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<br /> <br />- <br /> <br />Colorado River Basin Sallnrt Cof!troJ Pro ram <br /> <br />I'~ <br />u~ <br />~" <br /> <br />tho~e pro\ lJed to USDA in the 198-1 amendmems (0 the act. wherein USDA was empowered \I.'iih <br />programmatlc planmng and construction authorllY At the ume. USDA had only [0 submJl a report <br />to the Congress and \\.ait 60 days before It could proceed if the Congress did not object. In <br />contras!. Reclamation was required 10 seek approval of Its projects through legislation. This had <br />proved to be a cumbersome way to manage the program. costing the 13:l;payer more than what was <br />necessary. With broader authontles. Reclamation would be able to take advantage of opportUnities <br />as they present themselves; thus. reducmg costs <br /> <br />. . <br />"'.', <br /> <br />Reclamation agreed ....lth the Inspector General and wanted 10 explore any other innovJri'\'e Ideas <br />\\.hlCh would help Improve the effecti\'eness of HS program and take advantage of opportunities <br />\\.hlch \\.ere not envisioned 20 years ago. At about thiS lime, Vice President Gore began his <br />10011JtI\ e (0 streamline and reinvent the Federal Government. With most of the cost-effecti\'e <br />portIons of the authOrized program nearmg complellon, this was a pivotal moment for the program. <br />II \\.ould either be reauthorized or end In 1998 due to appropriation ceiling limits From <br />Reclamation's point of VIe\\., It seemed a v'ery appropriate time to reassess the dtreCllOn of the <br />rrogram. <br /> <br />Public Re\ie"-In 199~, Reclamation imtlated a public reVIew of Ihe Salinny Control Program. <br />The goal of the publiC re\iev. was 10 complete I) reeumme the program and its authorities, (0 <br />gather a broad range of new Ideas. to review Ihe lessons oi past e'periences. to formulate new <br />gUldelmes and methodologies. and 10 draft new <;alinll) control legislation 10 bring Ihis program <br />Into the ne't century <br /> <br />The rubl1c rev Ie\\. began on ~1arch 2~, 199~, v.ilh a news release and mdividual notices mailed to <br />n10re than ~OO entities including congressional representaU\es. members of the Forum; local. State, <br />and Federal agencies. environmental organizations. and other interested parties. The notices Slated <br />Reclamation.s purpose In conducllng the reVieW, provided background on the salinity problem m <br />the Colorado River BaSin. and the current program for addressing those problems. The nOllces <br />Ihen suggested several options regarding the SalinilY Control Program. <br /> <br />Reclamatlon recel\ed responses from private mdlviduals and local. Slate. and Federal agencies. <br />The maJorH) of the comments were from local and State agencies e\pressing support for <br />Reclamation's leadership role in the program. but found the old program could be imprO\ed in <br />se\eral ways <br /> <br />The pub\Lc rev.iew of the prog.ram found that In the future. the rrogram should: <br /> <br />. consider alternati\es to Go\enunent planned projects <br />. allow non+Federal construction <br />. conSider proposals to comrol salmity anywhere in the Colorado Ri\'er Basin <br />. consider non.lfadllional methods <br />. be comreUlive (consider COSI and performance risk m its ranking cflleria) <br />. contmue to be v"olunlary (rather lhan regulatory) <br /> <br />37 <br /> <br />