Drought Initiative

Senators Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced S. 1454, the "National Drought Preparedness Act of 2003", on July 24, 2003. A companion bill, HR 2871, was introduced in the House by Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) and Dennis Rehberg (R-Mont.).

On July 24, 2003, WGA Chairman, Vice Chair, and Lead Governor for drought sent a letter to the bill sponsors commending their efforts and supporting passage of the bill this year.

The bills are similar to legislation introduced in the last Congress. However, there are some of key differences between the new bills and the 2002 versions.

The effect of the bill would be to put in place a comprehensive national drought policy that statutorily authorizes a lead federal agency for drought, and delineates the roles and responsibilities for coordinating and integrating federal assistance for droughts. It would move the country away from the costly, ad-hoc, response-oriented approach to drought, and move us toward a proactive, preparedness approach, similar to what we have for other natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes.

Some of the key provisions of the Domenici-Baucus bill include the following:

Create National Policy for Drought - It would move the country away from the costly, ad-hoc, response-oriented approach to drought, and move us toward a pro-active, preparedness approach. The new national policy would provide the tools and focus, similar to the Stafford Act, for Federal, State, tribal and local governments to address the diverse impacts and costs caused by drought.

Improve Delivery of Federal Drought Programs – To ensure improved program delivery, integration and leadership, it would establish the National Drought Council, and designate FEMA as the lead federal agency. The Council and FEMA would provide the coordinating and integrating function for federal drought programs, much like FEMA provides that function for other natural disasters under the Stafford Act, and make recommendations to improve existing federal drought programs.

Provide New Tools for Drought Preparedness Planning – Building on existing water policy and watershed planning processes, it would assist states, local governments, tribes, and other entities such as watershed groups in the development and implementation of drought preparedness plans. The bill does not mandate state and local planning, but is intended to facilitate plan development and implementation through establishment of the ‘Drought Assistance Fund.' The bill preserves state authority over water allocation.

Improve Forecasting & Monitoring – It would facilitate the development of the National Integrated Drought Information System in order to improve the characterization of current drought conditions and the forecasting of future droughts, and to provide a better basis to "trigger" federal drought assistance.

Governor Richardson, Governor Johanns, and Governor Martz are the WGA co-lead governors for drought.

Background

In 1996 Western Governors called for a national policy to be enacted "which provides for a comprehensive, coordinated and integrated approach to future droughts." In 2002 the Governors readopted their drought policy and urged Congress to act this year. Drought is a normal part of the climate for virtually all regions of the United States, but is of particular concern in the West, where any interruption of the region's already limited water supplies over extended periods of time can produce devastating impacts. Records indicate that drought occurs somewhere in the West almost every year. However, it is multi-year drought events that are of the greatest concern to water planners, natural resource managers, and government policy makers.

In response to the devastating drought in the Southwest in 1996, the governors of the Western states adopted the Drought Response Action Plan in November 1996. The report included a number of recommendations to improve federal and state responses to droughts, and emphasized the need for incorporating mitigation and preparedness measures in governmental drought programs.

One key recommendation in the report called for the development of "a national drought policy or framework that integrates actions and responsibilities among all levels of government (federal state, regional and local)." With the strong support of the Western Governors, Congress developed this recommendation into the National Drought Policy Act of 1998, PL 105-199, which President Clinton signed into law on July 16, 1998.

The National Drought Policy Act established the National Drought Policy Commission to provide advice and recommendations on the creation of an integrated, coordinated federal policy designed to prepare and respond to serious drought emergencies. The Commission's report was issued in May 2000, and it served as the basis for the WGA draft legislation.

One recommendation in the Commission's report was to create an Interim National Drought Council to operate until a permanent Drought Council is authorized by Congress. The Interim National Drought Council was created through an MOU signed in September 2000. For more information about the Interim National Drought Council, please visit their Web site.

A second key recommendation in the 1996 WGA report called for the creation of a regional drought coordination council. This recommendation led to a Memorandum of Understanding between WGA and several federal agencies which was signed in early 1997. The MOU resulted in the establishment of the The Western Drought Coordination Council whose members worked toward improving drought preparedness, mitigation and response in the West.

In May 1999, the Council went into hiatus in order to allow focus on the National Drought Policy Commission. Before going into hiatus, the Council approved The Western Drought Experience, which is the Council's report to the National Drought Policy Commission. The Council's work plan, products (including a quarterly report on drought, a catalog of federal assistance programs, a statement of its accomplishments, and a summary of the status of recommendations from the 1996 report), and membership lists can be found at the council website.

Page last updated 10/10/1999