HomeMy WebLinkAbout851220.tiff Volume 9,No. 23 "-. „i
November 15, 1985
H NATIONAL WATER LINE.
National Water Resources Association 955 L'Enfant Plaza, North Bldg., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20024 (202)488-0610
WASHINGTON REPORT
HOUSE OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES WATER PROJECTS LEGISLATION (HR 6 ) : On
11/13 the House passed the Omnibus Water Projects bill by a
margin of 358 to 60 . The floodgates opened on the House floor as
virtually every floor amendment to HR 6 was accepted. The House
passed version of the bill contains 380 new projects or
extensions of existing projects totaling over $20 billion. HR 6
and its companion bill in the Senate , S 1567 , represent the first
serious chance a water projects bill has had to become law in
over fifteen years . This is due primarily to the new cost
sharing provisions contained in both bills (NWL 6/28 ) .
Nevertheless, the final conference version will have to greatly
reduce the total authorization level to gain the President ' s
signature . The Senate version, S 1567 , is hung up in the Senate
Finance Committee but is expected to see floor action before the
end of the current session.
WHITE HOUSE SENDS DUVALL NOMINATION TO THE SENATE FOR
CONFIRMATION : The nomination of C . Dale Duvall to be
Commissioner of Reclamation was sent to the Senate Energy and
Natural Resources Committee for confirmation hearings . Mr .
Duvall is currently the Treasurer of the Overseas Private
Investment Corporation. He has served the Reagan Administration
since 1981 and worked on both the 1976 and 1980 Reagan campaigns
for President (NWL 8/16 ) .
ASSOCIATION NEWS
OVER 800 MEMBERS ENJOYED NWRA ' S 54TH ANNUAL CONVENTION IN
HAWAII : The State of Hawaii ' s Department of Land and Natural
Resources hosted the 54th Annual Convention in the tradition of
"Aloha . " An excellent program and exhibits in a magnificent
setting provided the ingredients for the success of this year' s
convention. In his State of the Association Address , President
John M. Sayre presented a vision of the future , stating that, "We
have entered a new era in water resources development , an era
which will require a greater commitment of non-Federal resources
and funding. This commitment will require the best efforts of
both the public and private sector and will require innovation
and imagination. " However , Sayre emphasized that , "With added
financial commitment must come a greater role in the planning and
development of projects , as well as a greater input into the
policy and regulations that govern these programs. . .we can not
and must not tolerate the delays we have experienced in the past
due to endless environmental challenges to projects which have
been determined to be economically and environmentally
sound. . .These delays have cost the American taxpayers billions of
dollars over the past fifteen years. " President Sayre closed by
asking the membership to "join me in a renewed commitment to the
goals and objectives that are the cornerstone of our
association . " KEYNOTE ADDRESS: The opening session' s featured
speaker , Under Secretary of Interior Ann Dore McLaughlin ,
stressed "state primacy in the development and implementation of
water law" and emphasized "cooperation and coordination among
federal and state agencies and other institutions which share our
interest in water resources management. " McLaughlin reiterated
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the President' s goal of increasing the supply of quality water" ,
and defined the challenge as "not quantity per se , but the
distribution , distribution systems, and for the contamination of
that supply. " Secretary McLaughlin closed by saying , "We intend
to emphasize cooperation and coordination among federal and state
agencies and other institutions which share our interest in water
resources management at all levels of government. We will
continue to provide engineering and scientific support of the
highest quality for water resources management at all levels of
government . , . with an eye to controlling cost. " DAWSON SPEECH:
Assistant Secretary of the Army ( Civil Works ) Robert K . Dawson
addressed the Association on the topics of increased non-Federal
cost sharing , the management of the civil works program and the
effect of protectionism on future project development. Secretary
Dawson advised , " to get Congress to give the Federal water
program the attention it deserves, Congress must appreciate how
much the American people want and need new development. Congress
will get that message only if organizationssuch as NWRA are
willing to impress upon their members the necessity for a new
Federal water project development charter. " In closing , Dawson
cautioned that, "The growing clamor for import restrictions does
not bode well for water resources development
community . . , specifically projects in the American West will not
make much sense if we close our doors to foreign imports . . .
Protectionism begets only protectionism and a drying up of
trade. "
NWRA PAYS TRIBUTE TO EIGHT MEMBERS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND
SERVICE : At this year ' s Awards Luncheon eight members of NWRA
were honored for their contributions and outstanding service in
support of the goals and objectives of the Association .
President ' s Awards were presented to Doyle Boen and John Fraser
of California , Patricia Cerny of South Dakota , and J .A . "Ted "
Riggins of Arizona for outstanding service to NWRA. Memberships
for life were awarded to former Governor William Guy of North
Dakota , former NWRA Executive Vice President J .W. "Pat" O ' Meara ,
Lawrence Siddoway of Utah , and Anderson "Doc " Smedley of
California.
NWRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES GMDA MERGER
PROPOSAL : At the Annual Convention , the Board of Directors
adopted a proposal inviting the Groundwater Management Districts
Association to join NWRA as the Groundwater Management Caucus .
The Board unanimously concurred that an affiliation or merger
between NWRA and GMDA would provide a mutually beneficial
situation for both associations and create an entity capable of
more effectively dealing with the entire scope of water resources
issues . The merger is subject to acceptance by the GMDA Board of
Directors at their annual meeting in December.
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