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<br />00034:,: <br /> <br />30 <br /> <br />II . . Ironically, special interests are crying over the need <br />for 'balance' at a time when more and more citizens are pleading <br />for a redress of the existing 'imbalance. '. 11 <br /> <br />***** <br /> <br />"Contrary to the amoral stance taken in the Principles and <br />Standards, environmental protection is not just a matter of <br />subjective preference but an indispensable prerequisite for all <br />economic progress, and no dichotomy can long exist between the <br />two. . . . I' <br /> <br />* * * * * <br /> <br />"In our judgment, it is inappropriate to limit environmental <br />considerations to 'certain' natural and cultural resources and <br />ecological systems, and we recommend that such qualifiers be <br />dropped just as we hope that the listing of environmental resources <br />in the environmental account is exemplary rather than all- <br />inclusive. <br /> <br />"More fundamentally, the environmental account lacks a <br />means of judging the importance of a particular resources within <br />the context of a broader environment. Certainly social and <br />political preferences will continue to be important in allocating <br />land and water uses, yet it is not possible for decision makers <br />and the general public to get an accurate picture of what particular <br />decisions mean when assumptions are presented as facts. II <br /> <br />r <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />***** <br /> <br />". . . We must opt for a more realistic and higher discount <br />rate and for a greater measure of public participation in water and <br />land resource programs. <br /> <br />liThe proposed regional account for us is the subject of fear <br />that so-called secondary benefits will continue as a means of <br />project justification. For economic purposes, the regional <br />account should in fact be unnecessary. It matters less whether <br />public needs are identified by local, state, regional, or Federal <br />interests. The planning process should be open to all and specific <br />proposals should be judged on their merits and value to society <br />rather than on their source. II <br /> <br />****~::: <br />