The Atlantic Tidal Power Programming Board (ATPPB) was originally formed in August 1966 as a joint initiative sponsored by the Governments of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The Board's mandate called for an investigation into, and report on, the feasibility of a large scale tidal power project in the Bay of Fundy. The subsequent report stated that, "although technically feasible, it was not possible to exploit tidal energy at a cost competitive with energy from alternative sources (R.H. Clark, "Review of Organization and Plans," in Acadia University Insitute, Fundy Tidal Power and the Environment: Proceedings of a Workshop on the Environmental Implications of Tidal Power, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 4-5 November 1976)." Significantly, the report included a proviso that if greater emphasis was ever placed on environmental concerns, and if alternative forms of energy became more expensive, the original findings of the ATPPB should be reexamined. The three governments, therefore, reconstituted the ATPPB as the Bay of Fundy Tidal Power Review Board (BFTPRB) in February 1972 to review the ATPPB's findings and make further recommendations.
The organization of the ATPPB consisted of five board members, three federal government representatives, and one representative each from the provincial governments. The Engineering and Management Committee, under the general direction of the Board, administered and managed the study; four sub-committees were struck to deal with the effects of tidal power developments on the fisheries, navigation, ground transportation, and local economic development. A Study Director coordinated the feasibility study work of staff members and a large group of specialized, professional consultants. The BFTPRB was similarly structured. R.H. Clark, a senior advisor in the Inland Waters Directorate, created these records in his capacity as Chairman for both the Engineering and Management Committee of the ATPPB and the Management Committee of the BFTPRB.
The records in this accession are the operational records of both the ATPPB and the BFTPRB; they consist of a variety of consultant brochures, proposals, and reports and Board minutes, progress reports, studies, and final recommendations to governments. Related engineering and design records are located in the Cartographic and Audio Visual Archives Division (reference number RG 89, accession 890613); the Documentary Art and Photography Division is in possession of 4350 photographic records (ATPPB, accession 1970-113).
