Outlays for these programs are estimated to increase to $1.5 billion in 1979 as compared to $1.3 billion in 1978 and $1.0 billion in 1977.

National heritage program.—This is a new program proposed by the administration to conserve the best of the Nation's natural and historic heritage. It will be financed through the historic preservation fund and the land and water conservation fund. States and local governments will be encouraged through grants and technical assistance to select, set priorities, and preserve outstanding and unique areas of scenic, wild, geologic, ecological, or historic importance. States will make an inventory of such places and nominate them for addition to national lists to be compiled by the Department of the Interior. Federal development programs will not be allowed to affect adversely those listed places determined to be of national significance.

The program will be administered by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. The Bureau will have transferred to it the historic preservation functions of the National Park Service.

Land and water conservation fund.—This fund provides grants to States for recreational land acquisition and development. It also funds the Federal purchase of recreational lands and the conservation of natural resources such as national parks and endangered species of wildlife. Appropriations for the land and water conservation fund are recommended at a record level of $725 million in budget authority in 1979. This will provide— • $370 million for matching grants to States. Under the national heritage program, for which $64 million is earmarked, land acquisition for preservation purposes will become an additional eligible use of these grant funds. • $347 million for the acquisition of land for parks, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas by four Federal agencies: the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. This will practically eliminate the backlog of land acquisition at those areas specifically authorized by the Congress for purchase. • $8 million for administering the fund.

Operation of recreation resources.—Under this program diverse activities are conducted necessary to the operation of the national park and wildlife refuge systems, namely providing facilities and services for visitors and managing the natural resources within these areas. In addition, these activities encompass grants, research, and technical assistance in the subjects of recreation, fish and wildlife, and historic preservation. Outlays are estimated to increase to $980 million in 1979 from $670 million in 1977, and $851 million in 1978.

The administration has proposed more than doubling the nationwide acreage set aside for national parks and wildlife refuges through the designation of 92 million acres in Alaska, which are of outstanding scenic value and importance to the preservation of wildlife. Some of these areas are proposed to be preserved to retain their wilderness characteristics. Other areas are proposed for designation as wild and scenic rivers.

The bicentennial land heritage program provides funds for the operation, construction, and rehabilitation of facilities at national parks and wildlife refuges. This program will be in its third year in 1979, but at a somewhat lower level of construction than earlier planned. This reduction reflects the concern that over-development will adversely affect the character of our national parks and wildlife refuges.

Budget authority of $45 million for the historic preservation fund is recommended in 1979 as part of the new national heritage program. This fund is used for grants to States.

The Fish and Wildlife Service's mission is to manage wildlife refuges, comprising 34 million acres, operate 89 fish hatcheries, conduct research on fish and wildlife, administer a program to protect endangered species, and provide grants to States to assist them in managing fish and wildlife. Legislation is proposed to increase the price of migratory bird conservation stamps; the receipts are used to acquire migratory bird habitat.

The National Park Service develops, operates, and maintains the National Park System, comprising 294 areas totaling about 31 million acres. Total visits to these areas are expected to increase by about 4% to 283 million in 1979. The budget provides operating funds to keep pace with expected increases in workload at the parks.

Other natural resources.—These activities are primarily directed at increasing understanding of the atmosphere, and the Earth's structure and environment. To accomplish this mission, the Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Bureau of Mines operate a wide range of activities.

The Geological Survey conducts national geologic and mineral resources surveys, including the identification of geologic hazards, such as earthquakes; water resources investigations; and topographic surveys and mapping. It also supervises Federal mineral leases and the exploration for petroleum resources in the national petroleum reserve in Alaska; funds for the latter program are included in the energy function. Outlays for the resource programs of the Geological Survey are estimated at $394 million in 1979, increasing from $302 million in 1977 and $373 million in 1978.

Increased levels of funding in 1979 are recommended for oil and natural gas lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf, studies related

to the safe disposal of radioactive wastes, and analyses of regional underground resources of water. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducts marine- and atmosphere-related research and environmental monitoring; produces maps and charts for navigation; manages our fisheries resources; protects marine mammals and endangered species; and operates a national system to monitor and predict weather conditions. An increase in budget authority from $627 million in 1978 to $661 million in 1979 is proposed for the operations of this agency. In 1979 it plans to undertake major studies to determine the effects of pollutants, including oilspills, on the marine ecosystem; expand its efforts to manage fisheries within the recently established 200-mile zone; expand efforts to protect endangered species; and improve weather warning and forecasting services. Expanded interagency climate program efforts are proposed with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as the lead agency. Total budget authority requested for the Federal climate program across various agencies is $104 million, an increase of $28 million over 1978. The objective of this program is to develop the ability to understand and anticipate seasonal and long-range climatic fluctuations so that the Nation can better prepare for the effects of climatic anomalies. The Bureau of Mines conducts research and administers various programs to develop and conserve the Nation's mineral resources and to diminish the adverse effects of mining on the environment. Outlays for these programs are estimated to be $128 million in 1979.

Credit programs.-Loans and grants are made to State and local organizations for the construction and rehabilitation of small water resource projects. Loans are also made for the construction of irrigation, municipal, and industrial water distribution systems, which utilize water from Federal reclamation projects. Drought emergency loans made in 1977 and 1978 are not anticipated in 1979.

CREDIT PROGRAMS-NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

[In millions of dollars)

Program 1977 1978 1979 actual estimate estimate

Bureau of Reclamation loan program and other:

Direct loans:
New loans--------------------------------------------- 29 56 21
Repayments, sales and adjustments (-)------------------ –3 –4 –4

AGRICULTURE

National Needs Statement: • Assure sufficient agricultural production to meet domestic

needs and to capture a fair share of growth in export

markets through a healthy and efficient agriculture. • Provide an adequate return to farmers based on the cost

of production. • Dampen fluctuations in food prices. • Provide further capability to increase farm returns and

output through expanded research and assistance to farmers in putting the knowledge gained through research

to work.
• Improve health through humon nutrition and food safety.

Improve the efficiency and reliability of domestic and
export agricultural marketing systems.

To help fulfill national needs in agriculture in 1979, the Federal Government will spend an estimated $5.4 billion in support of the following missions:

• Farm income stabilization: $4.2 billion.
• Agricultural Research and Services: $1.3 billion.

The major missions are carried out through the agency programs shown in the table on the following page. The recently passed omnibus Food and Agricultural Act of 1977 has set the stage for many agriculture programs for the next 4 years, particularly price support and research programs.

Farm income stabilization. This mission is the major Federal involvement in the agricultural sector.

During the last 2 years, the supply-demand situation for the major crops has been reversed. Shortages have been eliminated and excessive supplies are once again burdening markets. To deal with this situation, the administration has adopted a supply management policy that will allow us to store agricultural surpluses for future use while attempting to bring production in future years into better balance with demand.

The budget for this mission has increased substantially in 1978 and 1979 over earlier years because of declining prices for many of the extensively grown farm products and administrative and legislative actions to offset the adverse consequences of those declines on net farm income. The Federal Government is committed to support the prices to producers of major crops at levels based on the average cost