APPENDIX III. REPORTS OF THE AGENCIES OF THE Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, EXECUTIVE BRANCH EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, BUREAU OF THE BUDGET, Washington, D.C., January 26, 1960. Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, MY DEAR MR, CHAIRMAN: This is in reply to your letters of August 24, 1959, and January 13, 1960, requesting the views of the Bureau of the Budget on S. 2549, “To declare a national policy on conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources, and for other purposes." The bill would declare it to be the continuing policy and responsibility of the Federal Government, with the assistance and cooperation of non-Federal interests, public and private, to use all practicable means to create and maintain conditions under which there will be conservation, development and utilization of natural resources to meet the Nation's needs. It would direct the President to transmit an annual resources and conservation report to the Congress, create a Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers in the Executive Office of the President, and establish a Joint Congressional Committee on Resources and Conservation. The Bureau of the Budget shares with the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs an interest in the full conservation, development, and utilization of the natural resources of the Nation. In his recent budget message, the President pointed out the importance of natural resources to the Nation's economic growth and security. The estimated expenditures of $1.9 billion for natural resources programs in the fiscal year 1961 will be more than has been spent for this purpose in any previous year. This administration believes that conservation and development of the Nation's natural resources is the joint responsibility of private enterprise, State and local governments, and the Federal Government. At the same time, the level of Federal resources programs must be consistent with other urgent Federal needs and overall fiscal objectives. We believe that this policy is consistent with the declaration of policy in S. 2549. The Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers to the President, which would be created by S. 2549, seems to be patterned after the Council of Economic Advisers. However, the problems of the proposed council are not entirely comparable to problems which concern the Council of Economic Advisers. The area of responsibility under the Employment Act of 1946 is more susceptible of definition and quantitative treatment than is the area of natural resources. Moreover, the Council of Economic Advisers is concerned with a general overall appraisal of the whole economy, a responsibility not specifically lodged in any other establishment or agency. We also question the need for the proposed conservation report to be transmitted annually by the President to the Congress. The President presents annually to the Congress three comprehensive reports relating to the Nation's needs and his recommendations, including legislative proposals, for meeting them: the State of the Union message, the budget message, and the economic report. These comprehensive reports embrace all matters of concern to the Federal Government. The budget message, for example, has sections on natural resources (pp. M50-54) and agricultural resources (pp. M44-50), in addition to more detailed data on individual agencies in the budget document. In practice, these messages and special messages as needed have provided adequate means for the President to make known to the Congress his conclusions and recommendations on conservation and natural resources and other matters. In addition, the heads of departments and agencies (Agriculture, Interior, Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee Valley Authority) having major concern with the needs and the policies relating to conservation, development and utiliza 52421-60-13 tion of natural resources prepare annual reports relating to these programs. From time to time, special surveys, studies and reports are made in specific resource areas, some of which relate not only to Federal activities but to nonFederal as well. While these messages and reports are not within one cover, they do provide the means by which a significant amount of information becomes available on the state of the Nation's natural resources and the recommendations relating to their conservation, development and utilization. There is also within the executive branch a responsibility for overall review and coordination of various aspects of these resource programs by the Executive Office of the President through the Bureau of the Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers. Also, the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization has a responsibility for assuring that the national defense requirements for resources are met. Coordination is also furthered through interagency committees. In summary, we believe that the organization proposed in S. 2549 is not suitable for the resources area. In addition to the above comments on the specific proposal for a conservation council, we believe it is necessary to express concern over the precedent which such a council might establish for similar councils on behalf of other program areas. Such fragmentation and categorization of the staff faciilties in the Executive Office would be undesirable and costly. As far as the bill affects the executive branch, the Bureau of the Budget recommends that the bill not be enacted for the reasons stated above. We make no recommendations with respect to the provision of the bill to establish a Joint Congressional Committee on Resources and Conservation, which is a matter for the Congress to decide. Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Secretary of Defense has asked me to acknowledge your letter of January 13 in which you announce hearings on S. 2549, to declare a national policy on conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources, on January 28 and 29 and your request for a report and representation on this matter. Inasmuch as I have ascertained that the Department of the Army has action on this bill and has a proposed report on it pending at the Bureau of the Budget, I have referred your letter to the appropriate officials within the Department of the Army and have asked that a reply be sent directly to you. Sincerely, Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, GEORGE W. VAUGHAN, Assistant to the Secretary for Legislative Affairs. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, Washington, D.C., January 27, 1960. Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Reference is made to your request to the Secretary of Defense for the views of the Department of Defense with respect to S. 2549, 86th Congress, a bill "To declare a national policy on conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources, and for other purposes." The Secretary of Defense has assigned to the Department of the Army the responsibility for preparation of a report thereon. This bill would declare a continuing policy of the Federal Government to use all means for the purpose of creating conditions under which there will be conservation, development and utilization of the natural resources of the Nation to meet human, economic, and defense requirements. The bill would also: (1) Require a Resources and Conservation Report by the President to the Congress each year; (2) create in the Executive Office a Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers; and (3) establish a Joint Committee on Resources and Conservation of the Congress. The Department concurs fully in the stated general objectives of fostering the conservation and development of the Nation's natural resources. Accordingly, the Department of the Army on behalf of the Department of Defense interposes no objection to the declaration of national policy on this subject. With respect to the specific requirement of the annual report and the provision of the Advisors Council in the Executive Office, it is felt that these are matters for the President to comment upon. As to the establishment of the Joint Committee, it is considered that this is a matter for the Congress to decide. The fiscal effect of this legislation is not known to this Department. This report has been coordinated within the Department of Defense in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. The Bureau of the Budget advises that there is no objection to the submission of this report. Sincerely yours, WILBER M. BRUCKER, Secretary of the Army. Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: This is in reply to your letter of August 24, 1959, requesting a report on S. 2549, a bill to declare a national policy on conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources, and for other purposes. We are sympathetic to the general objectives of the bill, but recommend that it be not enacted unless amended as suggested herein. S. 2549 would 1. Declare a policy by Congress that it is the responsibility of the Federal Government (with the assistance and cooperation of industry, agriculture, labor, conservationists, State and local governments, and private property owners) to use all practicable means for the purpose of creating and maintaining conditions under which there will be conservation, development, and utilization of the natural resources of the Nation to meet human, economic, and national defense requirements, including recreational, wildlife, scenic, and scientific values and the enhancement of the national heritage for future generations. 2. Require the President to transmit to Congress by January 20 of each year a conservation report setting forth (a) the condition of the soil, water, forest, grazing, wildlife, recreational, and other natural resources with particular reference to attainment of multiple-purpose use; (b) current and foreseeable trends in management and utilization of such natural resources; (c) the adequacy of available natural resources; (d) a review of the conservation programs of the Federal Government, State, and local governments, and nongovernmental entities and individuals with special reference to their effect on full conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources; and (e) a program for carrying out the policy set forth in (1) above, together with such recommendations for legislation as he deems appropriate. 3. Create a three-member Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers to the President whose duties would be: (a) To assist the President in preparation of his annual conservation report; (b) gather and interpret information concerning natural resource conservation trends; (c) appraise Federal programs and activities in conservation; (d) recommend to the President national conservation policy; and (e) make recommendations on Federal resource policy and legislation. 4. Establish a standing Joint Congressional Committee on Resources and Conservation composed of eight members of the Senate and eight members of the House whose functions would be to: (a) Study the annual report submitted by the President; (b) explore means of coordinating conservation programs; and (c) report annually to the Senate and House its findings and recommendations with respect to the President's annual resources and conservation report. The provisions of the bill relating to declaration of a conservation policy and a periodic conservation report from the President to the Congress would be desirable in fostering the full development, conservation, and utilization of natural resources. However, the bill must be considered also from the viewpoint of the precedent it may establish in other fields of endeavor, its impact on existing agencies and programs, and the cost it would impose on the Federal Government. The establishment of a Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers to the President is unnecessary because its specified functions can be carried out adequately by those Cabinet members who head departments currently dealing with natural resources. Existing departments, already staffed with experts in the fields of natural resource conservation, development, and utilization, are able to carry out the functions which would be assigned to the Council without the additional fiscal burden of setting up a staff of specialists and experts which would duplicate in part staffs of existing Departments and agencies. These agencies assist and advise the President on a continuous basis, gather timely and authoritative information concerning natural resource conservation and development, appraise their various programs and activities, develop and recommend to the President national policies to foster and promote conservation, development, and utilization of the natural resources of the Nation, and furnish reports and recommendations with respect to matters of Federal resource policy and legislation as he may request. The establishment of a Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers appears undesirable also from the viewpoint that it may set a precedent for similar councils dealing with other fields of national endeavor. It would be impractical and costly to have a number of such councils and acompanying staffs. We therefore recommend that section 4 of the bill be stricken. We have no objection to the provision in the bill which would require a periodic report to the Congress on resources and conservation provided that such report be less frequent than annually. To prepare each year a report of the proportions called for by the bill would be too costly and burdensome. In addition the contents of such a report would not change significantly from year to year to warrant such a comprehensive report that often. We recommend instead a report every fourth year, the first such report to be submitted after the convening of Congress in January 1962, but not later than January 20 of that year. Thus, a report would be submitted approximately 1 year after the beginning of each new Presidential term. Such report should be prepared under the direction of the Executive Office of the President, using information and assistance from the various departments concerned. Section 3 of the bill should be amended accordingly. The provisions of the bill (sec. 3(b)) which would authorize the President to transmit supplementary reports to the Congress could well be deleted as being unnecessary because such authority already exists. We have no objection to the provision of the bill which would establish a continuing Joint Congressional Committee on Resources and Conservation. This is a matter within the purview of the Congress itself. The Bureau of the Budget advises that there is no objection to the submission of this report. Sincerely yours, TRUE D. MORSE, Acting Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This letter is in response to your request of August 24. 1959, for a report on S. 2549, a bill to declare a national policy on conservation. development, and utilization of natural resources, and for other purposes. (Resources and Conservation Act of 1960.) The bill declares the continuing policy and responsibility of the Federal Government to use all practicable means to foster and promote conservation, development, and utilization of the Nation's natural resources. It directs the President to transmit an annual resources and conservation report to the Con gress; creates a three-member Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers, appointed by the President by and with the advice of the Senate; and establishes a Congressional Joint Committee on Resources and Conservation. The major interest of this Department in regard to this bill is in conjunction with the responsibilities of the Public Health Service in the water resources field. In this connection, our concern in the development and planning of water resources is in maintaining water quality necessary for all legitimate uses. The work in this field is carried on in close cooperation with State, interstate, and Federal agencies have water resources responsibilities, and this Department is a member of various interagency committees established to coordinate activities in this field. The Department favors the establishment of a national policy on the development of water resources, including a requirement for integrated and cooperative multiple-purpose planning in order to achieve maximum sustained utilization of developments. The declaration of policy as stated in the bill would appear to adequately meet the objectives which we espouse. We would defer to the views of other agencies more directly concerned with the advisability of the creation of the Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers. The establishment of the Joint Committee on Resources and Conservation is a matter for the considered judgment of the Congress. The Bureau of the Budget advises that it perceives no objection to the submission of this report to the committee. Sincerely yours, BERTHA S. ADKINS, Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, Washington, D.C., January 28, 1960. Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is in reply to your request of August 24, 1959, for the views of this Department with respect to S. 2549, a bill to declare a national policy on conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources, and for other purposes. The bill would create in the Executive Office of the President a Council of Resources and Conservation Advisers. The Council would report annually to the President, and the President would report before January 20 of each year to the Congress on all of our Nation's natural resources, their condition, trends, adequacy, and activities, and a program of carrying out the policies recommended. The bill would also establish a Joint Committee on Resources and Conservation, composed of eight Senators and eight Congressmen, the functions of which would be to make a continuing study of matters relating to the President's Resources and Conservation Report, and to report annually its findings and recommendations with respect to each of the main recommendations made by the President to the Senate and to the House of Representatives. This Department does not favor the enactment of S. 2549. Conservation of natural resources and their utilization, to meet human and economic needs consistent with present and future needs, is primarily the responsibility of the Departments of Agriculture and Interior. These departments issue annual reports relative to the national conservation program. Also the President in his annual state of the Union message usually devotes a section to national conservation. The above mentioned departments are acutely aware of the need for conservation of natural resources and their utilization and are taking such steps as are necessary to meet this need. A Council such as proposed by S. 2549 would not, in our opinion, be likely to contribute any additional information or new policies which would compensate for the costs of creating and operating the Council. The Bureau of the Budget has advised that it would interpose no objection to the submission of this report to your committee. Sincerely yours, PHILIP A. RAY, Under Secretary of Commerce. |