of Oregon or Idaho, nor has it made application for such qualification.

After the Federal Power Commission had consolidated the proceedings on the applications of the plaintiff and defendant, and after several postponements at the request of the plaintiff, a hearing was opened before the Federal Power Commission Hearing Examiner on November 4, 1960. It was finally closed on September 12, 1961. On April 24, 1961 the plaintiff filed a motion with the Presiding Examiner for leave to amend its application so as to include the High Mountain Sheep Project as an alternative project to Nez Perce. This motion was denied by the Examiner, the ruling was affirmed by the Commission, the motion was renewed at the close of the hearing in September, 1961 and the motion has been denied by the Presiding Examiner in his Order granting license for High Mountain Sheep to Pacific Northwest Power Company. Subsequent to filing said Motion for leave to amend to include the High Mountain Sheep Project, the plaintiff, on May 10, 1961 applied to the Director of Conservation and Development of the State of Washington for an order authorizing the undertaking of the Nez Perce and High Mountain Sheep Projects, pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Laws of Washington. The defendant, together with two of its organizing companies, who are electric utilities operating in the State of Washington, namely, The Washington Water Power Company and Pacific Power & Light Company, intervened in the proceedings before the Director to oppose the application. The application was granted by Order of the Director dated July 7, 1961 and was appealed by the [484]*484defendant and its two organizing companies. The Order was affirmed.

Defendant feels that the real issues in the case, as shown by the record, encompass a field somewhat greater than envisioned by plaintiff.1 I do not feel there is a material variance between the issues claimed by plaintiff and those claimed by defendant, and will adopt those presented by plaintiff as decisive of the legal questions here involved.

AUTHORITY OF PLAINTIFF TO CONSTRUCT EITHER NEZ PERCE OR HIGH MOUNTAIN SHEEP PROJECT

Prior to 1957 the plaintiff’s powers and authority were lodged in the Washington State Power Commission, a State Agency composed of persons appointed by the Governor of that state under Chapter 227, Laws of Washington, 1949. In 1957, this Commission was abolished (Chapter 295, Section 8, Laws 1957) and the powers and authority of the Commission were thereby conferred on plaintiff. The conferring statute provided, among other things:

“In addition to the power and authority granted in this Chapter to an operating agency it shall also have all power and authority heretofore granted, and shall be subject to all of the duties imposed upon the Washington State Power Commission. * * * ”2

Among the powers being exercised by the Commission there were those specifically mentioned in the Declaration of Policy.3

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Related

Ago
Washington Attorney General Reports, 1998
United States v. Sohn
971 F. Supp. 488 (D. Oregon, 1997)
In re Washington Public Power Supply System
385 P.2d 299 (Washington Supreme Court, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
217 F. Supp. 481, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7962, 1963 WL 110905, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/washington-public-power-supply-system-v-pacific-northwest-power-co-ord-1963.