Summary of a Symposium
| Author | Ernest A. Engelbert |
| Published date | 01 September 1961 |
| Date | 01 September 1961 |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591296101400351 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
29
Significant
Issues
of
the
Next
Decade
in
Natural
Resources
Develo pment
in
the
West
SUMMARY
OF
A
SYMPOSIUM
ERNEST A.
ENGELBERT
University
of
California
The
West’s
Stuke in
Resources
Development
The
thirteen
western
states
including
the
new
states
of
Hawaii
and
Alaska
have
the
largest
stake
of
any
region
in
the
nation
in
natural
resources
policies
and
programs.
Despite
urban
growth,
the
West
remains
predominantly
a
resource-
based
economy.
Agriculture,
forestry,
mining,
fisheries,
and
recreational
indus-
tries
account
for
over
70
per
cent
of
the
region’s
income.
The
interests
of
specific
states
in
various
resources
programs
continue
to
vary
with
the
availability
of
re-
sources
and
the
degree
of
maturity
of
the
state’s
economy.
Alaska,
for
example,
has
a
considerably
different
stake
in
national
policies
for
the
public
domain
than
Hawaii.
Moreover,
a
number
of
conflicts
are
present
or
potential
among
the
states
in
such
fields
as
water
distribution
in
the
Upper
Colorado
River
Basin
or
hydro-
electric
power
distribution
in
the
Pacific
Northwest.
On
the
whole,
however,
western
states
are
able
to
exhibit
considerable
regional
solidarity
for
most
national
resources
development
programs.
The
major
changes
in
the
western
region’s
approach
to
natural
resources
since
World
War
II
are
associated
with
the
westward
movement
of
population
and
urban
growth.
Increasing
evidence
of
city
influence
on
resources
policies
is
being
reflected
in
state
legislative
halls.
The
future
will
see
the
West’s
resources
policies
being
increasingly
determined
by
urban
considerations.
Accomplishments
of
the
1950’s
The
decade
of
the
1950’s
was
a
period
in
which
the
momentum
of
the
im-
mediate
postwar
period
carried
forward
but
at
a
greatly
reduced
pace.
Notwith-
standing
this,
tangible
advancements
in
the
resources
field
during
the
1950’s
of
significance
to
the
West
include:
the
authorization
and
initiation
of
construction
of
the
Colorado
River
Storage
Project;
construction
of
multiple-purpose
develop-
ment
of
the
Columbia
River
System;
establishment
of
the
atomic
reactor
plant
at
Hanford,
Washington;
advancement
of
the
California
Water
Plan;
progress
in
pollution
control
under
expanded
federal
authority
of
the
1956
act;
continuation
of
saline
water
conversion
research;
the
inauguration
of
the
Mission
66
program
for
the
national
parks;
some
improvements
in
long-range
land
management
pro-
grams
in
the
national
forests
and
the
public
domain.
Many
of
these
develop-
ments
made
less
progress
than
desirable
by
virtue
of
restrictive
financing
policies.
The
major
political
controversies
were
generated
over
private
vs.
public
power,
reflected
in
the
Hell’s
Canyon
development;
federal
vs.
states’
water
NOTE:
Members
of
the
Symposium
included:
Wendell
Anderson,
Utah
State
University;
Roy
F.
Bessey,
Portland,
Oregon;
Hubert
Marshall,
Stanford
University;
Conrad
McBride,
Univer,
sity
of
Colorado;
and
Herman
Trachsel,
University
of
Wyoming.
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