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COLORADO RIVER BASIN SALINITY CONTROL PROGRAM (/reformation relative to the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program in the Co%rado River Basin has been obtained from the United States Department of the lnterior, Bureaus of Reclamation and Land Management, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/, Natural Resources Conservation Service.l Title II of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, P.L. 93-320 (approved June 24, 1974), directs the Secretary of the Interior to expedite the investigation, planning, and implementation of the salinity control program. The program objective is to treat salinity as a Basinwide problem in order to maintain salinity concentrations at or below 1972 levels in the lower mainstem of the river while the Basin states continue to develop their compact-apportioned waters. Specifically, the Act authorizes the construction, operation, and maintenance of four salinity control projects (Paradox Valley, Grand Valley, Las Vegas Wash, and Crystal Geyser Units) and the expeditious completion of planning reports for 12 other projects. It also requires cost sharing by non-federal entities. The Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, and Administrator of the EPA are directed to cooperate and coordinate their activities to meet the program objectives. P.L. 98-569, signed into law on October 30, 1984, amends P.L. 93- 320. This law amends the original salinity control program by authorizing construction of additional units by Reclamation and deauthorizing Crystal Geyser because of poor cost effectiveness. The Secretary of Agriculture is directed to establish a major voluntary on-farm cooperative salinity control program. The authorizing legislation provides for cost sharing and technical assistance to participants for planning and installing needed salinity reduction practices, including voluntary replacement of incidental fish and wildlife values foregone. Participants pay at least 30 percent of the costs to install salinity reduction and wildlife habitat practices. P.L. 98-569 also directs that the BLM develop a comprehensive program for minimizing salt contributions from the 48 million acres of Basin lands that it administers. P.L. 104-20 was signed into law on July 28, 1995. This law amends the Salinity Control Act to authorize a new approach to salinity control for Reclama- tion. Past authorities were unit specific. This amendment authorized Reclamation to pursue salinity control anywhere in the Basin. The amendment also increases Reclamation's appropriation ceiling by $75,000,000 to continue its ongoing efforts to control salinity. The Basinwide program will again request proposals from the public in February 1999, rank the proposals based on cost and performance risk factors, and fund the most highly ranked projects. Awards are scheduled for next fall. The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127) was signed into law on April 4, 1996. This Act combines the USDA's salinity control program and other programs into the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The Act further amends the Salinity Control Act to authorize 67