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level of, planning Il.CCOrds priorities and subsequently selects (assigns a priority to) that formulation which makes the moot beneficial contribution to those ob- Jectives con.s1dered to be most important. However, it is not untJI regionaJ or river basin. level at planning Is undertaken that the resulting projects are aocorded a priortty in tenns of their time phasing or sequence of implementation. The problems and needs for water and land resource development vary among the ditlerent reglons of the Nation, 8 major reason for this variance being the economic, social. and environmental con- ditions uniquely associated with different geograpWc areas. It is for this reason. that water and land resource plans are formulated tor and apply to well-defined geographic areas. either river basins or other deSignated regions. Recogntzing the existence of bUdget constraints. a choice must be made as to whether or not each plan is to pro- gress toward compleUon at the same rate or whether pla.ns for some regions are. to progress at accelerated rates. What- ever the choice, it represents a priority decision in formUlating a national pl'Ogtam. . Since plans Bre directed toward meet- Ing .problems and needs in designated geographic areas, choosing priorities among regional or river basin plans re- flects, 1n practicaJ tenus, the assl~ent of Priorities to geographic aress. There- fore, t.h the budget.8.ry sense, national program formulation is the allocation at a multiyear bUdget among geo- graphic areas. c. ESTABLISHING PBlORITIES The President and the Congress, through the authorization, budgetary, and approprla.tion process, are ultimate- ly responsible for assigning priorities for 1m.plementation of Federal activities. At an earlier stage, however, the Water Resources Councll has certain responsi- b1l1tles wltb regard to priorities. These standards ampllfy upon those responsi- bWties by requiring member agencies to fonnulate long-range national and . regional programs for water and land resource acttv1ties. 1. Project plan.!. To assure that ade- Quate data are ava1J.able for subsequent steps 1n the process of national pro- graming for water and land resource ac- tivities, tt Is essential In the process of 10rmulating plans for a project that sumc1ent information with respect to the contributlons that altem.a.tive plans ma.k:e to the multiobJectives be clearly developed and reported.. 2.-. Basin plam. With respect to basin or regional plans, it is necessary to estab- lish priorities among the various activi- ties in a pla.n and to present a clear state- ment of their most e:ffective sequence of implementa.tion. ManY basin plans have contained early action programs which single out the projects for more immedi- ate needs. However. the criteria for this choice generally are not related to na- tional priorities for water and land re- source activities. Undar existing procedures, prlorltl.. for Federal and federally assisted Bettv- NOTICES !ttes are usually established by agency . recommendations to the President and by specificatJon in the President's annual budget messages to the Congress. Publ1c review 01 these priOrities is generally limited to testimony before the var10UB congressional subcommittees which are considering the budget requests for a particular agency. . Since the priorities set forth in the Federal budget are uSually limited to ac- tions to be rmdertaken within an en- . suing fiscal year, State and local plan- ning groups are forced to make hjghly . uncertain projections In regard to the future actIvities at Federal water and land programs. These standards provide that river basin commissions and entities designated by the Water Resources ConneD to perfonn the functions of a river basin commission recommend long~range schedules of prIorities tor the collection and analysis of basic data and for the investigation, pla~g, and construction of projects. State members 01 river basin COm.m1.ssiolU have a re- BPonslbility to participate In establishing the long-range schedule of priorities. These standards require that each Fed- eral agency that is a member of a river basin commission or entity performing the functions of a commission participate In the preparation of such a long-range schedule of priorities. Such a schedule is to reflect priorities to be accorded to.pre- . vtousIy authorized projects, as well sa those recommended for authorization . during each 5-year period 10 the sched- ule. The recommended schedule 01 priori- ties should accompany all requests for congressloruiJ. authorization and 1unding. A copy of the schedule should also be forwarded to the Governors of the appro- priate States for review and comment. S. National prO(JTa7n3. The single most perplexing problem In water and land resource programing is the integration of regional and river basin plans into a na.. tional program of Federal and federally assisted activities for the management and use of the Nation's water and larid resources. In order that the Counell may make a continuing stUdy ot the relatJon 01 regional or river basin plans to the re- quirements of larger regions of the Na- tion and to the Nation as a whole, these standards require that each member of the Council prepare a 5-year natIonal program of water and land resource acUvtt1es for submission through the COuncD to the President. The 5-year pro- gram is to include an identlficat1m at priority activities for collection and analysis ot basic data and for the in- vestigations. planning, and constrnction of projects. whIch are to be initiated In each region during the period. The amount of program funds to be allocated to a pa.rtlcular region or basIn is not to be based upon a rigid mathematical tormula but, consistent with the level of funds prospectively available, upon an assessment of the relative needs tor water resource' activitIes in the respec- Uve regions. The national program and its regional allocations is to be ,contin- ually reviewed and modlfied periodically to reflect the changing needs for water resoiJrce activities. 24189 IX. COORDINATION AND REVIEW or PLANNING STUDIES A. INTRODUCTION The success of multtobJective 'planning depends on meanIngful participation at Interests concerned with each objective at each step in the planning process. The lenders for water and land resource plan- ning have the challenging responsibility of achieving such participation while managing effective planning studies and facIlitating declsiomnaking. This respon- sibility wUI require an aggressive pro- gram to involve all concerned interests in Identifying an.ares's problems and needs, in planning alternative solutions, and in decisions as to action. Federal pla.nn1ng and partIcipation in planning .will be carried out on a coor.. dinated basis from the earliest constder- . atIoD of planning needs and priorities through Initiation of an investigation or survey and the ent;4"e process of plan- ning and review. When warranted. Joint Federal agency-State planning for re- glaDS or river baSins w1I1 be a.rra.nged by the Councu. Full advantage is to l,Je taken of existing field orgaritzatlons and ar- rangements for coordination., such as river basin commiss:Ions, other regional agencles or cominlssioDS, Federal-State interagency committees. interstate bod- ies and State Blld local agencies. When a.nY Federal agency initiates an Investi- gation. it shall follow ~e Water Re- sources Councll's standards for appro- priate coordination and consideration of problems of mutual concern. with other Federal agencies and with interested regional, State, and local pUbllc agencies and private Jnterests. B. NATIONAL PROCRAM: OF PLANNING ST'UDIZS The Water Resources Counc11 W1ll pre- pare and keep up to da.te a natJonal pro- gram of water and .land resource plan- ning studies, 'ThIs program will Include a' long-.range schedule of priorities for: 1. Framework studies and assess- ments ; 2. Regional or river basins studies; and 3. Implementation studies. 1. Framework studies and assessments. In accordance with section 102 of the Water Resources Planning Act. the Coun- cil w1ll maintain a continuous stUdy of water requirements and the adequacy of water supplies to meet them. The Coun- cil will publish periodically an ....ess- ment )of the Nation's water and land resources, and w1I1 publlsh 88 needed framework studies and assessments for the major regions of the country. The reports on framework studies and a.ssessmentB will be prepared by the re- giolUll enUtles designated by the Coun- cil. The Connen shall review such reports as to the adequacy. of water supplies to meet requirements in the region: the relatIon of the regional progmms to Ule larger regions of the Nation; the ade- quacy of adm1nlstrative and statutory means for coordina.tion among FederaJ. agencies; the adequacy or existing policy and programs to meet such require- ments: and otlier regional and natJonal problems in the OOl15ervatton. develop- ment. and utillzation of water and. land resources as the Counell may determine. , t [i ,J I, 'FEDERAL REGISTER.. VOL 36, NO. 24S-TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1971