certainty at this time. However, we firmly believe it is realistic and wise to provide for the protection of the public and those involved in the program, in relation to injuries, losses and damage that individuals may suffer while progress for the many is being pursued. Similarly, we are convinced that whether or not the concept parallels AEC's, appropriate Federal licensing control of weather manipulation would be highly desirable. Incidentally, we recommend that section 201 of the bill spell out the intended coverage for compensation for damage, injury, or other claims, and for the taking of property or rights; section 202 should also set forth the details of the intended licensing procedure.

Section 203 provides for public availability of all information, uses, products, processes, patents, and other developments resulting from activities covered by the bill which are carried on by the Secretary of the Interior, with such excep tions and limitations as the Secretary of the Interior may determine necessary in the interest of national defense after consultation with the Secretary of Defense. We strongly believe that in lieu of the requirement in the bill as written with respect to security-classified information, section 203 should provide for coordination between the Secretary of the Interior and the particular agency responsible for classified information to assure appropriate protection of the information in accordance with the judgment of the particular agency. As you know, the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, permits access to Restricted Data and formerly Restricted Data only in accordance with its stated provisions. We urge that the bill clearly reflect the fact that this body of security-classified information, and the release of such information, will be governed by the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act.

We note that in section 200, the Secretary of the Interior is given the right to dispose of the property only as provided by section 105 of the bill. It seems to us that this may be unnecessarily restrictive since it would apparently preclude the right to abandon relatively valueless property or to dispose of surplus property by routine Federal means unless authorized by Congress.

The Bureau of the Budget has advised that there is no objection to the presentation of this report from the standpoint of the Administration's program. Cordially,

GLENN T. SEABORG, Chairman.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT,

BUBEAU OF THE BUDGET, Washington, D.C., April 8, 1966.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, U.S. Senate, New Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: This is in response to your request for the views of the Bureau of the Budget on S. 2875, a bill "To authorize and direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive program of scientific and engineering research, experiments, tests, and operations for increasing the yield of water from atmospheric sources."

S. 2875 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive program to increase the yield of water from atmospheric sources for beneficial uses in all regions of the United States. In the conduct of this comprehensive program, the advice and participation of other Federal agencies would be required. A central scientific and engineering facility, and regional research and operations centers, would be established to accomplish the program. General contract and grant authority would be provided, and the Secretary would be required to make an annual status report on the program to the Congress. Compensation for damages and licensing authority over all activities affecting United States atmospheric water resources would be provided in the same manner as in the (Atomic Energy) Act of August 30, 1954. S. 2875 would also provide that. except for licensing authority, the bill is not intended to give the Secretary authority over research conducted by other Federal agencies under other authority. Finally, necessary appropriations, with the maximums stipulated for each of the first three years, would be authorized.

The Bureau of the Budget strongly supports those research and development activities of Federal agencies in weather modification which are required for the effective discharge of their responsibilities. These activities are directed toward many objectives, such as rainfall augmentation, lightning suppression, fog dissipation, pollution abatement, and severe storm suppression. In each case, however, the efforts involve the same medium, the atmosphere. This common char

acteristic of weather modification efforts results in the possibility of conflicts and in the necessity for leadership and coordination.

S. 2875 deals with these problems by granting the Secretary of the Interior broad leadership responsibilities in the field of weather modification generally in order to advance the nation's capability to use modification techniques in one, albeit critical, field. Thus, in formulating and conducting a comprehensive program of research, experiments, test, and operations to increase atmospheric water yields, the Secretary is authorized to sponsor, among other things, scientific analyses of cloud systems and general continental or hemispheric circulation; economic, legal and other research; and the training of scientists and engineers. Other Federal agencies are directed to participate in the comprehensive program and any activities affecting the program can be carried on only pursuant to license issued by the Secretary. Due to the breadth of national interest and Federal effort in weather modification, it would appear unwise to subordinate all Federal weather modification activities exclusively to the water resources problem. In addition, the regulatory and the indemnification matters dealt with in the bill are of great importance and complexity, and most of the issues involved should be thoroughly studied before comprehensive legislation is enacted. In view of the above, the Bureau of the Budget recommends against enactment of this bill. However, we would have no objection to legislation, if needed, clarifying the Department's authority to sponsor weather modification activities required to fulfill its water resources responsibilities throughout the United States.

Sincerely yours,

WILFRED H. ROMMEL, Acting Assistant Director for Legislative Reference.

EXPANSION OF ATMOSPHERIC WATER RESOURCES PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE OF HEARINGS ON S. 2875

The Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources of the Senate Interior Committee will conduct public hearings in Washington, D.C., March 21, 22, and 23; in Rapid City, S. Dak., on April 11; and in Albuquerque, N. Mex., on April 14, on Senate bill 2875, introduced February 4, to expand the atmospheric water resources responsibilities of the Department of the Interior. Twenty-one Senators joined in the bill.

This subject is not new to the Senate Interior Committee. As early as 1951 the late Senator Francis Case, of South Dakota, the late Senator Joseph O'Mahoney, of Wyoming, and I introduced and conducted hearings on three bills on behalf of three Senate committees (Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior) that led to the establishment in 1953 of the National Advisory Committee on Weather Control.

We now look forward to hearings on a new bill. Committee consideration of S. 2875 necessarily includes examination of recent developments and assessment of the prospects for the future in one of the most important, if not the most important, fields of weather modification-augmenting water supply.

Atmospheric water resources should become one of the essential programs used by the Secretary of the Interior in the wise management of all of the Nation's water resources. In order to accomplish this objective in the most efficient manner, the Secretary of the Interior will need the active support and help of all other Federal agencies that can contribute talent and resources in the field of weather modification. At the same time, the other mission-oriented agencies will necessarily need to carry on expanding programs in such other areas of weather modification as hail suppression, for dispersal, lightning suppression to prevent forest fires, hurricane research, and severe storm research. Senate bill 2875 makes clear that the programs of the other mission-oriented agencies should be continued and that the other Federal agencies should be prepared to be called upon by the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the atmospheric water resources program of the Department of the Interior.

The proposed bill would authorize and direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a comprehensive program of scientific and engineering research, experiments, tests, and operations for increasing the yield of water from atmospheric resources. The overall objective of the proposed legislation would be to comprehend within the Department of the Interior the full range of ac

tivities in water resources. The Department of the Interior already has underway programs in the field of saline water, water resources research, and the development of water projects for various water uses. For many years the Department has conducted fundamental research in the Geological Survey on natural resources of which land and water are most significant. Research and administration in water pollution abatement have been recommended as additional Interior responsibilities by President Johnson. The significant omission at the present time, and the omission that the proposed legislation is intended to fill, is the responsibility of the Department of the Interior to develop atmospheric water sources on a national basis and to provide for its coordinated use with other water supplies.

The purpose of the scheduled hearings is to provide the Interior Committee with the full facts, information, and informed judgment on this promising new field of scientific and engineering research and development. That is why the subcommittee plans to give much of its time to the testimony of highly qualified scientists and engineers. We also seek the views of men of high professional standards who, as early pioneers, have clearly demonstrated their practical capability in weather modification. Some of the witnesses to be invited include the early pioners in weather modification who, in spite of frequent serious obstacles, held doggedly to their convictions while weather modification developed scientific support.

The Senate Interior Committee in recent years has supported a well-considered program of legislation aimed at strengthening the water resources responsibilities of the Secretary of the Interior. Action on S. 2875 by the Congress this year would add to the distinguished record of the 89th Congress in the enactment of legislation to meet critical natural resources problems of national concern.

Recent expansion of existing programs or the addition of new programs in water resources clearly demonstrate that the Department of the Interior with the active support of the Congress is seeking to comprehend the full range of water resources programs throughout the Nation. For example:

(a) The greatly expanded saline water program of the Department of the Interior is showing great promise. This supplemental source of water supply should eventually provide an economic and competitive source of fresh water for integrated use along with other sources of water supplies.

(b) The Water Resources Planning Act authorized the Secretary of the Interior to undertake comprehensive Federal-State planning as a basis for coordinated conservation and development of the surface and subsurface waters of the Nation's streams, rivers, lakes, and underground water aquifers. That significant legislation, strongly endorsed by President Johnson, will enable the people of this country through their State and Federal Governments to plan wisely for optimum beneficial multipurpose use of the Nation's water resources. (c) The Water Resources Research Act authorized the Secretary of the Interior to work with the States in establishing water resources research centers designed to meet the problems of State and local interests.

(d) The Water Resources Planning Act established the Cabinet-level Water Resources Council to plan the most efficient use of our portion of this planet's water. President Johnson has designated Interior Secretary Udall as the Chairman of the Council, the other members being the Secretaries of Agriculture, Defense, and Health, Education, and Welfare, and the Chairman of the Federal Power Commission.

(e) The Senate Interior Committee in 1964 held general hearings on weather modification as a basis for increased appropriations to the Bureau of Reclamation for undertaking engineering and applied research in atmospheric water resources. The practical program of the Bureau of Reclamation gives great promise on operational levels and is designed to determine the economic feasibility of increasing the water supply available to reclamation projects, through the application of weather modification techniques, for the purpose of increasing the precipitation in the headwaters of drainage basins providing the inflow to reclamation reservoirs.

Other areas of water resources where the Department of the Interior is receiving added assignments include the Federal Water Project Recreation Act which places outdoor recreation and fish and wildlife on an equal basis with other major purposes in Federal water resources projects. Interior's Bureau of Outdoor Recreation will direct the planning of these projects together with its former task of river basin planning.

President Johnson's message to the Congress on February 23, 1966, relating to the pollution of our waters and proposing a clean-rivers demonstration program,

will add substantially to the nationwide responsibilities of the Department of the Interior. The President stated that he would shortly submit to the Congress a reorganization plan to transfer to the Department of the Interior the Water Pollution Control Administration now housed in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The President then emphasized that the logic of good government requires the integration of water resources efforts and responsibilities. He stated:

"Today the Department's water management programs range from saline water research to irrigation. It is responsible for wildlife preservation, and for administering the national park system. Its Secretary serves as Chairman of the Water Resources Council. Thus its present task, and the logic of good government, requires that it be entrusted with an important new effort to clean and preserve entire river systems."

The proposed legislation to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a comprehensive program for increasing the yield of water from atmospheric sources would be in keeping with "the logic of good government" stressed by the President. It is in the light of this philosophy that the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources proposes to undertake its comprehensive hearings. The Select Committee on National Water Resources reported to the Senate in 1961 that large areas of the United States face increasingly critical water shortages. Water supply limitations for a large part of the Nation may in fact curtail economic opportunities for economic and population growth by 1980. These include the south Pacific area in California, the Colorado River Basin, the San Juan Pecos, the Great Basin, and the Upper Missouri River Basin.

Other areas will be short by the year 2000. In recent years the Great Lakes have been plagued with falling water levels with serious domestic as well as international effects. The aging of the lakes has become extremely serious. And the unprecedented drought in the Northeast during the past 5 years has demonstrated that other parts of the Nation are not immune to damaging droughts and serious water supply problems.

Great projects on an international scale like the North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA) are being proposed to meet part of these pressing problems. Scientific reports now indicate that effective utilization of our atmospheric water resources should be considered as another component in developing overall plans for the sound use of al water resources.

The proposed legislation would also move forward on recommendations contained in two comprehensive scientific reports recently released, one titled "Water and Climate Modification, Problems and Prospects" by a panel of distinguished scientists assembled by the National Academy of Science-National Research Council, and a second report titled "Weather and Climate Modification" by a Special Commission on Weather Modification established by the National Science Foundation. These two reports call for great expansion in the engineering and research efforts in all phases of weather modification.

These important reports have been widely reported in scientific and popular journals. The January 28, 1966, issue of Science states:

"The lack of a scientific consensus on the value of cloud-seeding experiments has had a discouraging effect on proposals for greater Government involvement in weather modification. The missing consensus may now be taking shape, however, as a result of a report issued last week by a prestigious panel appointed more than 2 years ago by the National Academy of Sciences.

"The NAS panel, chaired by Gordon J. F. MacDonald, professor in the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at the University of California, Los Angeles, has substantially revised its own previous views about cloud seeding." The January 31, 1966, issue of Newsweek states:

"The change in the climate was rather precipitous, to say the least. Just last May, President Johnson had complained of the 'slow pace' in attempts to modify the weather to man's benefit, and last week, the scientific group that has been so skeptical about rainmaking and other techniques suddenly announced weather modification is possible after all."

In the words of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council report, volume 1, page 22:

"The available evidence, though not conclusive, indicates that artificial nucleation techniques, under certain meteorological conditions, may be used to modify the space or time distribution of precipitation. Specifically, we find some evidence for precipitation increases of as much as 10 or 20 percent over areas as large as 1,000 square miles over periods ranging from weeks to years."

It is believed that these reports, prepared after several years' work by distinguished scientists, provide a valid basis for confidence that an atmospheric water resources program can be effective and beneficial. To illustrate, the report of the Special Commission on Weather Modification of the National Science Foundation states:

"With respect to the scientific prospects for the future, the commission finds that attractive opportunities exist. Advanced experimental techniques and application of sophisticated concepts in statistical design promise to reduce the present uncertainty in the interpretation of field experiments. The scientific exploration of weather and climate modification is passing from a speculative phase to the rational phase. Within reach are mathematical and laboratory modeling techniques that permit the simulation of atmospheric processes. By these means it should become possible to assess in advance the probable consequences deliberate intervention. An expanded program of basic and applied

research is needed to take advantage of these scientific opportunities." With respect to the size of the program, the report states on page 129: "The Commission recommends that the total current fiscal year 1966 budget for climate and weather modification research of approximately $7.2 million be increased by 1970 to $20 to $30 million, or approximately 5 percent of the total current fiscal year 1966 budget of $500.6 million, for both atmospheric sciences and meteorological services. Additional increases of the same order are needed for basic research and for large computing facilities, making a total increase of $40 to $50 million per year by 1970."

The report of the Panel on Weather and Climate Modification of the National Academy of Sciences previously referred to makes a comparable recommendation on page 22:

"We recommend that immediate steps be taken by the agencies to raise the support from the 1965 level of $5 million to at least $30 million by 1970.

"This recommendation is based on a rough estimate of the cost of needed research with emphasis on field research programs. Further progress in weather modification will depend in a critical way on progress in understanding the atmosphere, and in extending our capability for predicting atmospheric phenomenon both in time and on a local scale. Increased funding in weather modification should, therefore, be accompanied by a commensurate increase in funding for the supporting atmospheric sciences and for the development and operation of supporting research facilities and systems, including new computers and observational networks for stimulating atmospheric circulation." The NSF Commission report further states on pages 29-30:

"There should be a concerted effort directed specifically at the development of what may be called the technology of weather and climate modification. This is a sector in which a conspicuous gap is becoming evident. The objectives should be early development and testing of techniques by which deliberate intervention in atmospheric processes can be accomplished and consideration of the likely consequences of human activity in inadvertent intervention. Large-scale undertakings with substantial logistical support will be required and close liaison will be desirable with the social, biological, and other related studies.

"There should be provision for operational application by both the public and the private sectors as the feasibility and efficacy of modification techniques are validated.

"There should be such regulation as may be required to protect the public interest and advance the state of the art. Admittedly, it is difficult to arrive at a judgment on such matters as the timing and necessary scope of regulation and the form of administration. In the opinion of the Commission, however, it is not too soon to deal with this matter of providing flexibility for adaptation to changing needs.

"In the light of the above program, the following considerations with respect to funding appear to be relevant :

"Federal financial support for research and development activities in weather and climate modification need to be increased substantially above present levels." A year ago President Johnson advised the Congress that substantial progress had been made in weather modification "but the pace has been slow. To advance the rate of progress, an effort of larger scope and direction is needed both in conducting basic research and in developing means to put the knowledge to work." Success in weather modification will inure to the credit of the interest, initiative, and understanding of the Congress in offering encouragement and support to this worthy and important research.