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<br />It would be composed of the Secretaries of the four Departments which have major <br />responsibilities in the field of water resources. All four are members of the Cabinet and <br />report directly to the President. The chairman of the Council would be given authority to <br />invite in agencies to participate with the Council as he may feel desirable. The chairman <br />of the Council shall be one of the Secretaries designated by the President. That is all that <br />is said about the election of the chairman in the Act. <br /> <br />'i. <br /> <br />,., <br /> <br />The Council itself would be charged with the responsibility of over-all appraisal of the <br />water resou rces problem of the U nitedStates. Much of the work th at was done by the <br />Senate Select Committee on National Water Resources, and that needs to be kept up to date, <br />such as a Nation-wide assessment of our water requirements and supplies for the future, <br />would be the responsibility of this Council. <br /> <br />I n the light of its appraisal of the National Water Resources problem, the Council <br />wou Id have the responsibility of appraising and agreeing upon questions of policy with in <br />the Executive branch and making recommendations to the President thereon in a joint <br />manner. The Council would provide a forum upon policy questions as far as the Executive <br />branch is concerned in making proposals to)the Congress. <br /> <br />A very important point in the Act would be the respoilsiblity of the Council, with the <br />approval of the President, to establish pri nciples, standards, and procedu res for the prepar- <br />ation of comprehensive regional and river basin planS,and for the formulation of Federal <br />water resources projects involving the general problem of evaluation standards, <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />.- <br /> <br />The Council would review the joint plans for comprehensive river basin development. <br />The River Basin Commissions would have the responsibility of formulating and keeping up <br />to date comprehensive joint plans for river basin development. <br /> <br />The Council would be provided with a small staff of highly qualified people headed up <br />by an executive with a $19,500 salary, which is above the super-grade level, and yet below <br />the level of the Assistant Secretary. <br /> <br />The Council and the staff of the Council would have the responsibility of administering <br />Title III of the Act which provides financial grants to the States for comprehensive <br />planning. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />The role the Council would have with respect to the River Basin Commission is <br />implicit in the language of the Act. The Council has the privilege, written into the law, <br />of establishing procedures and standards for evaluation of river basin projects. The <br />Council would establish rules and regulations as a"general responsibility. More broadly, <br />the President will no doubt look to this Council as the central focus in Washington for the <br />river basin planning activity, and it would be this Council to which the River Basin <br />Commissions would look for advice and guidance on water resource planning and develop- <br />ment. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />- 10- <br />