Back of the talk about resource development, is the desire to find ways and means to get more Federal money back into the old home State. It is supposed to have a high appeal to an important segment of the voting population. That may be fine, so long as there are plenty of other States to pay the bill, but, with the interest on the national debt almost $10 billion annually, it looks as though we must begin to figure how to pay the bills or admit we'll continue to inflate our currency indefinitely. (That $10 billion would develop a lot of resources.) We have an old-fashioned belief that resources will be developed by private initiative just as soon as a real need exists and just as soon as it appears that such development is economically sound. That is our understanding of the American system. With all its failings and weaknesses, it has served us well. Who has a better system? We are reluctant to see further efforts to federalize our Western States. We fear that the proposed legislation in S. 2549 is another step in that direction. We believe that any legislation along this line should place greater responsibility for resource utilization, development, and conservation in the hands of the individual States. The Federal Government should serve only as a coordinating agency, when two or more States wish to cooperate in the development of resources. Respectfully yours, R. W. BEAMER, Executive Secretary. STATEMENT OF THE AMERICAN NATIONAL CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION, C. W. MCMILLAN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT The American National Cattlemen's Association includes in its membership 138 State, regional, and local cattlemen's associations, as well as thousands of individual cattlemen members throughout the United States. We believe that, while S. 2549 has as its general purpose the coordination of efforts toward good use of our resources, there is, in our opinion, no need shown for such overriding guidance as called for in the bill at least at present. We believe that, as implied in the proposed bill, a centralized planning and developing body would be less efficient in dealing with our resources than those agencies and individuals that are close to the resources and know them. We believe that, in general, the existing agencies and administrators of our natural resources are ably performing their duties in the interest of resource users and the public. The additional Government function necessary to implement the provisions of the proposed legislation would be an added cost to the public, which we feel is not shown to be necessary. For the reasons given, we should like to register our opposition to the enactment of S. 2549. INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF BOILERMAKERS, IRON SHIP Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: This has reference to your letter of January 15, 1960, in which you invited me to appear as a witness at the hearings on S. 2549, the Resources and Conservation Act of 1960, which have been set for January 28 and 29. I regret that I will not be in Washington during the time these hearings are in session. On behalf of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers, I wish to commend you and the cosponsors of S. 2459 for placing this matter before the Congress and wish to assure you, in behalf of our international president, William A. Calvin, that this organization is heartily in accord with the objectives of the proposed legislation. Our international conventions and our international executive council have, over a period of years, adopted resolutions and policy statements covering virtually every aspect of natural resources and conservation and we have actively 52421 -60 ---11 participated in many of the programs which have had for their objective the conservation and development of such resources. We believe that a comprehensive program of conservation and proper development is long overdue. The enactment of legislation along the lines you have proposed would certainly be a monumental step in the right direction and we are happy to support your efforts in this important matter. With best wishes, I am, Sincerely yours, Hon, JAMES E. MURRAY, MAYWOOD BOGGS, International Vice President. METAL TRADES DEPARTMENT, CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS, Washington, D.C., January 26, 1960. Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: Thank you ever so much for advising me of the hearings on S. 2549, the Resources and Conservation Act of 1960. We have talked with the legislative department of the AFL-CIO and the presentation made by the representative of the AFL-CIO legislative department will also contain our views. We felt that in combining our testimony there would be less conflict and also would serve to save some duplication as far as you and your committee are concerned. Thank you ever so much again for your kind invitation to participate and also might I add, for the many, many years of cooperation and help which you have so generously given to the many unions which I represent. With best personal wishes, I remain, Sincerely yours, J. A. BROWNLOW, President. STATEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT GORDON M. FREEMAN, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS, AFL-CIO Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to present the views of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers on Senate bill 2549, and to urge the speedy advancement of the policies enunciated in this legislation. The Resources and Conservation Act of 1960 will be of inestimable value to the Nation by assuring that attention will be focused on the need for keeping development and conservation of our natural resources at a level commensurate with the ever expanding requirements of our dynamic economy. In your statement to the Senate, when you introduced this legislation on your own behalf and that of more than a score of other distinguished Senators, you touched briefly on a few examples of the problems confronting the Nation in the areas of water-resource development, forest resources, soil and moisture conservation, and stream pollution. Since your hearings have opened you have heard Members of the Senate, distinguished Governors of some of our great States, and spokesmen of many interested groups discuss the manner in which they can see benefits flowing from the implementation of the policies set forth in your bill and in placing the whole field of development and conservation of our natural resources in the place of importance it should occupy in our national scene. One of those witnesses, Mr. Andrew J. Biemiller, spoke for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. He reported to you on the action of last September's San Francisco convention of the AFL-CIO in adopting a program for conservation of natural resources. Our brotherhood participated in these deliberations and voted for the program and I would like to associate ourselves with the testimony presented by Mr. Biemiller. Our particular concern is with the development of the Nation's energy resources. We see in your bill promise that national attention will be given to the manner in which these resources are developed to the end that the planning which goes into the building of those facilities required to translate our available energy into electric power will be of the highest order. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers came into being at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1890 when electricity's potential was first unveiled. It has grown with the industry until today our 750,000 members comprise the major union in the industry and are found in every phase and segment of its allpervading ramifications. In the power-generation field, our brotherhood represents about 75 percent of the Nation's utility employees. Our members wire skyscrapers and bungalows, plants and power stations. We man powerplants and distribute electricity into the veins of industry and the lamps of the Nation. We have members in every field of communication— telephone, radio, and television and recording. We have electricians on land and sea and in the air. Office buildings, homes and factories, trains and ships and planes all require an abundance of electrical installation and maintenance work, and our members do it. We have hundreds of thousands of members engaged in manufacturing. If it is electrical, we make it. We have electricians wiring missiles at Cape Canaveral. They man atomic test sites and nuclear power reactors. One-fourth of the men who built the Nautilus and her sister atomic submarines are members of this brotherhood. Our members wire the Univac-the miraculous electronic brain-and every other type of electronic equipment. Except for the men and women who make up our Nation we have no more important resources than those which will provide the energy and power which will enable our Nation to continue its sound and orderly growth. So, when we address this committee with reference to our concern in the field of energy conservation and development, our interest is bona fide. The growth of electric power expresses in one simple index the miracle of American productivity and development. With 6 percent of the world's land and 7 percent of the population, we use 40 percent of the world's energy. The United States has more than eight times as much electric power capacity per person as the average of the rest of the world. Total electric power capacity in the United States has almost tripled since the end of World War II: from 62.9 million kilowatts on January 1, 1946, to 183 million on January 1, 1960. A continued growth in our industrial development means we must continue to have a plentiful power supply. It has been estimated that by 1979, the 100th anniversary of Edison's original electric light, the United States will be using more than four times as much electricity as in 1959, and the use will still be growing. Most electric power is generated by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or gas. The world has steadily been increasing its dependence on fossil fuels: from about 25 percent of total energy input in 1860 to over 70 percent in 1950, with the percentage still rising. In the United States, nearly 78 percent of our power now comes from this source. Although no shortage of the conventional fossil fuels in foreseen in the near future, the supply is not inexhaustible, especially in view of the expected huge increase in the need for electric power. For example, the expected amount of energy which will be used 20 years from now, when translated into the amount of conventional fuel needed to produce it, comes out to 735 million tons of coal, 5.8 billion barrels of oil, and 17.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Certainly we have been living high on our fossil fuels. But one estimate states that assuming to other major source of energy becomes generally available, the increasing population of the world may live high for the next. 50 to 75 years only if the rate of producing such fuels can be increased 4 percent annually. That means increasing production to 16 times the present rate in about 70 years. Whether this can be done seems questionable. There are various estimates of expected coal consumption in the United States 20 years hence, ranging from 552 million tons a year to 938 million tons. But some observers believe the bituminous coal industry may reach a production ceiling of around 550 million tons annually. They believe the United States may face the same experience some other countries have already faced in coal mining: an eventual lack of manpower due to men's reluctance to work in the mines. If such a prediction were to come true, other sources of electrical energy would have to be available or U.S. economic expansion could be held back. At the present time, nearly 22 percent of our electric power comes from hydroelectric plants. This source can and will be increased. But there is not today any comprehensive survey of the complete potential of our hydroelectric resources. We don't know what this Nation's possible hydro capacity really is. The proposed Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers could make an important contribution in this area. We are making progress in the development of nuclear-fueled powerplants. By the end of 1960 six such plants will be in operation with a total capacity of about 490,000 kilowatts. But much research and integrated planning is needed if the Nation is to derive maximum benefit from this most important resource. The same is true for solar energy. We are faced with a number of broad quest'ons concerning the course of our power development in all its phases. These questions must be answered correctly. But they cannot be answered correctly without pertinent information, such as could be gathered by the Natural Resources Council. You can readily see, therefore, Mr. Chairman, why we hail your action in directing attention to the importance of placing a highest priority on our resource conservation and development. The Employment Act of 1946, with which you were also closely associated, has proved its usefulness and the soundness of the thinking of its sponsors. We of the International Brotherhood of Electical Workers are most hopeful that the Conservation Act of 1960 will enjoy the support of all forward-looking Members of both Houses of our Congress. We hope that a Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers will function as contemplated in this legislation and that the Council's reports to the President, after consideration by the proposed Joint Committee on Resources and Conservation will provide a basis for the kind of intelligent decisions which can only be made with all of the facts at hand. Deepest concern must replace unconcern, deliberate and informed planning must replace carelessness, and the policies set forth in this bill must replace the failure to look ahead which has characterized the management of our natural resources in the past. INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA, Portland Oreg., October 26, 1959. TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE COMMITTEES ON INTERIOR AFFAIRS. GENTLEMEN: Attached is a copy of Resolution No. 1-L, entitled "Power, Irrigation, and Reclamation," which we feel is self-explanatory, as adopted at the 21st Constitutional Convention of the International Woodworkers of America, held in Minneapolis, Minn., September 21-24, 1959. While we favor publicly owned dams and reclamation projects and public utility districts over private projects of the same nature, we honestly and sincerely feel that the issue is far more important than that of private versus public power. We feel that in the interest of the general welfare of the people of this entire Nation that this matter should be approached from an entirely different aspect, as is set out in this resolution. We sincerely hope that during the next session of Congress you will insist that bills coming before your committee dealing with the matter of power include also proposed legislation for irrigation and reclamation as an absolute requisite, regardless of whether to be public, or privately built. I sincerely hope that we can depend on your support in not only helping to pass out of committee with a motion of "do pass" such legislation, but we also hope that you yourselves will be instrumental in drafting proposed legislation along these lines. Sincerely yours, J. E. DICEY, International Vice President. RESOLUTION No. 1-L Subject: Power, irrigation, and reclamation. We Whereas the issue of private power versus public power still exists. think that there exists, within all of this issue, grave trouble ahead for the general welfare of our entire free society. The continued building of many of the dams for the sole purpose of power, designed to meet the estimated additional needs of power over only the next few immediate years, will cause irreparable damage to our society; and Whereas we are convinced that the last remaining large natural sites are within the West, and principally within the Pacific Northwest. But we are We convinced that all of these basins should be developed only under a well-planned, constructive program to assure the maximum potential development. further believe these developments should be multipurpose not only for power but also for irrigation and reclamation. By so doing, we will fully protect the fish, which is also an important industry. In such development there should be accompanying upstream storage reservoirs. This, naturally, should dovetail properly with the Forestry and Agricultural Departments for selecting cutting, reforestation, and the sustained yield to preserve watersheds; and Whereas when we look at the agricultural program today, and what is termed surplus foods, coupled with our tremendous growth, we are convinced that, within a few short years, instead of a food surplus there will be needed every possible acre of soil to produce the food needs of the Nation. It will be necessary to reclaim much of what is called semiarid land today, and this cannot be done unless these great projects are multipurpose in nature; and Whereas we feel the general welfare of the Nation, for future generations, is far more important than private versus public power. We feel that instead of the emphasis being on power, it should more properly be placed on water. No human life, and little or no animal or vegetable life, can live without water: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That while we favor publicly owned dams and reclamation projects and public utility districts, we go on record advocating that all of this development be done in a well-planned, comprehensive manner; that it not be designated only for a few more kilowatts, but that it be for the maximum development of the entire system; that it be required to be multipurpose in nature, if built by either private or public groups, wherever the comprehensive program calls for such development. Senator JAMES E. MURRAY, NATIONAL GRANGE, Washington, D.C., January 26, 1960. Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I have read your bill (S. 2549), the proposed Resources and Conservation Act of 1960. I want to commend you on the scope and farreaching import of your proposal. The Grange has constantly and consistently supported the conservation of our natural resources, and we believe that a bill declaring national policy on conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources would not only facilitate development of conservation measures, but would do much to arouse public awareness of the need for greatly increased appropriation of funds to augment the program. As you have so ably stated, the consequences and/or benefits are so far reaching that no group or segment of our economy or society can afford to be insensitive to the urgency of the matter. Quantity and quality of water becomes more and more of a problem to municipalities, industry, and agriculture. The most urgent need of all is development and treatment of the watershed areas to retain more water and prevent siltation. The budget request for this important item is scarcely more than a token of the amount needed for approved projects. We appreciate this opportunity to add the voice of the Grange to this appeal for the continued appraisal of resource policies and programs to the end that the best use may be made of nonreplaceable resources and that we may perpetuate and increase replaceable natural wealth. Respectfully yours, HERSCHEL D. NEWSOM, Master. VANCOUVER, WASH., January 26, 1960. Senator JAMES E. MURRAY, Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.: At its November 7, 1959, meeting the board of trustees of the Northwest Public Power Association adopted a resolution reendorsing the conservation and resources bill, S. 2549. We strongly urge an enactment of this legislation. GUS NORWOOD, Executive Secretary, Northwest Public Power Association. 52421-60 -12 |