COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS JAMES E. MURRAY, Montana, Chairman CLINTON P. ANDERSON, New Mexico RICHARD L. NEUBERGER, Oregon GEORGE W. MALONE, Nevada RICHARD CALLAGHAN, Chief Clerk GOODRICH W. LINE WEAVER, Committee Assistant for Reclamation CONTENTS Memorandum to members of Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs, Text of proposed Senate resolution... Conservation and development of land and water resources-Joint report of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee I. Improved authorization procedures needed.. II. Restriction of congressional consideration.. III. Additional information required. IV. Delivery of reports to Congress.. Exhibit 4: Comments of the Comptroller General of the United States. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS, Supplemental memorandum. May 14, 1957. To: Members of Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs, and Public Works. Under dates of January 4, 1957, January 24, 1957, and February 13, 1957, we forwarded to you committee prints of comments and recommendations, certain studies, and the report of a staff conference. On the basis of those consultations and studies, a joint report has been prepared pursuant to Senate Resolution 281, 84th Congress, a copy of which is transmitted to you herewith. Senate Resolution 281, 84th Congress, agreed to by the Senate on the recommendation of our committees, states the sense of the Senate that the Congress will continue to exercise its constitutional responsibility for the land and water resource program, and will encourage effective progress in full development and conservation of land and water resources. Pursuant to Senate Resolution 281, the attached report outlines the initial measures needed to implement the stated purpose of the Senate. In order to give effect to the findings in the attached report, we are introducing a resolution that will approve the findings. A copy of the resolution we will introduce is attached. In addition to giving effect to the findings of the joint report, the resolution will request cooperation of the agencies of the executive branch in making needed improvements in the procedures for consideration by the Senate of projects proposed for authorization. These improvements have three purposes. The first purpose is to provide to our committees adequate information relative to project benefits, costs, allocations, utilizations, and related facts, as enumerated in section III of the attached report. The second purpose of the procedural improvements is to expedite delivery to the Congress of the project reports without curtailing the time needed for adequate technical work in their preparation, and without curtailing the time afforded by law for receipt of the comments of the Federal agencies and the affected States. The third purpose of the improvements is to provide for determination by the Congress of the method of allocation of project costs which, in some cases, may materially affect the character of the services provided by projects, particularly with respect to electric power generation. The Comptroller General, the Bureau of the Budget, and a number of non-Federal representatives have proposed that legislation should establish the policies and criteria for evaluation of projects and for determination of cost allocations and electric power rates and like matters. Consideration of general legislation should be based on experience with the specific project analyses that will be provided through the procedural improvements herein outlined. For that reason, the attached resolution is recommended in order to secure the needed factual information relative to proposed projects. These proposals will, we are confident, materially improve the means available to our committees for selecting meritorious projects, and for recommending authorizing legislation that will achieve the purposes intended by the Congress. The proposed improvements relate to procedures of the Senate, and they do not impinge on the responsibilities of the executive branch. JAMES E. MURRAY, Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. DENNIS CHAVEZ, Chairman, Committee on Public Works. |