EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, Hon. SPIRO T. AGNEW, BUREAU OF THE BUDGET, Washington, D.C., May 23, 1969. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: Enclosed for your consideration and appropriate reference is a draft of a proposed joint resolution to authorize appropriations for expenses of the National Council on Indian Opportunity. The National Council on Indian Opportunity was established by Executive Order No. 11399 of March 6, 1968. The purpose of the Council is to encourage full use of Federal programs to benefit the Indian population, including interagency coordination and cooperation and appraising the impact and progress of Federal programs for Indians. The Executive order designates the Vice President as Chairman of the Council and provides for a membership consisting of six Indian leaders appointed by the President for 2-year terms and representatives of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health, Education, and Welfare, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, and Labor, and the Office of Economic Opportunity. The President's budget for 1970 includes an estimate of $300,000 for the expenses of this Council, the appropriation of which is dependent upon the enactment of the proposed authorizing legislation. Accordingly, I urge early and favorable consideration of the enclosed draft resolution. Sincerely, PHILLIP S. HUGHES, Acting Director. JOINT RESOLUTION To authorize appropriations for expenses of the National Council on Indian Opportunity Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatitves of the United States in Congress assembled, That there is hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the expenses of the National Council on Indian Opportunity, established by Executive Order No. 11399 of March 6, 1968. [From the Federal Register, vol. 33, No. 46, Mar. 7, 1968] EXECUTIVE ORDER 11399 ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON INDIAN OPPORTUNITY Whereas the United States has initiated a number of programs in various Departments that should be made available for the development and benefit of the Indian population; and Whereas these programs should be adapted and coordinated in such manner that Indians will participate in and be benefited by them: Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows: S. Rept. 91-389 SECTION 1. Establishment of Council. There is hereby established The National Council on Indian Opportunity (hereinafter referred to as the "Council"). The Council shall have membership as follows: The Vice President of the United States who shall be the chairman of the Council, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agricul ture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and six Indian leaders appointed by the President of the United States for terms of two years. SEC. 2. Functions of the Council. The Council shall: (a) Encourage full use of Federal programs to benefit the Indian population, adapting them where necessary to be available to Indians on reservations in a meaningful way. (b) Encourage interagency coordination and cooperation in carrying out Federal programs as they relate to Indians. (c) Appraise the impact and progress of Federal programs for Indians. (d) Suggest ways to improve such programs. SEC. 3. Compensation and per diem. Members of the Council who are officers of the Federal government shall receive no additional compensation by reason of this order. Other members of the Council shall be entitled to receive compensation and travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons in the government service employed intermittently (5 U.S.C., §§ 3109, 5703). SEC. 4. Assistance to the Council. (a) Each Federal department and agency represented on the Council shall furnish such necessary assistance to the Council as may be authorized by section 214 of the Act of May 3, 1945, 59 Stat. 134 (31 U.S.C. 691), or other law. The Department of the Interior shall furnish necessary administrative services for the Council. (b) The staff of the Council shall include an Executive Director. who shall be appointed by the chairman of the Council, and such other employees as may be necessary, who shall be assigned by the departments and agencies represented on the Council. SEC. 5. Meetings. The Council shall meet on call of the chairman. LYNDON B. JOHNSON. THE WHITE HOUSE, March 6, 1968. [F.R. Doc. 68-2935; Filed, Mar. 6, 1968; 11:45 a.m.] S. Rept. 91-389 Mr. ALLOTT, from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 719] The Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 719) to establish a national mining and minerals policy, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with amendments and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of Senate bill 719 is to concisely enunciate and declare an overall national minerals policy. The bill further declares that "it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this policy when exercising his authority under such programs as may be authorized by law other than this act" and directs the Secretary of Interior to include in his annual report to the Congress "a report on the state of the domestic mining and minerals industry, including a statement of the trend of utilization and depletion of these resources, together with such recommendations for legislative programs as may be necessary to implement the policy of this act." These two directives of the bill clearly place upon the Secretary of Interior the responsibility of carrying out the national minerals and mining policy established by the bill. NATIONAL MINERALS POLICY Under the provisions of S. 719, a national policy would be established to guide the Federal Government in fostering and encouraging: (1) development of an economically sound and stable domestic mining and minerals industry, (2) the orderly and economic development of domestic mineral resources and reserves to help to assure satisfaction of industrial and security needs, and (3) mining, mineral, and metal lurgical research to promote the wise and efficient use of domestic mineral resources. The responsibility for carrying out the provisions of S. 719 is assigned to the Secretary of the Interior thus placing pri mary, overall responsibility on a single Cabinet Officer and assuring Congress of a direct source of advice and counsel as to attainment of the bill's objectives. The Secretary of the Interior would submit an annual report to Congress on the state of the domestic mining and minerals industry, including a statement of the trend in utilization and depletion of these resources, together with recommendations for legislative action necessary to make effective the policy of the act. Such a report would provide an assessment and objective evaluation of national progress in providing for a strong domestic mining and minerals industry. The functions of a number of agencies of the Federal Government affect minerals and mining directly or indirectly, including international relations, foreign trade, taxation, and air and water pollution, to name a few. Yet there is no stated policy or overall set of guidelines by which their actions can be coordinated. S. 719 would provide such coordination of Federal planning and action with respect to the domestic mining industry. While such a policy is concerned with principle rather than detail, and is an expression of broad goals, it would give direction to Federal Government procedures and policy through its basic statement of principle. There are myriad Federal laws that affect the mining and minerals industry, but each was passed to meet a particular problem or purpose, and usually, the overview of the direction of the minerals industry was not considered. As a result, some of the actions taken have been counter-productive of the objectives of this measure. S. 719 would give clear direction to the executive branch of Government in its implementation and coordination of these laws. The same would apply to development of future legislation. A national mining and minerals policy would serve as a statement of fundamental principles or objectives against which the executive branch can measure proposed action and against which the Congress can measure legislation. This includes such areas of critical importance to the mining industry as manpower training and recruitment, research in mineral recovery, mining methods and health and safety, environmental quality, public lands, stockpiling, tax policy, mine finance, and foreign trade. Overall, it has profound implications to the economic future of the United States, which is based so heavily on a continuing supply of minerals, both domestic and foreign. As we permit our Nation to become more and more dependent upon foreign sources for minerals important to our industry, we tend to lose the ability to find and produce these minerals domestically. Our dependence tends to encumber our foreign policy and limit our freedom of movement within the family of nations. It is, therefore, in the national interest both in terms of foreign policy and national defense, that our ability to domestically produce important mineral commodities be improved and maintained. The wise and efficient use of mineral resources is necessary for the advancement of technological knowledge in the minerals field, on which, in turn, the future of the Nation is dependent. S. Rept. 91-390 S. 719 would serve to give impetus to the alleviation of the severe shortage of trained mineral specialists and engineers by encouraging young people to favorably consider a career in the minerals industry. Today enrollments in mineral technology courses are at an all-time low and the number of mining schools declines each year. Ultimately, we are going to be required to turn to the lower grade ore deposits and deposits at very great depths to satisfy our mineral requirements. Such endeavors will require research, both basic and applied. The bill establishes the policy of fostering research, both Government sponsored and private, to deal with the technological problems of locating and extracting such mineral deposits. The Nation has become painfully aware of our deteriorating environment. The mining industry is also aware of the problem and has developed practical solutions for many of the problems. But, as further environmental quality improvement is sought, the technical difficulties and the cost of gaining each new increment of quality, greatly increases the costs of operation and may make the difference between feasibility and infeasibility in the mine's economic picture. A national mining and minerals policy will help to prevent the promulgation of inconsistent regulations and the adoption of counter-productive policies. that tend to thwart these national objectives. Research can be particularly beneficial in assisting the mining industry to cope with the many new requirements that our increased concern over environmental quality places upon mine operators. The Federal Government should engage in long-range research programs which will provide the technology necessary for private industry to implement practices designed to improve the quality of our environment. It should establish and maintain policies and programs which supply the needed trained specialists, and publish and disseminate data and technical information relevant to environmental quality matters. Before the mining industry can be expected to deal effectively with the new demands of environmental quality concerns and remain economically viable, the industry must have the necessary tools. These tools include trained specialists, the results of successful research in improved mining, beneficiation, and waste disposal practices, and governmental policies which take into account the increased costs. involved. While private enterprise must supply the national demand for minerals, the Federal Government has the obligation to encourage a healthy domestic mining industry for the sake of the Nation's overall security and economic well-being. Minerals are recognized as being critical and essential to the Nation's economy and security, and as such, a dependable and adequate supply would be encouraged by the development of a coordinated national mining and minerals policy. The Federal Government can contribute to mineral development through policies that permit and encourage exploration and mining and through activities carried out in close cooperation with private industry. A national minerals policy would foster the improvement of the Nation's capability to use mineral supplies more efficiently and encourage the reuse of minerals. S. Rept. 91-390 |