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w Ul 0) (;,) Program Funding The success of the federal/state cooperative Colorado River Basin salinity control program is contingent upon sufficient funding to allow the plan of implementation to proceed as scheduled. The Colorado River Basin states urged the Congress in FY 86, FY 87, and FY 88 to provide the Secretary of the Interior, and more specifically the Bureau of Reclamation, with adequate funds to implement the authorized salinity control program. Adequate funds were provided in FY 86 and FY 87, and planning and construction have proceeded in a timely manner. However, the President has subsequently requested what the Basin states view as an inadequate amount of funding for FY 88. The Basin states and the Forum's Executive Director are continuing to keep Congress informed of the need for funding of the Department of the Lnterior's salinity control program at a level which will maintain the salinity concentrations at or below the adopted criteria. For the' past several years, the Department of Agriculture has been using the already existing Agricultural Conservation Program (ACP) monies to allow irrigators in the Uinta Basin of Utah and the Grand Valley of Colorado to improve irrigation practices on their farms. Through the use of the ACP funds that the Congress designatp.d to be spent on Colorado River Basin salinity, it has been demonstrated that the Department of Agriculture's programs are 'a most cO.,st-effecti ve overall way of controlling salinity. During FY 84 and FY 85, prior to the enactment of P.L. 98-569, the Administration had requested that over $12 million be appropriated each year for onfarm improvements, anticipating the authorization of the onfarm program. Because the legislation was enacted in the last few days of the Congressional session, there was no opportunity to secure budget line item funding from the Congress for FY 85. In FY 85, through Congressional directives, additional funds were made available through the ACP program. In FY 86, the Administration did not request funds for the newly established on farm program, but the Congress did again designate ACP funds to be spent on Colorado River salinity control. Similarily, in FY 87, the Administration did not request funds for the newly established onfarm program, but at the urging of the Basin states, the Congress did appropriate $3.8 million for line item funding for the program. With designated ACP funding of $2.2 million, the amount available for the onfarm program in FY 87 is $6 million. For FY 88, the Administration again did not request funding. The Basin states are actively seeking in an effort to convince the Congressional inclusion of $6 million should again be made available for this program for FY 1988. In recognition of the current fiscal situation, this represents a reduction for FY 88 of $2.5 million over the amount originally identified by the combined federal agency rp.view and supported by the Basin states as necessary to maintain continuity in the on farm program. -5-