MEMORANDUM OF TRANSMITTAL To: Members of Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and other western Senators. From: Clinton P. Anderson, chairman, Subcommittee on Irrigation and Reclamation. Subject: Accelerated reclamation program. A hearing has been set for Monday, March 31, on ways and means of advancing an accelerated reclamation construction program for fiscal year 1959 in the 17 Western States. The hearing will open at 10 a. m. in room 224, Senate Office Building. All members and nonmembers from the West are invited to be present and participate. The accelerated program will be directed equally toward speeding up work on projects underway and to the objective of securing initial appropriations for "new starts" on authorized projects. On March 8, 1958, I released a suggested accelerated program to the press in response to a request from Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson. The additional funds suggested for reclamation would have practically doubled the total in the fiscal year 1959 budget submitted to the Congress in January. It also provided for new starts on 13 irrigation projects. Later the same day, the President announced that $71 million additional funds would be recommended for reclamation. Approximately $46 million was for accelerated construction on projects for which initial appropriations had been made. The remaining $25 million was under the samll projects loan program on non-Federal irrigation projects. No "new starts" were included in the President's $46 million proposal. There was, however, a reversal of the previous Budget decision not to start construction of Navajo Dam (New Mexico), and to curtail the program on the Flaming Gorge Dam, Utah. Both of these dams are in the Colorado River storage project. A total of $15 million additional funds was proposed for these two dams supplementing appropriations previously provided by the Congress. In addition to high unemployment in many sections of the Western States, the West faces a crisis in connection with the reclamation program with the apparent adamant position of the Eisenhower administration against "new starts" for fiscal year 1959. Under this procedure, within a few years, the only construction remaining will be on a few large dams in isolated sections of 4 or 5 States. Another urgent need is for additional general investigation funds so that the Bureau of Reclamation will be financed to prosecute more vigorously field work in preparing projects for construction or authorization. My accelerated program provided $5 million additional for general investigations and advance planning or preconstruction in fiscal year 1959. III IV MEMORANDUM OF TRANSMITTAL I also provided $10 million for small-project loans during fiscal year 1959, as compared with $25 million in the President's proposal. We in the committee, worked for the small-projects program and will cooperate in expediting consideration of appropriations under the Small Projects Act, as amended. Attention is called to the fact that the small-projects proposals are "new starts" for nonreclamation developments as contrasted with the bar to inaugurating construction on "new projects" authorized by Congress. Under the existing small-projects law, action by congressional committees is required before appropriations for individual developments can be expedited. Suggestions for additions to the accelerated construction program have come from many quarters since my March 8 announcement. In this connection, I mention that prior to developing the accelerated program, I endeavored to get suggestions from the Department of the Interior as to the make-up of a similar outline. When the information was not forthcoming, it was necessary to do the best we could with the information available to me and the staff. One particular item that has immediate and long-range potentials with respect to accelerating reclamation construction is the urgent need for additional funds for general investigations, advance planning, or preconstruction work, pending actual appropriations for starting construction on new projects. For instance, concrete suggestions have come from Senator Francis Case, of South Dakota, to start four new developments in his State. The senior Senator from California (Mr. Knowland) has asked consideration of a proposal from the Shasta County (California) Department of Water Resources for consideration of the Cow Creek unit of the Trinity division, Central Valley project, California. The subcommittee will welcome suggestions from any other Senator in connection with the accelerated program, or otherwise. We are inviting the Director of the Budget, Secretary of the Interior, and the Commissioner of Reclamation to be present on March 31 and comment on the accelerated program, as well as make any suggestions they may desire. The same invitation is extended to all members of the committee and our other colleagues from the 17 Western States. For your information, I am attaching exhibits as follows: (1) Copy of news release of March 8 to which is attached Proposed Accelerated Reclamation Construction Program (1-a). (2) List of items included in President's proposed allocation of additional funds for reclamation. (3) Copy of letter from Chairman Murray, dated March 14, 1958. (4) News release by Chairman Murray, endorsing Anderson Accelerated Reclamation Program. (5) Letter from Senator Knowland, of California, to Chairman Murrav, asking consideration of a proposal from his State. (6) Letter from Senator Case, of South Dakota, with suggestions. (7) Letter of February 10 and telegram of February 26, 1958, to Secretary Seaton from Senator Anderson. CLINTON P. ANDERSON, Chairman. |