The
article describes John F Kennedy’s dream of a new energy project of
awesome dimensions: the Passamaquoddy Tidal venture, which would have
used huge water turbines to produce electricity for both America and
Canada.
It would also have provided a model for the rest of the world.
I
publish this account in the context of the Biden administration’s plan
to convert huge tracts of privately owned US land to federally
controlled property. On that land, relatively feeble “clean energy”
technologies would replace, oil, coal, and natural gas---an unmitigated
disaster.
It’s intentional. It’s part and parcel of the technocratic program to LOWER THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF ENERGY ALL OVER THE WORLD…
Thus, “saving the planet” from global warming.
Actually,
not saving anything, but instead, further destroying the lives of
people from one end of the world to the other, by condemning them to far
less available energy.
Meanwhile, actual alternative energy innovations are suppressed.
This
article is about the use of giant turbines submerged in water tides,
and the resultant production of energy. JFK was vitally interested in
the breakthrough Passamaquoddy Tidal Project, from the 1950s until his
assassination in 1963. His public remarks, which I include in this
piece, prove that fact.
As
you read the brief history of Passamaquoddy, keep in mind that federal
funding for the Project would be miniscule compared with the federal
subsidizing of the oil and nuclear industries in America.
From
mainememory[dot]net: “Tide mills – submerged water wheels that run
machinery – have been used in Maine at least since the 18th century.”
“But
tide mills are small-scale projects. For nearly 90 years, the idea of
harnessing ocean tides on a larger scale, to generate electricity, has
been debated in Maine. The most prominent – and often controversial –
plan has been the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project.”
“One
appeal of using ocean tides, rather than river tides, is that they
occur so regularly, unaffected by droughts or other such disturbances.”
“Passamaquoddy
Bay was an obvious choice for the project because more than 70 billion
cubic feet of water in tides flowed in and out of the bay twice each
day.”
“In
1920, Dexter P. Cooper, a young engineer who had worked with
hydroelectric power, came up with a tidal power plan for Washington
County.”
“His
initial plan was international, damming both Cobscook and Passamaquoddy
bays to create the pools necessary to feed turbines. He had a powerful
supporter, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who owned a home on nearby Campobello
Island.”
“Roosevelt endorsed the idea in a speech he gave in 1920 in Eastport while he was a candidate for vice president.”
“Through the 1920s, Cooper worked on the project, will help from Roosevelt.”
“They
went to big power companies like General Electric, Westinghouse, and
Alcoa, looking for money for initial work on the project. They hoped to
have $1 million in private funds for construction.”
“New
Brunswick [Maine] had agreed to plans for the huge project, passing an
act to stipulate that the work had to be completed by 1932. The Federal
Power Commission in the U.S. also had authorized development work.”
“The
stock market crash of 1929 scuttled private investment and public
support. In addition, Canadian fishermen worried about hurting fish
stocks and railroads about damage to the tourist industry in New
Brunswick.”
“When
FDR became president and initiated the New Deal, he and Cooper and
others pushed for federal investment in the project, arguing that it
would provide much needed economic recovery to Washington County.”
“Critics
said there was no market for power generated in Eastport, a fact that
would make the project too expensive. A Federal Power Commission report
determined that tidal power would be more expensive than steam-generated
power.”
“Maine
appointed a five-person Quoddy Hydro-Electric Commission in 1934 to
further study the idea. The group reported in January 1935 that the
project could proceed only if federal funds were available and that it
would be appropriate for Maine to get relief funds to be used for tidal
power.”
“Other study groups also stressed the benefits of Quoddy Tidal Power.”
“In
1935, the Passamaquoddy Bay Tidal Power Project received $7 million
from the Public Works Administration, funds Roosevelt could allocate
without Congressional approval. The money was spent on two dams across
Cobscook Bay, a two-way navigation lock, a gate structure, a main
generating station, and permanent and temporary housing at a nearby site
named Quoddy Village.”
“The project faced a variety of political challenges and opposition from various sources in Maine and in Washington.’
“Among
the opponents were Central Maine Power Co., Bangor Hydro-Electric and
other power generating firms in Maine that feared the federally funded
project would generate electricity at a lower cost than they could,
thereby hurting their businesses.”
“Republican
Governor Ralph Owen Brewster agreed to support the project if he was
guaranteed some Democratic support and credit, something Roosevelt-loyal
Democrats did not want to do.”
“In Congress, Southern opposition defeated funded for the project.”
“Quoddy Tidal Power was not refunded. Work was stopped in August 1936.”
“…Cancellation
of the project left Eastport in a difficult situation because the town
had invested in efforts to attract industry to the area. Eastport
declared bankruptcy in 1937.”
“Discussion
of reviving the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project has surfaced every
few years, with studies undertaken and debates renewed. Each time, most
people agree that the engineering plan is sound: the project could be
built and it would work. Other considerations, however, have kept the
project from being resumed.”
Next,
here are “Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Maine Democratic Party
Conference Banquet, Augusta, Maine, November 15, 1959.”
THE DREAM OF PASSAMAQUODDY
Kennedy:
“Let us examine the impact of this coming revolutionary decade on the
State of Maine, selecting only one vital area: the demand for electrical
energy. By 1970, this state alone, according to official estimates,
will need 405,000 more kilowatts of capacity than all existing and
planned private power sources can possibly supply. Without this added
power, your industrial development, your competitive status, your
business costs and home conveniences, will all lag behind other parts of
the country. But there is an answer – an answer now based on a solid,
factual study – and that answer is a dream 40 years old that must now
become a reality: Passamaquoddy.”
“The
recent report of the International Passamaquoddy Engineering Board
fully justifies all the years of urging, planning and hoping. Soon after
I took my oath of office as Senator, nearly 7 years ago, I urged an
immediate study of the economic feasibility of harnessing these huge
tides which surge and recede every day through Passamaquoddy and
Cobscook Bays. I said then that such a study was urgently needed if we
were to plan and prepare for the pressing power needs of Maine and all
New England. And it is clear from this recent report that to tap this
fantastic flow of 70 billion cubic feet of water each day would be a
tremendous spur to the economic growth of Maine, and New England, and
the entire United States.”
“I
do not say that it is a simple undertaking. It will require vision and
effort and leadership – more than we have been accustomed to in recent
years. It will take money – more than many would like to spend. But if
we have leaders who are willing to look ahead – who are willing to spend
money now in order to reap vast returns in the future – then we can
look forward to a new supply of 550,000 kilowatts – to some one million
tourists a year coming to view one of the most spectacular products of
modern technology – to the attraction of innumerable new industries with
growing power needs – and to the regeneration of the whole economy of
Maine and Washington County in particular.”
“I
know something of Maine’s economic problems – for we see them in
Massachusetts as well: the problems of the hard-hit textile and fish
industries, the problems of chronically depressed areas, the problems of
transportation, unfair competition and so-called “economic old age”.
But I also know the advantages which Maine possesses: a highly skilled
and well-educated labor force, easy access to overseas raw materials,
and abundant supplies of fresh water. Combine these assets with a
tremendous new supply of power at Passamaquoddy and Rankin Rapids – and
new industries will flock to Maine.”
“This
is not a relief measure, born of the Great Depression that we are
talking about. It is not a visionary dream – or an expensive pork-barrel
project. We are talking about a great national asset, like TVA, the
Grand Coulee Dam or the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is, moreover, a great
undertaking in peaceful international cooperation. For New Brunswick and
all of Canada also need power to expand their economies. As in the case
of the Seaway, their needs and their problems will also be considered
along with our own in determining the precise form this project will
take.”
“But
even if the United States must go it alone, the combined Passamaquoddy
and Rankin Rapids Projects will not meet all of Maine’s power needs by
the year 1980. And if the power is to be shared with Canada, it will not
even fulfill your additional needs in 1970. In short, there is no time
to be wasted. The money, the labor, the plans and the contracts and the
equipment – on all of these a start must be made in the near future.”
“It
will be a breathless undertaking – one of the most impressive wonders
of the modern world. It need not – it should not – be a partisan
undertaking. Both parties have played a role. There is work enough for
all – the benefits from this project will be withheld from none. But
this bold undertaking will require progressive leadership, unlimited
vision and tireless determination – and these are the qualities which
this Maine Democratic Conference is talking about tonight.”
Speech
source: Papers of John F. Kennedy. Pre-Presidential Papers. Senate
Files. Series 12. Speeches and the Press. Box 905, Folder: "Maine
Democratic Party Banquet, Augusta, Maine, 15 November, 1959.
On
July 16, 1963, JFK, then president---and four months before his
assassination---delivered further remarks on the Passamaquoddy Project,
just after receiving a comprehensive report on it.
President
Kennedy: “I AM pleased to meet today with Members of the Senate and the
House of Representatives from New England to discuss the report on the
International Passamaquoddy Tidal Project submitted by Secretary Udall.
Two years ago, I asked Secretary Udall, in cooperation with the Corps of
Engineers, to restudy the proposed project, and the hydroelectric
potential of the St. John River in Maine to determine whether recent
developments in electric power technology had enhanced the economic
feasibility of these projects.”
“This
report has been presented to me this morning, and its major conclusions
are most encouraging. The report reveals that this unique international
power complex can provide American and Canadian markets with over a
million kilowatts for the daily peak period in addition to 250,000
kilowatts of firm power. Electric power rates in the New England region
are among the highest in the United States, and the survey indicates
that a massive block of power can be produced and delivered at a cost of
about 4 mills, approximately 25 percent below the current wholesale
cost of power in the region.”
“I
am pleased to note also that the development plan proposed would
preserve the superb recreational areas of the Allagash River from
flooding, and that an area suitable for a new national park would be
preserved in this scenic part of Maine.”
“Any
proposed resource development project must, of course, meet the
national interest test. It must strengthen the economy of the whole
country and enable America to compete better in the market places of the
world. I understand that, measured by the customary feasibility
standards, the Passamaquoddy-St. John project now meets the national
interest test.”
“During
the last three decades American taxpayers, through their Federal
Government, have invested vast sums of money in developing the water
resources of the great rivers of this country---the Columbia, the
Missouri, the Colorado, the Tennessee, and others. These investments are
producing daily dividends for our country, and it is reasonable to
assume that a similar investment [Passamaquoddy] in conserving the
resources of New England will also benefit the Nation. It is also
reasonable to assume that a New England development will stimulate more
diversified industry, increase commerce, and provide more jobs.”
“Our
experience in other regions and river valleys shows that private
utility customers as well as public agency power users benefit from
lowering the basic cost of electric energy.”
“Harnessing
the energy of the tides is an exciting technological undertaking.
France and the Soviet Union are already doing pioneering work in this
field. 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 great national asset. It
is clear, however, that any development of this magnitude and new
approach must also be considered in the context of the National Energy
Study currently being undertaken by an interdepartmental committee under
the chairmanship of the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology, Dr. Wiesner.”
“These
projects involve international waters, and equitable agreements must
therefore be reached with the Canadian Government. Therefore, I am
requesting the Secretary of State to initiate negotiations immediately
with the Government of Canada looking toward a satisfactory arrangement
for the sharing of the benefits of these two projects. Also, to insure
full consideration of these proposals, I am directing that the Interior
Department and the Corps of Engineers accelerate their work on the
remaining studies of details.”
“The
power-producing utilities of the United States are second to none in
the world. The combined effort of science, private industry, and
Government will surely keep this Nation in the forefront of
technological progress in energy and electric power.”
“I
think that this can be one of the most astonishing and beneficial joint
enterprises that the people of the United States have ever undertaken
and, therefore, I want to commend the Department of the Interior for its
initiative in working on this matter the past 2 years, the
congressional delegation from Maine which has been interested in this
for many years, and the Members of Congress from New England who have
supported this great effort. I think it will mean a good deal to New
England and a good deal to the country.”
Apparently, the vision of Passamaquoddy died with President Kennedy, on November 22, 1963.
It
should be understood that water turbines---whether they utilize the
oceans or rivers---can supply enormous amounts of energy to the
world. Clean energy, at affordable prices.
Passamaquoddy would have served as a stirring illustration.
We
the people are engaged in an Energy War with globalist technocrats, who
want to reduce overall energy production and usage on Earth, as a
further means of controlling and weakening human life.
These technocrats lurk behind false science, propaganda, various government offices and agencies.
GREATER ENERGY is not a crime. It is a desired victory for all human beings.
(The link to this article posted on my blog is here -- with sources.)
(Follow me on Gab at @jonrappoport)
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