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Page 3 No progress on the Salt Project, still hung up in OMB. Several months of flooding and high water were experienced in the Nation and our Basin. Shipments on the waterway were virtually at a standstill. June The National Water closed its office. Commission released its final Too bad they didn't close up report and first. July Congress passed the 1974 Public Works Appropriation Bill and included $1,367,000 over the budget figures for the Arkansas Basin. August - President approved the new principles and standards recommended by the Water Resources Council. A serious blow to sensible water resource development. Sept. Work started on El Dorado Lake, Kansas. National Waterways Conference held an outstanding meeting in Tampa, Florida. Bird Creek Basin Development Association organized. Oct. Oklahoma Water, Inc., held their Annual Meeting in Poteau. Suit brought against Water.Resources Council. Nov. Water Resources Congress met in St. Louis, Mo. First construction contract awarded by Tulsa District for Birch Lake, Oklahoma. Dec. Neosho-Cottonwood Association met in Emporia, Kansas. Deep Fork Association met in Wellston, Oklahoma. The threat of COST SHARING and FUEL TAXES looms on the horizon. When you throw in our efforts related to the Oklahoma National Recreation Area, land use planning along the waterway, river basin organizations, specific water projects and helping organizations, it has been a good year. Sometimes dis- couraging, but when you look back and see the progress toward our goals, we can't help but feel some satisfaction. And if we can get a few more projects rolling in 1974, it will be a good year too. PREDICTIONS FOR 1974 COST SHARING -- In the last Newsletter we sounded the first blast on the trumpet to alert you about cost sharing. Meetings have been held in Washington and various proposals have surfaced on how to stick the beneficiaries of water re- source projects and how much they should pay. We look for several cost sharing proposals to surface in 1974. TAX THE BOATOWNERS -- For several years now ways have been sought to impose fuel taxes, collect tolls, or impose user charges on the waterways. Watch for this in '74, along with proposals to tax fuel used by recreational boaters. Boat owners better wake up, it could be a substantial tax.