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Executive Summary Commission that, in the majority of cases, federal water policy affects but does not drive these trends or changes. We do recommend: I. That federal water policy not subsidize nonagricultural growth and development into agricultural areas. 2. That state and local officials give more attention to putting growth on a sustainable basis. 3. That federal agencies participate with and encourage local efforts to develop plans for land use that preserve the important economic, environmental, cultural, and amenity value of open agricultural and ranchlands. 4. That federal water agencies develop or continue programs that support sustainable agriculture by: a. Strengthening locally led conservation partnerships by ensuring a strong base program of technical assistance and financial incentives to address the array of water resources issues. b. Assisting in development of water conservation plans for districts contracting for federal water supplies. c. Providing loans, grants, and other financial assistance that promote flexible water conservation on farmlands and other lands. d. Conducting research to improve and promote water conservation. xxvii e. Facilitating water transfers and marketing of federally supplied water within states that benefit both water conservation and the financial viability of agricultural operations. 5. That irrigation districts, water management agencies, tribes, local and state officials, stakeholders, and affected publics work together to anticipate demands for water conversion and to develop approaches for such conversion that protect the integrity of communities and the environment. Improving Decisionmaking, Reducing Conflict Coordinating Federal Policy The most recent institution charged with coordinating federal water policy was the Water Resources Council, created by the 1965 Water Resources Planning Act and defunded in 1981. Since then, coordination of federal water programs, when it has occurred, has come variously from the Office of Management and Budget, the Council on Environmental Quality at the White House, and such ad hoc bodies as the Task Force on Floodplain Management. Today, most recognize that the world in which federal water policy functions is vastly changed from that overseen by the Water Resources Council. New, large federal water projects are not being funded or even proposed. Today, the need for policy development and coordination stems from the many environmental and social crises affecting the nation's rivers. In the West, federal agencies are responding to tribal water rights, endangered species listings, and Clean Water Act lawsuits in nearly every river basin.