[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 74 (Thursday, April 17, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18797-18798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9977]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Development of Strategic Plan for the Bureau of Reclamation, 
Pursuant to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) 
requires the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and other Federal 
agencies to set strategic goals, measure performance, and report on 
results. It requires development, no later than the end of fiscal year 
1997, of a 5-year strategic plan, to include the organization's mission 
statement, identify its long-term strategic goals, and describe how it 
intends to achieve its goals. The Act also requires that in developing 
its Strategic Plan, that Reclamation solicit and consider the ideas of 
those potentially affected by or interested in the Strategic Plan. This 
notice asks for public comment concerning the development of the Bureau 
of Reclamation's Strategic Plan for the years 1997-2002.

DATES: Comments must be received by May 9, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be directed to Karen Pedone, GPRA 
Program Manager, W-6300, Bureau of Reclamation, 1849 C Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Pedone, (202) 208-4972. Copies 
may be obtained by contacting your local Reclamation office or by 
calling Karen Pedone.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Statutory Background

    The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, Public Law 103-
62 was enacted to make Federal programs more effective and publicly 
accountable by targeting results, service quality, and customer 
satisfaction. Other statutory goals were to improve Congressional 
decisionmaking and to improve internal management of the Federal 
Government.
    Section 306 of title 5, United States Code, requires that 
Reclamation submit to the Director, Office of Management and Budget, 
and to the Congress a strategic plan for program activities no later 
than September 30, 1997. The plan is to contain:
    (1) A comprehensive mission statement covering the major functions 
and operations of the agency;
    (2) General goals and objectives, including outcome-related goals 
objectives, for the major functions and operations of the agency;
    (3) A description of how the goals and objectives are to be 
achieved, including a description of the operational processes, skills 
and technology, and the human, capital, information, and other 
resources required to meet those goals and objectives;
    (4) A description of how the performance goals included in the plan 
required by section 1115(a) of title 31 shall be related to the general 
goals and objectives in the strategic plan;
    (5) An identification of those key factors external to the agency 
and beyond its control that could significantly affect the achievement 
of the general goals and objectives; and
    (6) a description of the program evaluations used in establishing 
or revising general goals and objectives, with a schedule for future 
program evaluations.

Strategic Plan Summary

    The Bureau of Reclamation Strategic Plan also provides the 
framework for Reclamation's implementation of the other parts of the 
Act, including development of annual performance plans, and annual 
program performance reports that compare actual performance to the 
annual goals.
    Reclamation is the largest water resources management agency in the 
West, administering or operating 348 reservoirs (with a total storage 
capacity of 245 million acre-feet), 58 hydroelectric powerplants, and 
more than 300 recreation sites. With these facilities, Reclamation 
delivers water to over 31 million people and about 10 million acres of 
irrigated land or about one-third of the irrigated acreage in the West; 
generates more than 40 billion kilowatt hours of energy each year, 
making it the Nation's second largest producer of hydroelectric power 
and the fifth largest electric producer (based on generating capacity) 
in the West; provides water-based recreation activities for about 90 
million visitors a year; provides water supplies to support habitat for 
wildlife refuges, migratory waterfowl, anadramous and resident fish, 
and endangered and threatened species; and provides flood control 
including $414 million in 1995 in flood control benefits. This number 
reflects the amount of damages from flooding predicted to have occurred 
if Reclamation facilities had not been in place.
    Reclamation projects stimulate an estimated $24 billion in economic 
activity each year. Benefits in agriculture, recreation, power 
dependent industries, municipal and industrial water service, and other 
related areas, including the construction industry, are the direct 
result of Reclamation management of a finite, but variable natural 
yearly water supply. These multipurpose benefits generate about $5 
billion in State and Federal tax revenues. An estimated 700,000 person-
years of employment are produced each year as a result of the 
Reclamation program.
    The Reclamation program was created by the Reclamation Act of 1902 
to reclaim the arid West and to provide economic stability in the 17 
western states by developing irrigation projects. Over time, these 
single purpose projects gave way to the development and construction of 
multipurpose water resources projects. Over the past 90 plus years, the 
Federal Government has invested more than $16 billion in Reclamation 
projects, 80 percent of which is subject to repayment to the U.S. 
Treasury (although often without interest). Project beneficiaries pay 
for annual operation and maintenance costs. In addition, Reclamation is 
responsible for securing the safety of its dams and ensuring that 
Reclamation facilities are maintained, operated, and repaired in a 
manner that assures project purposes are reliably met.
    With a major network of water supply and power generation 
facilities in place and settlement of the West accomplished, public 
interest has shifted to concern for the efficient use of already 
developed water supplies, the protection of social and environmental 
values, and the protection of the Federal investment and 
infrastructure. As a corollary, Reclamation's emphasis has evolved from 
narrowly focused project development to the broadest aspects of 
contemporary water and related resources management and protection.
    The transition from a development emphasis to a resources 
management orientation has involved several years of introspection and 
change. In the mid-1980's, Reclamation undertook an agency-wide 
assessment and published the findings in a public document: 
``Assessment '87 * * * A New Direction for the Bureau of Reclamation.'' 
That document concluded that Reclamation's


[[Page 18798]]


* * * mission must change from one based on Federally supported 
construction to one based on effective and environmentally sensitive 
resource management.

Based upon that conclusion and further introspection over the next 4 
years, Reclamation adopted a new mission statement in 1992--a mission 
statement which will lead us into our second century of service to the 
Nation.
    In 1993, Reclamation's ``Blueprint for Reform'' solidified this 
change in mission by establishing contemporary program priorities, 
functional realignments, and streamlined operating processes throughout 
Reclamation. Specifically, the ``Blueprint for Reform'' called for the 
delegation of decision-making authority to the lowest practical 
organizational level, reductions in organizational layering and the 
number of supervisory personnel, streamlining regulations, and revision 
of program and budget execution processes to reflect the current 
mission and programs. Collectively, the implementation of these changes 
would enable Reclamation to become a more efficient and effective 
agency, that is more responsive to its modern mission and its 
customers.

Strategic Planning Process

    The Strategic Plan has been developed around a framework of 
Reclamation's three essential mission objectives, desired long-term 
outcomes, and 5-year strategic goals linked to more tactical strategies 
to guide the agency in attaining mission objectives. These strategies 
will enable Reclamation to implement measurable and demonstrable annual 
program performance goals. Accomplishments will be measured through the 
use of 5-year strategic goals and strategies as program measures. Both 
the 5-year strategic goals and the annual goals will be described in 
the annual plans. With sufficient resources and the ability to 
effectively deal with factors beyond the agency's control, the annual 
goals will be accomplished leading ultimately to the achievement of the 
progressive levels of 5-year, outcome, and mission goals set forth in 
the Strategic Plan.
    In forthcoming annual plans, Reclamation's performance indicators 
will be used for assessing the results of program activities. They will 
help Reclamation determine whether it has met its objectives and 
achieved desired results. Measures may be expressed in the form of 
outputs--the more traditional quantitative and qualitative ways of 
describing work products--or they may be in the form of outcomes--
measures designed to show a program's achievements in light of intended 
results.
    In addition to objective, tangible measures of Reclamation-wide 
performance, the agency will report on selected activities that 
demonstrate progress. Because much of the on-the-ground mission is 
focused on managing a finite but highly variable water supply across 
the 17 western states, Reclamation must consider individual situations 
as well as the overall picture to understand how well it is managing a 
finite water supply among competing demands, multiple project purposes, 
and national and international policies and priorities.

Mission Statement

    The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and 
protect water and related resources in an environmentally and 
economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.

Mission Goals and Strategies

Mission Objective I--Manage, Develop, and Protect Water and Related 
Resources
Strategy 1--Manage Water and Related Resources
Strategy 2--Facilities Operation
Strategy 3--Facilities Maintenance and Rehabilitation
Strategy 4--Dam Safety
Strategy 5--Efficient Use of Water (Conserve Water)
Strategy 6--Water Quality
Strategy 7--Complete Projects Under Construction
Strategy 8--Indian Water and Related Resources Management
Strategy 9--Fulfill Obligations to Indian Tribes
Strategy 10--Research and Technology Development
Mission Objective II: Protect the Environment
Strategy 11--Fish and Wildlife
Strategy 12--Enhance Recreational Opportunities
Strategy 13--Federal Land Interests
Mission Objective III: Improve our Business Practices and Increase 
Productivity of our Employees
Strategy 14--Use Common Sense Business Approaches
Strategy 15--Implement Programmatic Budgeting and Accountability
Strategy 16--Recover Federal Investments
Strategy 17--Diverse, Skilled Workforce Excellence
Strategy 18--Improve Customer Service

Electronic Access

    The Bureau of Reclamation draft Strategic Plan may be reviewed in 
its entirety on the World Wide Web at <a href="http://www.usbr.gov/Events/public-
involve.html">www.usbr.gov/Events/public-
involve.html</a>.

    Dated: April 14, 1997.
Karen Pedone,
GPRA Program Manager.
[FR Doc. 97-9977 Filed 4-16-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-P