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<br />Chapter 1 <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />1. Purpose and Scope <br /> <br />This report is prepared to assist ongoing Federal <br />interagency efforts and the efforts of state agencies to <br />protect the American public from the hazards of unsafe dams. <br />It presents summaries and assessments of the progress made by <br />the Federal agencies involved with dams toward implementation <br />of the Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety, promulgated in 1979 <br />(Appendix 14). The current status of efforts by state <br />governments to regulate non-Federal dams in the interest of <br />public safety also is briefly summarized. <br /> <br />Executive Order 12148, issued in 1979, established the <br />Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and gave the <br />Director of FEMA the responsibility for coordinating Federal <br />activities toward enhancing the safety of dams in the United <br />States. FEMA, in its role in the management of Federal <br />disaster recovery efforts, has programs for prevention or <br />mitigation of disasters that could have catastrophic effects <br />on public welfare. As part of this prevention and mitigation <br />effort, FEMA has sought to assist state governments in <br />regulating dams in the interest of public safety. This <br />report has been developed in response to these multiple <br />FEMA responsibilities. <br /> <br />2. Backaround <br /> <br />Shortly after the catastrophic failure of Teton Dam in <br />Idaho in 1976, a group of representatives of Federal agencies <br />involved with dams met informally in Washington to explore <br />the potential for interagency actions to improve dam safety <br />programs. Subsequently, by memorandum dated April 23, <br />1977, addressed to the heads of these same Federal agencies, <br />President Carter directed the following actions: <br /> <br />a. The head of each Federal agency having responsibilities <br />for dams immediately undertake a thorough review of <br />practices which could affect the safety and integrity <br />of those structures; <br /> <br />b. The Chairman of the Federal Coordinating Council for <br />science, Engineering and Technology (FCCSET) convene <br />an ad hoc interagency committee to coordinate dam safety <br />programs; <br /> <br />Chapter 1 - page 7 <br />