moment, because of various constraints, we are trying our best with the people and money we have. DAMAGE RESULTING FROM FIRE Senator BYRD. How much damage resulted from this unattended campfire? Mr. TUNISON. Again, if I may, Mr. Stiles, could we have that? Mr. STILES. Sir, the total damage on the 87,000-acre burn was estimated, including suppression costs, to be $162 million. Now the damage that we are attempting to repair, as Mr. Tunison has indicated, is adjacent to the streams and to the lakes. Now one of the preventive measures is the knocking down of these snags that are still standing, these dead snags. All the spruce trees were crowned, and so they subsequently died, and these now create standing fire hazards; they also are a hazard to the using public, by virtue of their being dead and decayed, and subject to fall. So by knocking all these trees down, close to the areas of public use, we will eliminate a fire hazard there. Getting them down on the ground, they will deteriorate much faster, and become a part of the mulch again. Senator BYRD. Have you had many of these incidents in the past? Mr. TUNISON. Not too many, Mr. Chairman. Now and then, we have lightning fires, of course, in many of our western refuges, and occasional grass fires. I do not recall one of this particular nature; no, sir. Senator BYRD. Does the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife provide its own firefighters? Mr. TUNISON. In certain areas. In Alaska, that is delegated to Bureau of Land Management. And in the Western States, we look also to BLM to help us on many of the fires. We do have fire protection of our own on many of the refuges, particularly because they are so isolated. Senator BYRD. You do not plan to treat the entire area damaged at Kenai? Mr. TUNISON. Not at this time, Senator. I have heard that the estimate would be better than $5 million in order to treat the whole area, and I think probably that would be conservative. Senator BYRD. Will the untreated areas be rehabilitated at a future date? Mr. TUNISON. I can't answer that, Senator. Some will come back, but it will take many years to do that. COMPLETION OF WORK Senator BYRD. When will the planned work be completed? Mr. TUNISON. We have the plan for work more or less completed now. We have mentioned in our justification the urgency, and we feel that if we could hopefully receive funds no later than January and have them apportioned to us by the Bureau of the Budget, then we can start letting out contracts even in February, and the work would be completed by the end of the fiscal year, or the funds would be obligated by the end of the fiscal year. Senator BYRD. And when do you think the work, then, would be completed? Mr. TUNISON. During this season. Senator BYRD. Why can't this request be delayed until the fiscal year 1971 budget? Mr. TUNISON. Were it to be delayed, Mr. Chairman, by the time we received the funds, there will be so little time left we can't complete this work by freeze-up next fall, and because of that, there will be this additional siltation and eroding of this fragile soil. Senator BYRD. Are you saying that the cost would be increased if the appropriation were to be delayed? Mr. TUNISON. I wouldn't say that the cost would be increased. Except perhaps in areas where there would be undue siltation, and we actually might have to go into some streams and do stream improvement work, or something of that nature, but other than that, I wouldn't say that it would be increased because of the delay. PRIORITY OF CONSTRUCTION Senator BYRD. Would you provide for the record a priority list of the items included in this estimate? Mr. TUNISON. We will be glad to do that, Mr. Chairman. (The information follows:) A supplemental estimate for 1970 of $2,500,000 is requested to repair and prevent further flood and storm damages at three national fish hatcheries and 10 national wildlife refuges; and to repair damages resulting from a major fire on the Kenai National Moose Range. These 14 projects and the amounts for each are listed below in order of priority. Kern National Wildlife Refuge, California.. J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota_. Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana_ Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Washington---. Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota.. $309, 000 97, 000 980, 000 260, 000 80,000 133, 000 61, 000 30,000 32,000 Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge, Minnesota__. 53, 000 26,000 Total 2,500,000 CONTRACT DEFERMENT Senator BYRD. Will the administration's requirement that 75 percent of fiscal year 1970 construction contracts be deferred affect the work planned under this estimate? Mr. TUNISON. Not any of this estimate. These are exempt from that. Senator BYRD. Thank you very much, Mr. Tunison. You get your usual A-plus. Mr. TUNISON. That is a real nice compliment. I thank you. Senator BYRD. We look forward to going over your testimony, and giving your request every proper consideration. SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS The subcommittee will stand in recess, awaiting the call of the Chair. (Whereupon, at 7:50 p.m., Wednesday, December 3, the subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at the call of the Chair.) SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1970 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1969 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 6 p.m. in room S-128, the Capitol, Senator Robert C. Byrd (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Byrd, Ellender, Holland, Hruska, and Allott. STATEMENT OF KENNETH E. GRANT, ADMINISTRATOR, SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SUBCOMMITTEE PROCEDURE Senator BYRD. The subcommittee will come to order. Inasmuch as I am needed on the floor for the next little while, I shall ask the distinguished Senator from Florida, Mr. Holland, to chair the hearing with respect to the budget request for the Department of Agriculture. Following that, if I ain still on the floor, 1 will appreciate it very much if the distinguished senior Senator from Nebraska, Mr. Hruska, would chair the hearings with respect to the budget requests for the Civil Service Commission. SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE JUSTIFICATION Senator HOLLAND. The subcommittee will come to order. The first item to be considered is a supplemental estimate of $3.7 million for flood prevention work, Soil Conservation Service, as provided under section 216 of the Flood Control Act of 1950. The regular Appropriation Act provides an emergency fund of $300,000 each fiscal year for use in meeting emergency situations. I understand from the justifications submitted to the committee that the additional funds are requested to provide for the installation of emergency conservation measures such as debris removal, channel improvement and other necessary measures resulting from the recent floods in Virginia which were caused by Hurricane Camille. This hurricane caused damage in that State estimated at over $113 million and the lost of some 200 lives. Without objection, I request that the justification of this estimate be placed in the record. The justification follows:) For an additional amount for "Flood prevention," $3,700,000 to remain available until expended for emergency Explanation of Language This proposed supplemental appropriation for $3,700,000 is now requested for fiscal year 1970 for costs of installing emergency measures for runoff retardation and soil-erosion prevention in Virginia as a direct result of floods caused by Hurricane Camille in August 1969. Authority for these emergency measures is provided by section 216 of the Flood Control Act of 1950. This Act establishes an emergency fund of $300,000, as part of the regular appropriation, each fiscal year. Previous allocations during the current year have exhausted this amount together with $4,000,000 available from the Second Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1969. Purpose and Need for Supplemental Funds The floods in Virginia caused by Hurricane Camille resulted in damages estimated at over $113 million and caused the loss of some 200 lives. As a result an emergency has been declared in Virginia by the Governor and by the President of the United States. Approximately $600,000 of emergency measure funds have already been made available to start work immediately to reduce the possibility of further loss of life and heavy additional property damages from normal precipitation. There is an urgent need for an additional $3,700,000 supplemental appropriation now to install emergency measures for runoff retardation and soil-erosion prevention particularly in Albemarle, Alleghany, Amherst, Auguste, Botetourt, Caroline, Fluvanna, Goochland, Hanover Louisa, Nelson, and Rochbridge Counties in Virginia. |