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<br />" <br /> <br />Dr. Terry Glover, Utah State University. reported on the economic evaluation <br />being developed in association with Dr. Herb Fullerton, currently with the <br />U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington D.C. The purpose of the <br />evaluation is to assess the economic benefits and costs associated with the <br />modification of specific drought conditions in Utah. It includes not only an <br />analysis of yield and price impacts but also an assessment of distribution <br />impacts. A spatial distribution-mathematical programming model has been <br />developed to assess the impacts of specifically defined production changes <br />and the distribution and cost patterns associated with these impacts. <br />Specific drought episodes and their associated yield-changing characteristics <br />can be assessed and compared to a base production and distribution pattern. <br />The comparative advantage of regional production can be assessed for a given <br />base, and then a trace of the changes in comparative advantage can be made <br />with the imposition of drought conditions by changing the costs and/or <br />resource constraints that are incorporated in the model. Weather modification <br />can then be imposed as a change in precipitation and hydrology, and changes <br />in economic activity under modification can be compared with the changes <br />under drought conditions relative to a base or "normal" condition. Three <br />drought intensities (base or normal level. 1976-77 drought. and 1931-34 <br />drought) and three levels of yield change from weather modification (no <br />modification, lowwlevel modification, and higher level modification) will be <br />simulated. Both seeded region and outside region drought conditions will be <br />used in the benefit simulations. <br /> <br />Colorado <br /> <br />Ms. Barbara Welles of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources outlined <br />the recently inaugurated Colorado drought relief studies. She identified <br />four major tasks: <br /> <br />1. Define drought conditions as related to the various economies of the <br />State and use these definitions as the basis for determining when to <br />institute emergency drought relief cloud seeding. <br /> <br />17 <br />