224 



envision any significant change. This is certainly an issue which 

 we need to address prior to proceeding with major developmental 

 work with ocean current systems. 



We do know that the natural meandering of the Gulf Stream is 

 on the order of up to 100 miles; that any influence by ocean 

 current devices is very small compared to Mother Nature's natural 

 meander. 



Mr. Studds. Don't you dare fool around with anything that feeds 

 Georges Bank. I am having enough trouble protecting Georges 

 Bank from the various departments and agencies of this Govern- 

 ment as it is. 



Has any thought been given or should any thought be given, to 

 the possibility of installing small generators in some of the endless 

 series of breakwaters that have been constructed over the years by 

 the Army Corps of Engineers? 



Dr. Katz. I think I will refer that question to Mr. Burr. 



Mr. Burr. We have not, Mr. Chairman, in the resource applica- 

 tions or tidal area, no, sir. 



Mr. Studds. Passamaquoddy, who is Passamaquoddy here? 



Mr. Burr. I am. 



Mr. Studds. Do you have a rough estimate of the construction 

 cost per killowatt capacity of the tidal project there or have we 

 gone that far yet? 



Mr. Burr. We have not gone that far yet. 



Mr. Studds. Was not major research done on this question 30 or 

 40 years ago? 



Mr. Burr. Oh, my goodness, many times. 



Mr. Studds. Many times? 



Mr. Burr. Many years, yes, sir. 



Mr. Studds. What happened to it? Is it absolutely irrelevant at 

 this point? I have received so many questions in the last 10 years 

 on that. I can predict with what regularity I will be questioned on 

 tidal power in the Gulf of Maine. I have people saying, damn it, I 

 remember when President Roosevelt studied that. 



Mr. Burr. That is right. 



Mr. Studds. I don't ask which President Roosevelt. What hap- 

 pened to those studies? Are they absolutely useless at this point? 

 Do we have to start over again every time? 



Mr. Burr. They are not useless. I don't think we start over again 

 every time. We build on that. Essentially what contemporary stud- 

 ies have tried to do is look at improved technologies and improved 

 economics and they still come out about where people expect them 

 to come out, not economical. 



Mr. Studds. It still does not look like it makes sense. 



Mr. Burr. For the foreseeable future it does not. We just don't 

 know what is going to come from this Passamaquoddy study yet, 

 though. 



Mr. Studds. The latest one? 



Mr. Burr. Yes. 



Mr. Studds. And obviously you wouldn't want to speculate about 

 the likelihood of there ever being a large scale tidal power project 

 in this country at this point? 



Mr. Burr. I would never say never, but I certainly couldn't 

 foresee it. 



