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<br />"What is till! major ligniJiwnct! of thl! 't!vised P,inciplts <br />tuJd Standards JOr planning watttr und rt!lolt"d rewurcn? <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />They place environmental concerns on a basis equal <br />to economic development. This allo.....s planners. to truly <br />recognize the environmental uadeotls in resource plan- <br />Dins. _ <br />In addition to considering those ob.ic'ctives.. the con- <br />sideration of adverse and beneticial elTects of regional <br />development and social well being recognizes other <br />aspetts of water resource planning. The display of four <br />accounts-national economic development, environ- <br />mental quality, regional development and social well be. <br />1ng-give" the Congress and others. an opporlunity to <br />evaluate Cully the projxted effects and tradcofCs of <br />alternative plans. <br />N the Principles and Standards are \I.'ritten now. for. <br />mulation of alternative plans .....ilI be based on national <br />economic development and environmental quality ob- <br />jectives. Basically a recommended plan must have net <br />economic development benefits eltCept where the <br />deficiency in net benetit results from benetits foregone or <br />additional costs incurred to serve the environmental <br />quality objective. In other words, a plan with no net eco- <br />nomic benefit could be recommended if it has overriding <br />long-term environmental benefits. <br />Also there is a pro..' ision of the Principles that says a <br />departm..:r.tal secretary or agenc)' head may make an e:r;. <br />ception to the net economic benefit rule if he determin.::s <br />that the circumstances unique to the planning and for- <br />mulation processes warrant an exception. What this <br />means is that under unusual circumstances it is possible <br />to g6 forward with a plan that docs not have nct benefits <br />undr.:r either of the nhjectives. Olwiously. th.: economic <br />dcvclup!llt~nl and en,'ifllnm.:ntal quality ol~.iC'cti,'""s m;H:.c <br />up the si~nilicant accoUI:ts; hnw...."cr. bcnctici;li :lnd ad. <br />verse c:f(ccls on regional development and social well be- <br />ing willl'k: displaycd where appropriate to give further <br />assistance to the decision maker. <br /> <br />What ~ffect will thl! n~w Pri/lcipll:l and Standards haw on' <br />,hi! public's rol~"! <br /> <br />The initial impact insofar as the public is concerned <br />""ill relate to identifying anJ specifying tlie issues to at. <br />tain tr.e ot-~.:ctivcs carly in lh.... planning pr\lccsses. The <br />plan formularion requires that public participation be <br />sought early and continually throughout the process, <br />There will be at least two alternative plans formulated; <br />one a pl:!in that best optimizes contrlbutluns to the na. <br />tianal economic development objective and on.: that best <br />SCf\'CS the environmental objective, Other plans con~ <br />rriburing 10 the objectives will then he formul:l!cd to ue. <br />\'clop the l'1;J!;Jncc' ('If optlmum n.:~oun;~ U~~'. Tbe- puhlic <br />will ha\'e :1 'cry direct and strong input in sdectir.g th.lt <br />balance:. <br />Under the new Principles and Standards the public <br />can particip.ue on the basis that there are 3ltcrnatives to <br />react to, Previousl.... with the national economic de- <br />velopment approach. there was just the on.::-t)"pe of plan <br />and the reaction was limited to "take it or lea\'e it:. With <br />a number of alternatives expressing the concerns of dif- <br />ferent groups that have special interests as well as the <br />public in general, a greater incentive to participate will <br />be generatcd, I might just aud, though. that in this matter <br />of alternalive planning. there coulu be cases where an <br />agency could come up with just one plan. In other words. <br />where there are no coonicts and the plan is basically for <br />a single purpose. there may be no logical alternative. <br />This would be considered an exception, <br />In carrying out the Principles and Standards some <br />nexibililY is called for on the part of the planners and <br />agencies in working with the public. Critical ilems in this <br />planning process include that of agencies 'working with <br />the public in actually scrccning out altcrmftives at an <br />early date. and then displaying and arraying the final <br />plan. In this m;mncr the public .....ilI certainly have an <br />carly voke in the matter of initiating the particular steps <br />that will be ~<lkcn in coming up with altl..'rnati...e plans. <br /> <br />. All principal agencies hav~ been developing guide. <br />lines and procedures for public participation. In my <br />estimation, the Corps of Engmeers has gone ~l'..ut as far <br />as anybody with ilS "fish bowl" type of planning. I can <br />p:rceive that with this new Olpproach to planning the.re <br />Will be refinements in agency efforts to obtain <br />meaningful and signiticant public participation. <br />wm tllnt! "'till attmtpl to Nt_ainurion talues on non-' <br />mtJtIettuy ~e'n'S? <br /> <br />The new ~ncipl~ aad Standards provide that <br />measure~ents will be In quantitative or qualitarive terms. <br />appropriate to the definition of the component being <br />evaluated, It is no~ envisioned that we ~ould try to have <br />commo~ value Units. There have been, however, various <br />~luatlOn systems which have been developed and are <br />JOlna through the process' of refinement. A great deal of <br />work has ~en done on methods of documenting non. <br />~etary effects. however. there is not a precise system <br />available at the present time. I can foresee thai im- <br />pl.ementation of these Principles and Standards will <br />~lmu.la~e pr~~ress, towards .defining positive ways of <br />identifying eUects In a descnptive way. <br />In the past the rJecision maker, which has been <br />Congress or the Executive Branch, could determine to <br />~~r~ or not support a particular project based on the <br />SimpliCity of the benefit:cost. ratio. Under this new ap. <br />proach a bcnefit.cost ratio Wilt not be displayed, On the <br />other hand, Congressmen and others will have a full ac. <br />cou."!ir:g or the ct"fects of a project to assist in their <br />ueclslon making. tI [9]. <br /> <br />SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS <br /> <br />ACCOUNT BENEFICIAL AOVEitSE <br />EFFECTS EFFECTS NET BENEFITS <br />--- <br />- <br />-. <br />- . <br />.... ...- <br />-. <br />- <br />-, <br />.-. <br />,,",or,.._ <br /> <br />PLAN EFFECTS H.E.D. OBJECTIVE <br /> <br />BENEFICIAL <br /> <br />ADVERSE <br /> <br />NET <br /> <br />~_-......Itd <br /> <br />en.cI.c.. <br />h_" <br /> <br />............O"pu1 <br /> <br />1l.o_1m.. Ib'->l-'ltl.. <br /> <br />PLAN EFFECTS aD. OBJECTIVES <br /> <br />a:;:NEFICIAL AOVERSf. <br /> <br />NET <br /> <br />PAOT[CT AND NPAOY[ <br />IrlJOru.....l..llAUTY <br /> <br />DUTfKlTIrl.>.TUU~'UJ,IT'l' <br /> <br />GO<[A.l~lT <br />EFHCUCA'" <br />"OT'[lrlm~ <br /> <br />1'FI($[AVE.NAl1J!l,UJOPIO <br />Cl'lIU"A~srTUJON:l <br />lCOI..OGOC:"~ $Y$IEM$ <br /> <br />o[~T"OY N~f\JRJOlJO!'fO <br />C'JLl1,MAl$laSJONO <br />lCOU;;l:;ICAl$YSlOlS <br /> <br />_OVIlCH'AllTTOF <br />WUlR,U...O......DAtR <br /> <br />fllOUCIiOUAUTTOf'W.>.I(III. <br />L.AflOAHO,." <br /> <br />lROSOOHCO/Il'TAOl <br /> <br />NCAUSlDflIlOSlClN <br /> <br />""E.5IffiVE~00M0f <br />CHQlCECONCUlN,>eG <br />I\ll.<1;EIISI&I..EaHl.:U <br /> <br />. <br />lFi"EvEA~I..~e.~ThEHT <br />I'AECWC'NGHHUItEC~OICl <br />o,~ <br /> <br />24 <br />