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Show t CRITERIA NEWS (8/10/73) Appendix mm Page A-l TEXTS OF PRESIDENT NIXON'S LETTER APPROVING NEW WATER RESOURCES GUIDELINES, SECRETARY MORTON'S LETTER DETAILING RECOMMENDED CRITERIA CHANGES, AND WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL'S PRESS RELEASE AND BACKGROUND P r e s i d e n t , in Response, Commends Council for "Accomplishing Such a D i f f i c u l t Task" F o r i m m e d i a t e r e l e a se August 3, 1973 S t e u c ke 2 0 2 - 2 5 4 - 6 4 53 ^S 3 y % ^ 1 PRESIDENT APPROVES NEW PLANNING CRITERIA FOR NATION'S WATER RESOURCES WASHINGTON, D. C. , (AUGUST 3 ) - - P r e s i d e n t Nixon today approved new principles and standards for planning water and r e l a t e d land r e s o u r c e s which will systematically r e l a t e all aspects of water and r e l a t e d land r e s o u r c e s planning to economic, environmental, regional, and social well-being planning c r i t e r i a . They will be used by Federal agencies in regional or river basin planning and in planning Federal and F e d e r a l l y a s s i s t e d water and related land r e s o u r c e s programs and projects. In announcing his approval of the new planning c r i t e r i a . President Nixon said, the Principles and Standards " . . . r e p r e s e n t the culmination of several y e a r s review by the Water Resources Council to develop improved planning c r i t e r i a to achieve our goal of wise use of the Nation's water and related land r e s o u r c e s with full consideration to the protection of our environment. I commend the Water Resources Council for accomplishing such a difficult task. ll Commenting on the new "Principles and Standards", Chairman of the Water Resources Council, Rogers C. B. Morton said, "It is felt the discount r a t e provision will foster the planning of better programs and projects for a given level of Federal investment. " The " P r i n c i p l e s and Standards", which a r e now being prepared by the Council for publication in the "Federal Register", represent a marked departure from past resource planning which was based p r i m a r i l y on the economic impact of land and water r e s o u r c e s . In the new system, more, . . The United States Water Resources Council, an independent Executive Agency of the U.S. Government, is composed of the Secretaries of Interior; Agriculture; Army; Health, Education, and Welfare; Transportation; Chairman, Federal Power Commission; with participation by the Secretaries of Commerce; Housing and Urban Development; Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; Attorney General; Director, Office of Management and Budget; Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality; and the Chairmen, River Basin Commissions. Council activities encourage the conservation, development and utilization of water and related land resources on a comprehensive and coordinated basis by Federal, State, local government and private enterprise. |
