Letter to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House Transmitting Bill on Saline Water Research.

My dear Mr.___________:

I am transmitting for the consideration of the Congress a draft bill to carry out the recommendations on saline water research in my Natural Resources Message.

Water--one of the most familiar and abundant compounds on the earth's surface-is rapidly becoming a limiting factor on further economic growth in many areas of this Nation and the world. As time goes on, more and more .communities will be faced with the prospect of economic distress and stagnation unless alternative sources of suitable water are developed.

It is essential, therefore, that we make every effort at this. time to search for low-cost processes for converting sea and brackish water into fresh water to meet our future water needs and those of our neighbors throughout the world. I know of no Federal activity that offers greater promise of making a major contribution to the ultimate economic well-being of all mankind than this program.

This bill will provide the Department of the Interior with a wide variety of tools to attack the saline water conversion cost barrier. It contemplates a major acceleration of current programs of basic and applied research, and permits the construction of conversion plants far larger than any now in existence to test the feasibility of known and yet to be developed processes. I am confident that the Congress will share my view that we must move ahead with this important program, and I urge that favorable and prompt consideration be given this legislation.

I am enclosing a letter from the Secretary of the Interior describing this legislation in greater detail. A letter identical to this is being sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives (President of the Senate).

Sincerely,

JOHN F. KENNEDY