Transmission of certain plans to Congress (3) Whenever the estimated Federal contribution to the construction cost of works of improvement in the plan for any watershed or subwatershed area shall exceed $250,000 or the works of improvement include any structure having a total capacity in excess of twenty-five hundred acre-feet, the Secretary shall transmit a copy of the plan and the justification therefor to the Congress through the President. Transmission of certain plans and recommendations to Congress (4) Any plans for works of improvement involving an estimated Federal contribution to construction costs in excess of $250,000 or including any structure having a total capacity in excess of twenty-five hundred acre-feet (a) which includes works of improvement for reclamation or irrigation, or which affects public or other lands or wildlife under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior, (b) which includes Federal assistance for goodwater1 detention structures, (c) which includes features which may affect the public health, or (d) which includes measures for control or abatement of water pollution, shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, respectively, for his views and recommendations at least thirty days prior to transmission of the plan to the Congress through the President. The views and recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, if received by the Secretary prior to the expiration of the above thirty-day period, shall accompany the plan transmitted by the Secretary to the Congress through the President. Rules and regulations (5) Prior to any Federal participation in the works of improvement under this chapter, the President shall issue such rules and regulations as he deems necessary or desirable to carry out the purposes of this chapter, and to assure the coordination of the work authorized under this chapter and related work of other agencies, including the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Army. As amended Sept. 27, 1962, Pub.L. 87-703, Title I, § 105, 76 Stat. 609; June 27, 1968, Pub. L. 90-361, 82 Stat. 250; Aug. 30, 1972, Pub.L. 92-419, Title II, § 201 (g), 86 Stat. 669. 1.31a RURAL DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1972 August 30, 1972, P.L. 92-419, § 201(g), 86 Stat. 669 AN ACT To provide for improving the economy and living conditions in rural America. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 'So in original. Probably should read "floodwater" as originally enacted. United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Rural Development Act of 1972". [p. 1] TITLE II-AMENDMENTS TO THE WATERSHED PROTECTION AND FLOOD PREVENTION ACT, AS AMENDED SEC. 201. AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC LAW 83-566.-The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (68 Stat. 666), as amended, is amended as follows: [p. 10] (g) Subsection (4) of section 5 is amended to read as follows: “(4) Any plans for works of improvement involving an estimated Federal contribution to construction costs in excess of $250,000 or including any structure having a total capacity in excess of twenty-five hundred acre-feet (a) which includes works of improvement for reclamation or irrigation, or which affects public or other lands or wildlife under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior, (b) which includes Federal assistance for goodwater detention structures, (c) which includes features which may affect the public health, or (d) which includes measures for control or abatement of water pollution, shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, respectively, for his views and recommendations at least thirty days prior to transmission of the plan to the Congress through the President. The views and recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, if received by the Secretary prior to the expiration of the above thirty-day period, shall accompany the plan transmitted by the Secretary to the Congress through the President." [p. 12] 1.31a(1) HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE RURAL DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1972 FEBRUARY 16, 1972.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. POAGE, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted the following REPORT together with ADDITIONAL VIEWS, MINORITY VIEWS, AND [To accompany H.R. 12931] The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12931) to provide for improving the economy and living conditions in rural America, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill do pass. [p. 1] Title II of the bill would amend the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (Public Law 83-566) as amended, (1) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to cost share in watershed projects for needed measures planned and installed in cooperation with public agencies and local organizations that would restore, improve and maintain the quality of the environment, and storage for water quality management, (2) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into long-term contracts with landowners and operators for making changes in cropping systems and land uses and for installing needed soil and water conservation practices in watershed projects, (3) to authorize local organizations to use Federal funds available to them other than those appropriated for the purposes of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, in acquisition of land, easements, and rights-of-way needed in connection with works of improvement in watershed projects, and (4) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to bear not to exceed one-half the cost of storage of water added to any reservoir constructed or modified under the Act to meet present demands for municipal, industrial or rural development needs. Also included are provisions for coordination with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, respectively, on work plans which would include works of improvement for the prevention, control and abatement of water pollution or which include features which may affect the public health. We support those amendments relating to storage for water quality and long-term contracting, and oppose those amendments relating to cost sharing for pollution abatement facilities, municipal and industrial water storage, and permitting the use of other Federal funds. Our position is explained in the attached supplemental material. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL-TITLE II-H.R. 10867 1. Water Quality Management The Administration endorses the amendment to provide Federal cost sharing in watershed projects for needed measures planned and installed in cooperation with public agencies and local organizations for water quality management. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 requires Federal agencies to administer existing policies, regulations, and laws in the broadest sense possible to improve, maintain, and preserve the quality of the environment. Steps have been taken to implement this policy. Nevertheless, it would in specific cases be desirable to add water quality management to watershed projects. Federal cost sharing for water quality management is now authorized for mainstem developments under other Federal programs. This amendment would remove this inconsistency and improve the effective [p. 9] ness of the upstream watershed program. It would help to round out a successful ongoing program under which multiple-purpose works of improvement are developed for each watershed on a package basis. The Federal cost share would be such proportionate share of the cost of providing storage for water quality management as the Secretary of Agriculture determines to be equitable in consideration of national needs and the assistance authorized for providing storage for this purpose under other Federal programs. Comments received from various agencies during interagency review of watershed project work plans clearly indicates that the need exists in a number of watersheds for including water quality manage ment as a project purpose. Just as management and control of runoff and waterflows for optimum use should begin in the upstream areas where rain and snow falls, so should provision for maintenance of good water quality begin at the farthest possible upstream points. By this coordinated approach in upstream areas, optimum use can be made of available water and related land resources in these areas and feasible contributions also can be made to downstream water quality management. Benefits will accrue to municipalities, industries, recreation, fish and wildlife, irrigators, and other water users. Consideration needs to be given to all storage needs during the project formulation stage if truly comprehensive resource planning and development is to be achieved. Otherwise, the fullest feasible potential use of the limited number of available reservoir sites will not be made. Where the need is evident for water quality management in a watershed, it would be given full consideration along with other objectives. 2. Long-Term Contracting in Watersheds The Administration endorses the amendment which would enable the Department of Agriculture to enter into long-term contracts (up to 10 years) with owners of watershed lands in order to assure the orderly establishment of needed conservation measures. The timely installation of needed land treatment measures on a planned, systematic basis with assured cost sharing and technical assistance, such as the bill would authorize for Public Law 566 watershed projects has proven its value in the Great Plains Conservation Program. This demonstrated effective approach would assist local sponsors and the Department to more effectively plan and install the works of improvement in approved watershed projects. The additional authority for entering into long-term contracts for conservation cost sharing would supplement, but not supplant, the cost sharing authorized under the Rural Environmental Assistance Program, the Great Plains Conservation Program, or other programs which provide conservation practice cost sharing in those areas. Experience has demonstrated that an agreement that is based on a conservation farm plan and that allows the landowner or operator to install land treatment with known and assured cost sharing for planned conservation work, lessens the uncertainties of farmers in planning and programming their activities with a resulting improvement in the conservation program. This, in turn, would reduce the construction costs of the works of improvement. It also would reduce the cost of [p. 10] |