PUBLIC WORKS APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1960 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE EIGHTY-SIXTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS APPROPRIATIONS CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri, Chairman LOUIS C. RABAUT, Michigan MICHAEL J. KIRWAN, Ohio JOHN E. FOGARTY, Rhode Island BEN F. JENSEN, Iowa JOHN J. RILEY, South Carolina JOE L. EVINS, Tennessee EDWARD P. BOLAND, Massachusetts DON MAGNUSON, Washington CARSON CULP, Staff Assistant to the Subcommittee COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri, Chairman GEORGE H. MAHON, Texas HUGH Q. ALEXANDER, North Carolina ALFRED E. SANTANGELO, New York JOSEPH M. MONTOYA, New Mexico JOHN TABER, New York H. CARL ANDERSEN, Minnesota CHARLES RAPER JONAS, North Carolina ELFORD A. CEDERBERG, Michigan JOHN J. RHODES, Arizona KENNETH SPRANKLE, Clerk and Staff Director I J61 DOCUMENTS PUBLIC WORKS APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1960 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 1959. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION. F. E. DOMINY, ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER A. R. GOLZÉ, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER B. G. DAVIS, CHIEF, DIVISION OF PROGRAM COORDINATION AND FINANCE N. B. BENNETT, CHIEF, DIVISION OF PROJECT DEVELOPMENT W. I. PALMER, CHIEF, DIVISION OF IRRIGATION D. S. CAMPBELL, CHIEF, DIVISION OF POWER Mr. CANNON. The committee will come to order. We are glad to have with us this morning Mr. Dominy, the Associate Commissioner, but who is Commissioner-designate, and will succeed to that important position on the 1st of May. Mr. Commissioner, can you give us a general statement at this time? Mr. DOMINY. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman; I would like to present an opening statement on the Bureau's program as represented here in the President's budget which is before you for consideration. It is a pleasure to appear before this committee to discuss Reclamation's proposed program and fund requirements for fiscal year 1960. The work of the Bureau of Reclamation is directed toward the development of the West. In order to provide water to meet partially the needs of the expanding population and the economic and industrial growth of the 18 Western States including Alaska, the Bureau's continued activity is essential. The program for 1960 provides for continuation of construction work now underway at a reasonable rate. There are no funds requested to initiate construction on new projects. The companion programs of investigations and operation and maintenance are scheduled on a moderate basis. We are requesting a total of $251,196,000 under six appropriation heads, viz: "General investigations," "Construction and rehabilitation," "Operation and maintenance," "General administrative expenses," "Upper Colorado River Basin fund," and the "Loan program." This compares with enacted appropriations of $259,780,335 for fiscal year 1959 and proposed supplemental appropriations pending before this Congress of $4,860,000 for the loan program and $360,600 and $924,000 for pay increases for general administrative expenses and the operation and maintenance program, respectively, or a total decrease of $14,728,935. On March 24, 1959, the House approved the 897 supplemental for the loan program and reduced our request for pay increase supplemental by 10 percent. The money requested for 1960, together with a small amount of carryover funds from the prior year, will permit the Bureau to carry on a carefully planned program for all of its activities. Now Mr. Chairman, I have a general statement covering each of the six headings included here. I think, since they will be repeated as we get into the details of the budget, I will not take time to read that, but merely put that in the record, with your permission. Mr. CANNON. That will be included in the record at this point. (The matter referred to follows:) GENERAL INVESTIGATIONS For 1960 we are asking $5 million compared with $4,556,000 appropriated for the current year. Taking into consideration estimated carryover and contributions, the request for 1960 is about 10 percent less than the amount of funds available for the current year. It should also be noted that the $5 million request for this activity includes $250,000 for an engineering methods and materials research program which has been included in the general investigations activity for the first time in fiscal year 1960. The request for the normal planning work therefore actually represents a reduction of some 15 percent from the current level. With these funds work will be continued on 83 investigations and initiated or resumed on 28 other investigations. Thirty-four of these will be completed by the end of fiscal year 1960. Over 71 percent of the fiscal year 1960 program will be used for investigations to determine the engineering and economic feasibility of specific projects as a basis for recommendations to the Congress for authorizations for construction. Planning will be continued on 54 feasibility studies already underway at the beginning of the fiscal year and will be initiated or resumed on studies of 11 other potential developments. Twenty of the studies will be completed by the end of the fiscal year. The remaining 29 percent of the 1960 program will involve reconnaissance investigations of 12 potentital developments of which 2 will be completed in 1960, basin surveys in 11 basins of which 5 surveys will be completed in 1960, a general engineering and research program involving 4 studies of which 1 will be completed during the year, a program of 6 studies under engineering methods and materials research, advance planning on 3 authorized projects, all of which will be completed in 1960, rehabilitation and financial studies in connection with 5 existing projects, 3 of which will be completed by the end of the year, and 5 investigations in Alaska. The Bureau's investigation activities in the 18 Western States including Alaska, except those in the Missouri River Basin and the advance planning on the Colorado River storage project are performed with funds from this appropriation. We believe the amount requested represents the minimum necessary to continue in 1960 the Bureau's long-range planning for the further development of the water resources of the Western States. CONSTRUCTION AND REHABILITATION The 1960 estimate for construction and rehabilitation is $135,410,000. This amount, plus $468,687 of prior year funds programed for use in fiscal year 1960 and anticipated slippage and savings in 1960 of $6 million will provide a total program of $141,878,687. As in the past a major portion of the construction funds requested for 1960 will be used on a relatively small number of projects. Approximately 67 percent of the appropriation requested will be used to finance work on six projects and two Missouri River Basin units. These are the Central Valley, Collbran, Washita Basin, San Angelo, Weber Basin, and Columbia Basin projects, and the Frenchman-Cambridge unit and Transmission division of the Missouri River Basin project. Continuation of construction during 1960 at the rate provided in the justifications will make water available for the irrigation of an additional 73,000 acres of new land and 66,800 acres of land now receiving an inadequate supply. Hydroelectric generating capacity will be increased by 64,000 kilowatts. During 1960 all of the construction money requested will go for continuing work on projects underway at the end of the previous fiscal year. The program for |