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III, The Economic Development Administration's (EDA) primary function is the long-range economic development and programming for areas and regions of substantial and persistent unemployment and underemployment and low family income through the creation of new employment opportunities by developing new and expanding existing facilities and resources in such areas and regions. EDA administers certain federal aids for areas designated as redevelopment areas and centers, These include public works grants and loans, loans for industrial or commercial facilities, working capital loan guarantees, and technical, planning and research assistance, The type and extent of the federal assistance varies with the intensity of the problem, IV. The Regional Action Planning Commissions are multi-state in size. There are eight such commissions in operation: The Appalachian Regional Commis- sion, the Coastal Plains Regional Commission, the Four Corners Regional Commis- sion, the New England Regional Commission, the Old West Regional Commission, the Ozarks Regional Commission, the Upper Great Lakes Regional Commission and the Pacific Northwest Commission. As a part of their responsibilities and authorities, the regional commis- sions' program seeks to promote economic development of the designated regions by reducing or removing obstacles to regional growth through planning, research, technical assistance and direct and supplemental funding of federal grant-in-aid programs, By statute the commissions are required to develop long-range comprehensive plans which, after approval by the Secretary of Commerce, serve as guidelines for program and project funding, Principal program categories for the commissions are: (1) industrial development; (2) human resources development (particularly worker training and retraining); (3) natural resource development; (4) trans- portation development; and (5) tourism and recreation development, Projects in these program categories are assisted either through supplements to regular federal grant-in-aid programs or through planning and research assistance, V, The Social and Economic Statistical Administration's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is engaged in a major research effort in the field of water resources development planning, This research aims at developing and maintaining (1) a statistical base; (2) a set of economic projections; and (3) an analytical evaluation system that can be applied to any multi-county geographic area. The statistical base gives a detailed picture of the economy of any area in terms of income, employment and population, with the first two items shown in considerable industrial detail, From this picture an area's economic progress or decline can be identified, Such a picture is an essential element of an economic base survey. Economic projections, the second element of the system, are prepared for the Nation, economic areas, water resources planning subareas, the states and standard metropolitan statistical areas, These projections which cover a period of 50 years at 10-year intervals are made in considerable industrial detail, Analysis of these projections enables the planner to detect future strengths and weaknesses of an area's economy and to measure the amount of water resources development necessary to sustain that future economy--either as projected by the BEA or as modified by actions of the water resources development agencies in the planning process. -8- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I