20 



Mr. Wayland. May I seize on that opportunity, Mr. Chairman? 



Mr. Studds. Go ahead. 



Mr. Wayland. In fact, we did hear testimony from Congressman 

 Young and his two Senate colleagues. There was a recognition, as 

 the report itself reflects, that there are different climatological and 

 physiologic and other conditions in Alaska. 



With that in mind, the agency sent a team to Alaska last week. 

 There were meetings with approximately 30 interest groups that 

 occurred in a number of areas of the State to plan what specific 

 actions could be taken outside of the context of this particular rule- 

 making to respond to the particular needs and conditions there. 



The specific dimensions of those responses have not been devel- 

 oped but we have set it in motion. The report called for doing this 

 within 90 days. Within 30 days there has already been one trip to 

 Alaska and meetings with a variety of people in order to try to 

 follow up on some of the concerns the gentleman from Alaska men- 

 tioned. 



Mr. Young. Mr. Chairman, if you will yield. I want to know who 

 you met with. 



Mr. Wayland. I will be glad to submit a list to you right now. 



[The information can be found at the end of the hearing.] 



Mr. Studds. In all seriousness, I think we can make this func- 

 tion. I was in Alaska last month and I was very, very wet. 



Mr. Young. Mr. Chairman, I am hostile. I thought we had a so- 

 lution. I still think it is the appropriate solution. That is what I am 

 thinking. If we can do this here, then I am all for it. If you look at 

 1330, that is what we are trying to do. 



Mr. Studds. Only in this Committee. The gentleman from Cali- 

 fornia. 



Mr. Hamburg. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



I am trying to get a better handle on how the responsibilities are 

 going to be delineated. I understand that SCS will be the lead 

 agency for overseeing of agricultural land. But we have planning 

 responsibilities, regulatory responsibilities, enforcement responsi- 

 bilities. 



My experience in my own congressional district is that the SCS 

 has a good deal of success in dealing with private landowners and 

 working on projects that incorporate the concerns of the private 

 landowners and particularly working through the resource conser- 

 vation districts. There are many successful projects in my district. 



I guess my question is whether separating the functions of plan- 

 ning as against enforcement and regulation, is part of the plan, if 

 that is an approach that you would endorse. 



Could you comment on that? Mr. Bridge, perhaps? 



Mr. Bridge. Let me just clarify the process a little bit. Obviously 

 the Soil Conservation Service, or at least the administration's pro- 

 posal, is that we only be involved in the wetland determination 

 process itself, which obviously, as it relates to agricultural land, is 

 a very important step in the process. 



If those wetlands, or those areas, are determined to be wetlands, 

 then we will immediately move that individual to the Corps of En- 

 gineers for all further processing activities with 404 permitting and 

 would not be participating in that process except in a collaborative 

 way. 



