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<br />IV. RESPONSIBILIIIES <br /> <br />4.1 STATES <br /> <br />4.1.1 Discussion <br /> <br />State governments are responsible for protecting <br />their residents from loss of life or property by the <br />unsafe action or inaction of others whenever and <br />wherever possible. <br /> <br />.While some states have adequate statutory and <br />regulatory authority over nonfederaI dams, others lack <br />any such authority and many fall somewhere in between. <br />Since it is widely accepted that dam owners are <br />responsible for the safety of their dams and that <br />regulatory authority should lie in the states,all <br />states need laws regulating dam safety_ Six states hay <br />enacted such legislation in the past five years. <br />However, many others need to enact legislation or <br />improve existing legislation, and the U.S. government <br />should assist and encourage the states in this ma~ter. <br /> <br />4.1.2 US COLD Model Law <br /> <br />The United States Committee on Large Dams (USCOLD) <br />has issued a "Model Law for State Supervision of Safety <br />of Dams and Reservoirs." USCOLD is the United States <br />Member of the International Commission on Large Dams, a <br />organization of professional engineers, geologists, <br />other individuals, and organizations concerned with the <br />design" construction, operation, and maintenance of dam <br />and reservoirs. The model was prepared as a public <br />service for the consideration of state governors and <br />legislatures. The objective was to promote states' <br />awareness of their dam safety responsibilities and to <br />help the states begin or improve supervisory programs. <br /> <br />-19- <br />