WSP07982

• File Number: 8021
• Description: Section D General Correspondence - Western States Water Council
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 1/8/1993
• Author: Western States Water
• Title: Western States Water 1993 - Issues 973-1024
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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O a ." '. i) August 4 1993
iOl~ '

TIIE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF 1HE WESTERN STATES WATER co

typist - Carrie Curvin

ADMINISTRA110N UPDATE

Environmental Protection Agency

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President Clinton has nominated a number of
individuals to fill vacancies in top policy level positions
at the Environmental Protection Agency, even as the
Congress conside.rs changes to the Clean Water Act,
super1und program and other important environmental
legislation. Robert Perciasepe has been named as
Assistant Administrator for Water. Perciasepe most
recently served as Secretary of the Department of the
Environment for the State of Maryland. He has also
worked as Chief of Planning for the City of Baltimore.

Other nominees include Mary Nickols as Assistant
Administrator for Air and Radiation, a former Natural
Resources Defense Council Attorney; Jonathan
Cannon as Assistant Administrator for Administration
and Resources Management, a special advisor to
Administrator Carol Browner; Elliot Laws as Assistant
Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency
Response, all attorney formerly with the Department of
Justice and EPA's Enforcement Division; Shelly
Melzenbaum as the Associate Administrator for
Regional Operations and State and Local Relations,
formerly Undersecretary for Management and Budget
in the Massachusetts Office of Environmental Affairs;
and as EPA General Counsel, Jean Nelson, now
Tennessee's Chief Deputy Attorney General.

InteriorINationaI Biological Survey

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On July 15, the House voted 278-138 to approve a
$13.48 FY94 Interior Appropriations bill. The House
proposal includes $1.28 more than FY93, including
$164M for a new national biological survey, about
$16M less than requested. Interior Secretary Babbit
has promoted the new agency as a means to provide

executive director - Craig Bell

the science needed to support resource management
decisions... Last Ap.ril" Rep. JerryStudcls (D-MA),
Chairman of, 'the 'Mt;lrchant Marine arid Fisheries
Committee, . introduced H.R 1845. to authorize the
Biological Survey within the Department of Interior.

The new agency would: (1) assess biological
resources; (2) provide information to be used to
protect and manage ecosystems and their.plant, fish
and wildlife; and (3) assist the Secretary to amicipate
and avoid or resolYe conflicts arising from the
implementation of the Endangered Species Act and
other fisheries and wildlife conservation laws. The
director would be appointed by the President,
confirmed by the Senate, and work under the direction
of the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife.

The director would be in charge of: (1) assessment
and study of the biological resources; (2) testing,
development, and monitoring of. methods ,to manage
ecosystems and conserve biological resources and
diversity; (3) preparing an inventory of the 'distribution,
abundance, health, status, and trends of biological
resources and ecosystems;' (4)'development of
methods for the consistent and systematic collection
and analY,sis ofoilla; (5) disseminating information to
resource managers, scientists and the public; (6)
providing technical assistance in legislative, regulatory
<Ind resource management decisions: and (7)
per10rming international management activities.

U.S. Geological Survey

On July 29, Secretary Bruce Babbitt reassigned
U.S. Geological Survey Director, Dallas Peck (WSW
#983 and #979), saying, 'Dallas has served the
Department and the Survey with distinction and honor
over...his entire 40-year career. In April, Dallas
informed me that he would welcome the opportunity to