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<br />000769 <br /> <br />DRAFT <br /> <br />1997 ANNUAL REPORT <br /> <br />. Department of Agriculture <br /> <br />In the past, the Department of Agriculture's on-farm program has had some of the most cost <br /> <br />effective salinity control projects. The plan of implementation identified in the 1996 Review places <br /> <br />considerable reliance upon the continuation of the USDA program. The Council is concerned that <br /> <br /> <br />by including the USDA's salinity control program in the much broader Environmental Quality <br /> <br /> <br />Incentives Program (EQIP). USDA's commitment to its Colorado River salinity control efforts has <br /> <br /> <br />dwindled. Because of the importance of the on-fann salinity control program to the entire Colorado <br /> <br /> <br />River Basin, the Council strongly recommends that the Colorado River Basin be designated a <br /> <br /> <br />national priority area and that as a national priority area sufficient funding be provided to <br /> <br />maintain USDA's efforts in the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program (CRBSCP) as <br /> <br /> <br />described in the 1996 Review. This recommendation was made last year and USDA has not acted. <br /> <br /> <br />Because technical assistance, education. and monitoring and evaluation are critical to the success of <br /> <br />USDA's program, the Council recommends that funding for these activities be provided in addition <br /> <br /> <br />. to the funds for cost sharing made available under the EQIP. The Administration seems to vacillate <br /> <br /> <br />on this issue to the detriment of the program. <br /> <br />The Council also finds that while USDA purports to be meeting its statutory obligations to <br /> <br />implement the CRBSCP through EQIP, the "locally led" process of funding initiatives developed <br /> <br /> <br />at the grassroots level on a state by state basis has failed to evaluate or adequately recognize the <br /> <br />downstream benefits of the basin-wide CRBSCP. The Council does not believe USDA can meet <br /> <br /> <br />its obligations as intended by Congress until funding allocations properly consider all program <br /> <br /> <br />purposes and benefits. The Council requests a response addressing how USDA intends to meet <br /> <br />its obligations to continue its implementation of the CRBSCP through EQIP. <br /> <br />The Council is also concerned with the organizational structure USDA has created for administering <br /> <br />EQIP. The Council fears that lack of coordination within USDA regional. state and local offices <br /> <br /> <br />could lead to expenditures of funds for the implementation ofless cost effective projects because the <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER BAS1N SALlN1TY CONTROL ADV1SORY COUNC1L <br /> <br />6 <br />