[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 www.usbr.gov/Events/public-
involve.html.
Dated: April 14, 1997.
Karen Pedone,
GPRA Program Manager.
[FR Doc. 97-9977 Filed 4-16-97; 8:45 am]
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