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Show (2) In developing and accomplishing this study, the views and comments of the members of the Advisory Council and the Governors' Representatives will be obtained, as well as the views and comments of Government officials and persons outside of Government, including economists, historians, scientists, and members of the academic community. (3) The study would be completed by the staff and presented to the Commission to permit the Commission to adopt its criteria. VI. Study Plan Objectives A. FACTUAL AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION In order to make judgments about existing policies and practices in making public lands goods and services available, we need to assemble and analyze material about each subject which will answer the following questions: 1. What is the law pertaining to a particular commodity, taking into consideration judicial and administrative interpretations, as well as statute law? 2. Has statutory law been administered in accordance with the expressed intent of the law? 3. What objective was sought with regard to the commodity by the enactment of statutes involving the commodity? 4. To the extent possible to make an analysis, have the objectives that Congress sought to attain with regard to the commodity been attained in the administration of the law? 5. If one or more agency has had responsibility for management or disposal of the commodity, what different approaches have been utilized in administration? a. Which approach was closer to (1) fulfilling the congressional objective, and (2) providing the maximum benefit for the general public? 6. How much of the total national consumption or demand for the commodity do the public lands now produce? a. What is the relative significance of the public lands production? 7. How do present policies and practices affect the manner in which the commodity or service is produced and consumed or the use made available, as compared with production and consumption of similar goods, services, and uses from the non-public land sector? 8. What particular characteristics (organization, income, investment, etc.) of the initial consumer of the goods or services (industry, individual user, etc.) exert a controlling influence on the conditions under which one may extract or use the commodity or service? 9. In what ways do present or prospective changes in technology, utilization, costs, prices, demand, and supply for the product, service, or land use call for changes in public land policy and practice to assure that the commodity will be available in the best manner possible to serve future national needs? 10. Have past and current application of the laws, regulations, rules, policies, and practices caused significant difficulty or raised issues with respect to production, extraction, harvesting, in-place use, or other means of realizing the value of the commodity? 11. Has Federal budgetary or investment policy had a noticeable effect on the production or use of this commodity to serve national, regional, or local needs? 12. How does a commodity benefit the local and regional areas where it is produced, and what is the relationship of such benefits to the benefits for the general (national) public? 13. In what way does the production and/or use of the commodity under present law, regulation, and practice detract from other values or commodities also produced or created by the land? 14. Under what variable circumstances could output of the commodity be increased? 15. What is the potential productivity of the public lands for this commodity? 16. Which policies, practices, and rules, directed primarily at or dictated by considerations related to the needs of the physical or biological resources of the land, modify the conditions bearing on production of the commodity? B. DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS It is also essential that study plans be so designed as to produce data and information that will permit full evaluation of all alternatives. By checking information, to be obtained by a study, against the following standards and supplementary questions, we will assure obtaining the necessary data: 1. Economic efficiency a. How do alternatives affect net revenues to the Federal Government? to industry? to individuals? b. What will the cost to the Federal Government be if the same objective is reached through alternative means? What factors increase Government cost? What factors decrease Government cost? 2. Investment levels a. How do alternatives affect the amount of investment needed by the Federal Government? by industry? by individuals? 3. Income distribution a. How do alternatives affect the income re- 315 |