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<br />Ogall al a Aquifer, improved pumpi ng technology and cheap energy opened thi s <br />vast fertile land to large-scale irrigation. The Ogallala water resource was <br />described at the time, as "an inexhaustible supply", and a "vast underground <br /> <br />river.1I <br /> <br />World War II interrupted development of large-scale irrigation, but in <br />the years following irrigated agricultural production exploded on the Plains. <br />Abundant water and cheap energy fed the growth of one of the most productive <br />and stable agricultural enterprises in the world. <br /> <br />We know now that the water resources of the Ogall al a Aqui fer are not <br />inexhaustible. Cheap energy is no longer available to pump the remaining <br />stores of water. Land and climate well suited to large agricultural enter- <br />prises remain, but the Region is faced with a simultaneous decline in water <br />and the energy resources to support such enterprises. The Nation is faced <br />with a potential reduction in the agricultural production capacity that has <br />contributed substantially to both feeding and clothing its own population <br />and to providing commodities for foreign export. <br /> <br />This potential depletion of natural resources became the background for <br />formulating the High Plains Study. Six states, through their state govern- <br />ments and their Congressional representatives, determined to undertake a <br />comprehensive study to identify and evaluate alternatives for the future of <br />the Region. Recognizing the geographic unity of the Plains, the six states <br />commi tted themse 1 ves to pa rt i c i pat i on in the Study, at both a resea rch and <br />pol icy level. <br /> <br />With the support of the states, the Study was authori zed by Congress <br />in 1976 as Sec. 193, P.L. 94-587. It was begun in October 1978. Its <br />completion represents the product of a unique effort of the federal govern- <br />ment, the states, and private enterprise to examine problems on a regional <br />basis and to develop alternatives for their solution. <br /> <br />xiv <br />