PUBLIC WORKS AND ATOMIC ENERGY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE NINETIETH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.R. 11641 MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR CERTAIN CIVIL FUNCTIONS ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THE PANAMA CANAL, CERTAIN AGENCIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, THE ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION, THE ATLANTIC-PACIFIC INTEROCEANIC CANAL STUDY COMMISSION, THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION, THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION ON THE POTOMAC RIVER BASIN, THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, AND THE WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1968, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 76-787 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1967 Ex officio members from Committee on Public Works JENNINGS RANDOLPH, West Virginia JOHN SHERMAN COOPER, Kentucky STEPHEN M. YOUNG, Ohio PUBLIC WORKS APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1968 TUESDAY, MAY 2, 1967 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10:45 a.m., in room 1114, New Senate Office Building, Hon. Allen J. Ellender (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Ellender and Hill. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES ARKANSAS AND OUACHITA RIVER BASINS STATEMENT OF HON. J. W. FULBRIGHT, U.S. SENATOR FROM ARKANSAS Senator ELLENDER. The subcommittee will please come to order. Off the record. (Discussion off the record.) Senator ELLENDER. All right, Senator Fulbright. I understand that you have to preside at the Foreign Relations Committee, so we will be glad to hear you at this time. Senator FULBRIGHT. Mr. Chairman, I have a regular committee meeting this morning, and I appreciate the opportunity to say a few words in the beginning of this hearing. I particularly appreciate the opportunity to present to you Mr. Robert Nabholtz, who is representing the Arkansas Basin Association, and I wish personally to request your favorable consideration of appropriations needed to continue the project for development of the Arkansas River Valley about which you have already done so much. I understand that the basin association is satisfied that the President's budget request is adequate, and Mr. Nabholtz will more fully express the views of the association. As chairman of this committee, and members of this committee, you have always been most generous in providing funds for the Arkansas River project which, as you know, is well on the way to completion, and I feel sure that you will be very sympathetic again this year to the budget request. 533 I wish also at this time to present Mr. H. K. Thatcher. He will appear later on. You all know Mr. Thatcher, who, for many years, has led the movement to continue the development of water resource projects in the Ouachita River Basin. He is executive vice president of the association. I also wish to urge your favorable consideration of appropriations needed for the continued development of this river basin. I know that it is never possible for this committee to give everything that is requested, but I urge you to give your favorable consideration to their request this year. I know the chairman of this committee is thoroughly familiar with that river. It runs into his State. He has always done so much for both the Ouachita and the Arkansas, and I wish to pay tribute to him for what he has done in the past, and I am sure that he will be very sympathetic to the requests and statements from both Mr. Thatcher and Mr. Nabholtz. I appreciate very much, Mr. Chairman, to have had this opportunity to say a word for both of these great projects. Senator ELLENDER. Thank you very much, Senator Fulbright. For the benefit of those present, I wish to make this statement insofar as budgeted items are concerned. Do not waste your time on them insofar as this committee is concerned. I am satisfied that whatever the budget provides, I am sure that this committee will give it the green light. I am, of course, speaking from past experience. I would, therefore, suggest that all witnesses would simply relegate their testimony to items in which they desire funds in addition to the budget requests or items that are unbudgeted. Now, you may put in the record any data you desire, so as to sustain the budget request, but insofar as the committee is concerned, I think if you look at the records you will see that this committee has always provided whatever the budget recommended. Senator FULBRIGHT. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN L. MCCLELLAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM ARKANSAS Senator ELLENDER. Thank you. Senator McClellan. Senator MCCLELLAN. Mr. Chairman, I do not need to make any statement other than to associate myself with what you have just said, but I do want to take this occasion to, on behalf of the people of Arkansas, and those who are present, and the citizens who are interested in our projects in the State, to thank you. We have not had a better friend. You know, I read something that impressed me very much this morning. I received a copy of the Arkansas Democrat of last Sunday, which contained a writeup of what was happening 40 years ago in Arkansas. We are not having that happen any more, and you know why-because of occasions like this and because of chairmen like Senator Ellender, and because of you people through the years who have come here and fought these battles. And I say to you, when they talk about pork barrel, who wants to go back to the conditions that existed 40 years ago. We are going further and further away from it, and this is the way we are doing it. And, Mr. Chairman, we express our appreciation to you, sir, for the leadership you have given us here in Congress, and for the assurance you just gave us again a few moments ago, that we are going to go forward, at least to the extent of the budget requests. |