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<br />-------- <br /> <br /> <br />n <br /> <br />relation~ on the Commi~sion. He wa~ the Commis~ion's chief execu- <br />ti\le officer and supervised the staff in day-to-day operations. <br /> <br />The Chairman, through his role of federal coordinating officer, assisted <br />many state .and federal agencies by promoting better undent.anding <br />of important water issues. The first substanti.al eltample of this occurred <br />in 1973 and 1974 when the Chairman assisled the u.s. Department <br />of the Interior in the Northern Great Plains Resource Program, a study <br />10 provide inform.ation about the impacts of various future levels of <br />coal development. Other examples of the Chairman's coordination <br />efforts include parlicipating on the Water Resources Council's Water <br />lor Energy Self-Sufficiency Task Force, organizing coordination <br />meetings between federal agencies and states, helping develop a <br />policy for markeling water from Missouri River reservoirs, and other <br />special meelings and seminars. <br /> <br />A Vice Chairm.an of the Commission was elected annually by stale <br />Commission members from among state Commission members. The <br />Vice Chairman served as chairman of the stale member caucus, co. <br />ordinating officer of the state Commission members. state represen. <br />tative in federal-state relations. and Acting Chairman in the absence <br />of a Chairman. <br /> <br />Since its inception, the Commission's membership consisled 01 ten <br />states, ten federal agencies, two interstate river basin compact com. <br />missions, and an observer from the Canadian Government. The merger <br />of two federal agencies in 1979 created an imbalance in state-federal <br />membership until the Federal Emergency Management Agency was <br />accorded Commission membership. Also in 1979, the basin's American <br />Indian peoples were granted observer status. State and federal Com- <br />mission members also had designated alternates who attended and <br />participated in Commission meetings in the members' absence. <br /> <br />Role of Staff <br /> <br />The Commission employed staff members who were appointed by <br />lhe Chairman with the concurrence 01 the Vice Chairman. The staff, <br />which varied in size according to Commission-determined work pro. <br />grams, was headed by a staff direclor. Conlract staff were also employed <br />for specific periods of time during the conduct of cerlain Commis. <br />sion-Ied studies. Personnel were located both in Omaha, Nebraska <br />at the Commission's office and. on occ.asion, in field offices in variou~ <br />locations in the basin. <br /> <br />MRBC Meetings <br /> <br />Numerous regular meeting~, special meetings, and commiuee meetings <br />were held by the Commission during its existence. Beginning on June <br />14, 1972. a total of 37 regular Commission meetings were held on a <br />quarterly basis at various sites in the basin. The first quarterly Com. <br />mission meeting was held in Council Bluffs, Iowa in conjunction with <br />the 169th and final meeting of the Missouri Basin Inter-Agency Com- <br />mittee. the Commission's predecessor. The 37th and last quarterly <br />Commission meeting was held August 5~6, 1981, in Sioux City, Iowa. <br /> <br />The Commission's quarterly meetings provided an opportunity for <br />state and federal .agencies 10 meet on an equal basis to discuss and <br />resolve basin water concerns. Caucuses of state and federal members <br />were held prior to each Commission meeting to unify Iheir respective <br />positions on issues or business matters to be broughl before the Com- <br />mission. The State Caucus was especially important bec.ause il could <br /> <br />--- <br />