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<br />vironmema!JSfS, newly rnen to a mea-
<br />a.re of power, li,l:hung most new dam
<br />~posah m couns, hearing rooms,
<br />..oj {he media. ii~hflng 10 preserve
<br />wme remnant of 'I\'hat our wild rl\'ers
<br />looked like before (hey .....ere rava,lo!ed.
<br />Of late they h.1\'(:" been WlnnJm: more
<br />often than losln,li:. For Insu~ce. In
<br />sprin,l; 1986. when the G.urnon Olver.
<br />sian VOl[ In Nonh DakOl.1 w.u finally
<br />given the ,It:o-aheaJ d.tu:r a prOlracred
<br />legal mu~le. It had to be K.iled hack
<br />irom ,250.000 to 130.000 acres. and ItS
<br />backers had [0 ;l{cepr a number of en-
<br />vllonmenul ufelluarJs thaI would
<br />tun' been uO!hJnkabJe compromises
<br />In the old da)'s. Similarl)', in November
<br />1986. "'hen Congress .le la5t broke ltS
<br />impasse and moved to fund 296 ....'alet
<br />projeCTs. none of rhem ....-uoo rhe scale
<br />of Glen Canyon or Grand CQulee and
<br />ilIl of them henceforth bad to find
<br />marchin,ll; funds (rom Joo..l sources, a
<br />requIrement th.u lIkely will force many
<br />to be cancelled and orhers to be re-
<br />duced considerably in size_ These da~'s,
<br />anyone seeking to build a ne'llo' dam
<br />anY'Q,'here in the Untted St,l.tes (or for
<br />thiU m,l.uer in most other nalions) mUSI
<br />anticipate ,l. long, dlscoura~ing banle,
<br />arher lIke Ihal lOvolved In consrruct.
<br />g a new nuclear power plant; he musl
<br />be prepared for Immense COSt overruns
<br />and, when fimshed, fend off porentlal
<br />saboteurs.
<br />This chan,l:e in Ihe nalional cullure
<br />has left employees In the Bureau of
<br />Reclamarion feelin,ll: dispinred and
<br />frustrared. Once rhey bad a musion;
<br />no..... ir is gone. Their mISSion had been
<br />to ~build Ihe \);.'est: and when Ihe
<br />building 'Was done, 'Q,-hen evel)' rIver in
<br />rhe region had been dammed and
<br />dammed several [Jmes over, as rhey
<br />have been, {he Bureau's mLln rea.son
<br />for exislence musl dIsappear. Unlike
<br />rhe other grear federal a,l:encies thar
<br />have Iheir roors in the \X'esl.rhe Foresr
<br />Service, the Park Service. and the Bu-
<br />reau of Land Manaji:ement, Ihe BuRzc
<br />has never been a Jttu .z,.Jshtp agency. It
<br />h&$ never been ~ven .. pIece of real
<br />estate 10 hold and nUrTure in per-
<br />petuity in the name of Ihe ^mencan
<br />people. Undoubred]y. the slewardshlP
<br />a"encies have ar times done a poor Job
<br />of fulfilling rhelr responsibilities, bUI it
<br />is alwap possible ro bnn.l' Ihem back to
<br />.heir ori.':lnal purpose. The Bureau, on
<br />he other hand, h.u been essennally a
<br />(O"lJl"lIC1Um O1!1:ency, O1nd from rtllS pomt
<br />on II un onh' J'Q,'lOdle away. For a iew
<br />more decades. II m..y have some uS(.ful
<br />
<br />20
<br />
<br />work to do oper,mng and m..mr.iUnlOjo:
<br />itS appuJtus, dlStrlbulln,ll: w..ret Into
<br />the ditches of locallrn,lZallOn dlsrtlCls,
<br />and sellln,ll: power 10 urban consumers;
<br />but Ihal lob WIll require Iolt fewer !Haff
<br />..nd .1 much sm..ller bud,ll:el Ih.1n rudi,
<br />lIonally the Bure.1u has enloyed. .'lote
<br />dlspirmn,l: snlJ, ir faces rhe long-term
<br />prospect of fighunji:.1 IOSlOg 'IIo'ar aJ'.1lnSI
<br />rhe endemic .....eaknesses rh.1t plol,ll:Ut'
<br />any .1nd alllarJ.:e-scale IrTl,2allOn mlra-
<br />slructures: n;unely, an lttevl;rsible sa.li-
<br />nturion of soil and a buildup of silr
<br />deposlls behind rht' dAms, lowermg
<br />rhelr capAcity 10 slOrt' v,-alt"r and gener.
<br />.1teelt'crriciry.
<br />^ natural ecos}'m:m like a foresr has
<br />consideuble regenerallve strenglh en-
<br />coded in ItS genes: rhou,cll it can be
<br />slgmficantly dama,lo:ed bychan,ll:es 10 cli.
<br />matt' or b)' human abuse, over the long
<br />rerm it has a more reliab]e future than
<br />.1ny man-made rechnoloJ.:lCal achieve-
<br />ment. It can evolve, adapr, and come
<br />back from its dt'gradallon, So .1lso can
<br />rhose groups. like Ihe Foresr Service,
<br />who depend on it. Redamatlon. on rhe
<br />other hAnd, is probably only a rt'mpo-
<br />racy O1chlevemenr. It is 01 rt'chnoloJ.:lCal
<br />evenr m rime Ihat, as rhe experience of
<br />olher ItTlgation SOCIeties shows. cannm
<br />be indefinirely sustamed, ^s it ap-
<br />proa.ches mAXimum dficiency, as rivt'rs
<br />ger pushed around Wllh more ..nd
<br />more rhorough, consummale skill, the
<br />system begms 10 grow incrt"aslO~y vul-
<br />nerab]e. sub,eclroa Ihousand sysremlc
<br />ills rhar eventu~ly bring aboUI liS de-
<br />dine. Despite all efforrs 10 u\'e the
<br />system, iI breaks down here, then
<br />there. rhen everywhere. Agenrs of rhal
<br />technology, like the Bureau of ReclA-
<br />mation. musl endure 01 parallel fate.
<br />Can the leopard chanp;e irs SpolS?
<br />Can Ihe Buteau runsform Itst'lf from
<br />an .tgency of construction 1010 one of
<br />sre'llo'ardship. whose function is 10 safe-
<br />guard in the public interest Iht' long.
<br />rerm health. be.1ut)', and inrt'grit}' of
<br />western 'Q,'arersheds? Surely, some-
<br />body ought 10 be put 10 rh..t role, and
<br />pUllhere for Ihe uke of eaSlern as well
<br />as weslern rivers. These ,.:reat nalional
<br />rreasures are rhe mOSI neglecll'd, mis-
<br />used resources .....e have, everyboJ~'
<br />W01nrs a piece of them, .......nrs to SIphon
<br />them of( dump v.-aSl('S in Ihem, dnnk
<br />irom them. or move bUji:es along
<br />rhem. but no one h.1S e\'er !x'en gIven
<br />o\'eral] charge of proteetln,/.: their n:-
<br />nr:w01blluy Unfonunalel~', BuRec IS
<br />nOl the Ideal cmdldale for thar mIs-
<br />sion. In orJt'r 10 serve well 10 thai ne""
<br />
<br />role, II 'Q,'tlUld have to dt'vdop an en-
<br />tlfely new menulity. learmn,.: ro thmk
<br />Iso to speAk) as tlVers do. ]earOlnjZ Ii'll;
<br />lan,i(ua,lo:e of narure rather rhan thai of
<br />Irrlgalors, And be wllhn!' to sacnfice
<br />some economic ust's 10 rhe mrert'H5 'll
<br />ecological 'Q,.t'll-bemg. Thar IS probably
<br />100 gtear ol tramiorma!lon 10 expect.
<br />
<br />A fe'Q,' years O1/i(O, .".nhur Mor-
<br />gan, m hIS book Da"u JflJ
<br />Qlh(,. DIJ;lJ/trJ, made much
<br />rhe same argumenr a~insl rhe Armv
<br />CorpsofEn~neers, ....hleh waslike....l'e
<br />faCIng, as ir is now, a changed culrure,.l
<br />dIminished luslltlcation for its work,
<br />and mounung public crillcism. The
<br />Corps, Morgan noted, 'IIo-as deepl~' and
<br />hopelessly imbued .....lIh Ii'll' \X'esr Poml
<br />^cademy spim of ,ll:earlng up for v,'ar
<br />and no quesllons allowed. In an aClual
<br />wartime emergency il mi,'dlt be ..n m-
<br />dnpensable 1001 for building fons and
<br />landing fields quickl)', but in peacelime
<br />It does nOI respond sensllively 10 dem-
<br />ocratic processes. It was, and is, rhe
<br />.....rong inStlturion ior rhe 'Q,'ork of dt'-
<br />velopmg and proreClin,ll: ^mt'rica's nv.
<br />ef>\-ays, coasdines, and esruaries. Siml-
<br />larl)', Ihe Bureau of Reclamation is an
<br />a,ll:ency rhar cannor escape lrs ori,ll:ins.
<br />Resrorin,ll: Ihe Corps 10 Ii'll' Stricti}' mih-
<br />ral)' re~m where it belongs, and phas-
<br />In.': out Ihe Bureiiu's prest'nce In the
<br />\X'esr now thar II has fiOlshed ItS mIs-
<br />sion, is the only ptiicllcal srrare,cy.
<br />Thou,ll:h neither ,ll:oal will bt- politically
<br />easy to accomplish, Ihey ha\'e behind
<br />rhem Ihe movement of rhe country.
<br />Borh agenClt's were formed for domi.
<br />narion. ..nd [hat purpose, we m;l\' hare
<br />and have reawn 10 believe, belontt:s ro
<br />rhe ^merican pasl, nor IU furure,
<br />Rt:or,/.:aniZIO}l: rhe n"lion's 'Wolter ~r;n-
<br />cies is a far more momentous ISsue rhan
<br />it rn.ay appear. More rhan we ....ant 10
<br />admIt, our hves are lived within the
<br />framework of inslllutlons and bureau.
<br />cracies, rabIes of organizarion, .and ..s-
<br />si,ll:nmenu of responsibiilr)'. Lke it or
<br />not, tht' srare of rhe earth rhese days
<br />]ar,ttdy depends on rhose bureaucr01_
<br />Cles, depends on It'ns of rhousands of
<br />govt'rnmenl emplo)'ees roiling .1'110'3)' 10
<br />anonymity; depends on rheir erhos,
<br />catl;fulness, and sense of purpo~; and
<br />depends on how those are determlOed
<br />for them b)' mstuUllonal history. ^gen-
<br />cies ma~' be creared 10 pursue rhe ends
<br />of puce or rhose of Q.'ar, rhey may hdp
<br />us ..ccommod01re ourselves ro rhe bnd
<br />or conquer II. Burri'll')' cannot do or be
<br />a1lrhmgs ilr once. \XlIl;n PresidenrJlm-
<br />
<br />',X'ILDER:-':E5S f...LL 191<"
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