Montana Power Co. v. Federal Power Commission

We are asked to review an order of the Federal Power Commission denying petitioner’s application for a license to construct an electric power transmission line.

Missoula, Montana, is about 70 miles northwest of Anaconda, Montana. The Flathead power project is about 50 miles north and slightly west of Missoula. The Thompson Falls, Montana, power project is about 45 miles west of the Flathead project. Petitioner has power facilities at and near Anaconda for serving Anaconda and points easterly and northeasterly therefrom. It has power facilities at Missoula to serve Missoula and points south. It has power facilities at Flathead which it operates under a license from the Commission aS: Project No. 5. It also ha.s power facilities' at Thompson -Falls. Petitioner owns no transmission line connecting these points, but has the right to use a line belonging to a railroad upon certain conditions, which line connects some of the points.

On November 20, 1936, petitioner filed an application for a license to construct a transmission line as follows: a line 56 miles long beginning at Thompson Falls and terminating at the Flathead project; and a line 14S miles long, beginning at the Flathead…