OCR Text |
Show such steps was the formation of the Federal Inter- Agency River Basin Committee by an agreement in 1943 among the Departments of Agriculture, the Army an_d the Interior, and the Federal Power Commission.. The agreement was subsequently subscribed to by the Department of Commerce and the Federal Security Administration. This committee reviews and seeks to coordinate agency activities respecting basin investigations, reports, and programs. It cannot, of course, re- solve any conflict inherent in statutory require- ments. Nor can it require the agencies repre- sented to conform to any of its decisions. The President, through review by the Bureau of the Budget, has also sought to coordinate the project proposals and programs of the different agencies after they have been formulated but prior to submission to Congress. In addition, he has issued directives from time to time calling for coordination of planning before the final sub- mission of programs, such as his 1948 directives concerning the Columbia Basin and his 1950 di- rectives concerning the Arkansas-White and Red River Basins, and the New York-New England Region. In this connection, it should be noted that while the Reorganization Act of 1949 permits certain transfers and consolidations of functions and agencies, it does not furnish the further authority which would be required for a full reconciliation of statutory conflicts encountered in basin devel- opment. In addition, various statutory provi- sions limit the authority of department heads re- specting integration of programs. But within those limits, considerable coordination of plan- ning and operations has been effectuated. Federal-State Coordination.-Comprehensive development necessarily affects both Federal and State activities. Congress has taken express notice of this and has repeatedly declared its policy to recognize the rights and interests of the States in the development of water resources. Federal agencies have been instructed to cooper- ate with or "work through State agencies in the administration of many of their responsibilities. This is particularly true of many agricultural and land use activities, of forest practices, and of power distribution. Some agencies have also been directed to permit State agencies to par- ticipate in Federal surveys and to review and comment on reports in connection with water re- sources development. State law is often made applicable to particular aspects of such develop- ment, examples being control over the use of water and fish and game regulations. Progress in Coordination within Particular Re- gions.-Water resources policies vary not only in accordance with the principal purpose for which a project is authorized, but they also differ from basin to basin. At times and for various reasons, development of more than one basin may be encompassed in a single plan. Thus, for the Arkansas-White and Red River Basins, a coordi- nated, multiple-agency survey has been author- ized for the purpose of developing: comprehensive, integrated plans of improvement for navigation, flood control, domestic and mu- nicipal water supplies, reclamation and irriga- tion, development and utilization of hydroelectric power, conservation of soil, forest and fish and wild- life resources, and other beneficial development and utilization of water resources including such con- sideration of recreation uses, salinity and sediment control, and pollution abatement as may be pro- vided for under Federal policies and proce- dures * * *. A somewhat similar survey has been directed for the New York-New England Region. In the Alabama-Coosa Basin, the separate agencies are proceeding more or less independ- ently with development. Plans for development in the Central Valley of California have been prepared by both the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Engineers. The Central Valley Proj- ect of the Bureau of Reclamation was recently reauthorized to include the American River development. At that time, Congress directed that the Folsom Dam be constructed by the Army Engineers but operated under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to Recla- mation law. He is directed: to cause the operation of said works to be co- ordinated and integrated with the operation of existing and future features of the Central Valley project in such manner as will effectuate the fullest and most economic utilization of the land and water resources of the Central Valley project of California for the widest possible public benefit. 298 |