RELATIONSHIP OF THE AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM AND SOIL CONSERVATION PROGRAM

Mr. MARSHALL. Last fall I picked up a leading farm paper in our area, Mr. Secretary, the St. Paul Farmer. The St. Paul Farmer had quite a lot to say about the fact that you were changing the administration policies by placing ACP under the Soil Conservation Service. Do you contemplate making any change in the administration of the agricultural conservation program in this fiscal year?

Mr. PETERSON. We have had no such plans before us. We have tried to review constantly all of our conservation activities, to try to put together a total conservation plan where one part would be supporting the other and not operating independently of the other.

Mr. MARSHALL. The St. Paul Farmer is considered to be one of the most reputable farm magazines covering our area. Would you have any idea where they may have gotten such a misleading impression or misleading information?

Mr. PETERSON. I have an idea, Mr. Marshall-I cannot prove it and unless you press me-I would therefore rather not present it.

Mr. MARSHALL. Your answer then is no, that you are not going to make any change in the administration of the agriculture conservation program as it relates to its operation with the soil conservation

program.

If that be true, it would seem to me that people ought to quit gossiping about it.

Mr. PETERSON. We have made statements, both publicly and to various Members of the Congress, Mr. Marshall, in response to that rumor in which part of what I have just said to you was covered. We do not have presently before us for consideration any plans for such a change. When and if any changes are made in the administrative structure of the Department, there is a procedure for it under the terms of Reorganization Plan No. 2. Most certainly, if we do contemplate a change, we would want to inform the members of this committee and of the substantive committee what we were doing and why we were doing it. We would want to tell them if we intend to do so.

I would not want to say that there would never be a change. Certainly we appraise these programs continuously.

Mr. MARSHALL. But as far as you are concerned do you have a plan

now.

Mr. PETERSON. There are no current plans before the Secretary or before me envisioning any change.

Mr. WHITTEN. May I interrupt at this point and ask in that connection that pages 202, and 206 through 229 be inserted at this point in the record on the subject of watershed protection.

(The pages referred to follow :)

NOTE. Although a decrease of $11,500,000 is proposed in the appropriation for 1959, total obligations will increase $3,028.218 above those for the fiscal year 1958. Thus, total obligations in 1959 are estimated at $24,839,000 compared with obligations of $21,810,782 in the fiscal year 1958. This increase in the program level is made possible by the carryover of $10,839,000 from the fiscal year 1958 to the fiscal year 1959.

Summary of increases and decreases, 1959 (on basis of available funds) Decrease in rate of project investigations and development of watershed plans----.

Increase in the Federal share of the cost of installing watershed works of improvement..

Project statement (on basis of available funds)

-$800,000

+3, 828, 218

The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (Public Law 566, 83d Cong.), as amended, provides for cooperation between the Federal Government and the States and their political subdivisions in a program to prevent erosion, floodwater, and sediment damages in the watersheds of rivers and streams and to further the conservation, development, utilization, and disposal of water. The work of the Department under this item consists of the following:

1. Investigations and surveys of proposed small watershed projects upon application by local sponsoring organizations and collaboration with them in the preparation of project work plans. These plans outline the proposed works of improvement to be installed and include the estimated costs, a cost-benefit analysis, cost-sharing and maintenance arrangements, a proposed schedule of operations, and other facts needed to determine whether Federal participation in the cooperative project should be approved.

2. Participation in the installation of works of improvement in approved watershed projects. Detailed construction plans and specifications are prepared for specific flood prevention and agricultural water management features of the project. The Federal Government bears all of the construction cost of the flood prevention and related features except easement and rights-of-way, and an equitable part of the cost of construction of the agricultural water management features. Local organizations must pay all other costs. Funds are provided to local organizations for the Federal share of the cost of contracts they award for installation of works of improvement on other than Federal lands. The Federal

agencies do this work on Federal lands which they administer with appropriate contributions being made by the local people who receive benefits. Engineering supervision is provided over flood prevention and agricultural water management construction work, either directly by the Federal Government or by advancement of funds to local organizations for employment of engineers. Technical assistance is provided to accelerate the planning and application of land treatment measures in the watersheds to prevent erosion and protect the structural work of improvement from flood and sediment damage.

3. Installation on a cost-sharing basis, of improvement measures on 54 currently active "pilot" watersheds which serve as demonstrations of the effectiveness of complete watershed treatment in preventing erosion and reducing floodwater and sediment damage.

4. Program evaluation studies in selected watershed protection projects to determine the effectiveness of structural and land treatment measures installed. 5. Surveys and investigations of the watersheds of rivers and other waterways in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, as the basis for the development of coordinated programs.

6. The making of loans to local organizations to finance the local share of the costs of carrying out works of improvement for flood prevention and for the conservation, development, utilization, and disposal of water.

PROGRAM ASSIGNMENTS

The Soil Conservation Service has general responsibility for administration of the work of the Department authorized under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act and for the formulation of guiding principles and procedures. It assists local organizations with (a) the development of watershed work plans, and (b) the application of land treatment measures and the installation of structural works of improvement on non-Federal land in authorized watersheds. Some works are also installed on Federal lands by arrangement with the administering agency. It also makes surveys and investigations of the watersheds of rivers and waterways and cooperates with other agencies in the planning, development, and coordination of works and programs.

The Forest Service participates in the development of watershed work plans and in the installation of watershed improvement measures. It concerns itself with (a) all national forest and other lands in the authorized watersheds that are administered by the Forest Service, (b) all range lands in or adjacent to national forests and used in conjunction with such forests under formal agreement with the landowners, and (c) certain specialized technical assistance on oher forest lands in the watersheds. It also provides specialized assistance in forestry aspects of coordinated river basin programs.

The Burean of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs participate in the planning and installation of works of improvement on lands under their jurisdiction. The Agricultural Research Service assists with the development of criteria to be used in the economic evaluation of work plans and measures installed in small watershed projects. It also makes special economic analyses of specific watershed projects and of river basin resource development proposals. The Farmers Home Administration has responsibility for administration of section 8 of the act relating to loans to local organizations. Funds are made available from this appropriation to the United States Weather Bureau and the United States Geological Survey, either by transfer or reimbursement, for precipitation and runoff data needed in watershed program evaluation, planning, and design work.

EXAMPLES OF RECENT PROGRESS

INVESTIGATIONS AND PLANNING

Agency participation

Allocations of funds to the cooperating agencies for 1957 and 1958 and proposed for 1959 for investigations and planning watershed protection projects are as follows:

Amounts include approximately $40,000 each year for reimbursable work performed by the U. S. Weather Bureau.

Development of watershed work plans

Local interest continues to grow in small watershed projects. During the 1957 fiscal year 165 new applications for watershed projects assistance were received by the Administrator from local sponsors, bringing to 712 the total received as of June 30, 1957. These applications cover 55,585,400 acres of watershed lands in 47 States and Territories. The Administrator approved 96 additional applications for work plan development during the fiscal year. As of June 30, 1957, a total of 268 applications for 20,531,200 acres of watershed lands had been approved for work plan development. A total of 91 watershed work plans had been developed by the end of the fiscal year. The following table shows the status of project applications and planning under Public Law 566 as of June 30, 1957, and estimate for 1958 and 1959.