THE FEDERAL-STATE-LOCAL PARTNERSHIP 69 



2. The Corps of Engineers' plans for big dam development of 

 the upper Missouri between Fort Benton and Fort Peck meet much 

 the same objections. This length of the upper Missouri is the last 

 200 mile stretch of a main stem river in the continental United 

 States that is almost entirely in its natural historic sites, and untouched 

 beauty. The proposal of the Corps does not include a need for 

 flood control nor irrigation. The power from hydroelectric dams 

 is not needed regionally, and the costs of transmission in tying such 

 projected power into the midwestern grid are prohibitively high. 

 Main local proponents of the proposal are local rural electric co- 

 operatives who hope that public power from these sites would be 

 less expensive than that produced by the private power company 

 in the area. 



Original planning was intended to be a model of interagency 

 planning for river basin development. However, when the Corps, 

 the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, the Soil 

 Conservation Service and the Bureau of Land Management (to men- 

 tion only a few and not including the State agencies involved ) could 

 not agree on the purposes or means of developing the river, the 

 Corps bolted from the interagency plans and is singly advocating 

 its big dam proposals. 



If the proposed dams are built, much great natural beauty will be 

 permanently lost, without compensating benefit to the area or to the 

 Nation. The Park Service plans for development of this stretch of 

 the Missouri into a Lewis and Clark Wilderness Waterway would 

 preserve a uniquely beautiful natural resource in keeping with the 

 long-term values held in great importance by the conference in sav- 

 ing and restoring portions of the Nation for the recreation, educa- 

 tion and inspiration of future generations. 



The suggestion that I wish to include in the proceedings is not an 

 original one and is directed toward making it possible for the State 

 governments in the great plains and intermountain States to play a 

 partnership role in developing beautiful recreational and natural 

 resources. 



If the Federal Government saw fit to return to the States an equi- 

 table reimbursement in lieu of taxes for the great amount of Federal 

 land in the States, the opportunities for the States to assume a part in 

 planning and developing accessible sites of natural beauty would be 

 greatly improved. One of the important reasons why State govern- 

 ments have been unable to share planning responsibilities, or to ini- 



