Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 66.djvu/374

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PUBLIC LAW 4 4 8 - J U L Y 3, 1952

[66

STAT.

stittitional Convention of Puerto Rico shall have declared in a formal resolution its acceptance in the name of the people of Puerto Rico of the conditions of approval herein contained, and when the Governor of Puerto Rico, being duly notified by the proper officials of the Constitutional Convention of Puerto Rico that such resolution of acceptance has been formally adopted, shall issue a proclamation to that effect. Approved July 3, 1952. , >
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Public Law 448 July 3. 1952 [H. R. 6578]

W a t e r research and development.

Authority of Secretary of Interior.

C H A P T E R 568

AN ACT To provide for research into and development of practical means for the economical production, from sea or other saline waters, of water suitable for agricultural, industrial, municipal, and other beneficial consumptive uses, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America m Congress assembled, That, in view of the acute shortage of water in the arid areas of the Nation and elsewhere and the excessive use of underground waters throughout the Nation, it is the policy of the Congress to provide for the development of practicable low-cost means of producing from sea water, or from other saline waters, water of a quality suitable for agriculture, industrial, municipal, and other beneficial consumptive uses on a scale sufficient to determine the feasibility of the development of such production and distribution on a large-scale basis, for the purpose of conserving and increasing the water resources of the Nation. SEC. 2. I n order to carry out the purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through such agencies of the Department of the Interior as he may deem appropriate, is authorized— (a) by means of research grants and contracts as set forth in subsection (d) of this section to conduct research and technical development work, to make careful engineering studies to ascertain the lowest investment and operating costs, and to determine the best plant designs and conditions of operation; (b) to study methods for the recovery and marketing of byproducts resulting from and incident to the production of water as herein provided for the purpose of ascertaining the possibilities of offsetting the costs of water production in any area by the commercial utilization of such products; (c) to acquire, by purchase, license, lease, or donation, secret processes, technical data, inventions, patent applications, patents, licenses, land and any interest in land (including water rights, easements, and leasehold interests), plants and facilities, and other property or rights: Provided, That the land or other property acquired hereunder shall not exceed that necessary to carry on the experiments and demonstrations for the purposes herein provided; (d) to engage, by noncompetitive contract or otherwise, chem^ ists, physicists, engineers, and such other personnel as may be deemed necessary, knd any educational institution, scientific ' organization, or industrial or engineering firm deemed suitable to do any part of the research or other work, and to the extent appro, priate to correlate and coordinate the research and development work of such educational institutions, scientific organizations and industrial and engineering firms; and

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