4.2 Congress should amend the appropriate U.S. Department of Agriculture’s emergency programs to include livestock needs during drought.

4.3 The U.S. Department of Agriculture should establish a single procedure to trigger, in a timely fashion, all of the Department’s disaster programs.

4.4 We recommend that emergency assistance acknowledge, encourage, and reward natural resource stewardship and self-help without discriminating against those truly in need.

4.5 We recommend that Congress enact permanent authorization for Title 1 of Public Law 102-250, which gives the Bureau of Reclamation authority to provide emergency drought assistance. Because the Bureau’s authority is limited to the Reclamation states, Congress should extend that authority or provide appropriate authority to the Army Corps of Engineers to serve the non-Reclamation states.

4.6 For those areas not covered by the Stafford Act, Congress should appropriate an annual fund, available until expended and similar to that available under the Stafford Act, for non-farm drought emergencies that affect tribes, communities, businesses, and the environment.

GOAL 5

Federal drought programs are a collection of initiatives run by different departments and agencies. Every analysis of past responses to major droughts notes that these programs need to be better coordinated and integrated.

We strongly agree. In accordance with our policy statement, we emphasize that coordination of federal drought programs should ensure effective service delivery in support of nonfederal drought programs.

Specific Recommendations

5.1 Create Council. The President should immediately establish an interim National Drought Council through an executive order and in combination with a Memorandum of Understanding that provides adequate staffing and funding. Congress should create a long-term, continuing National Drought Council. Both should be composed of federal and regionally diverse nonfederal members (see table on next page). The goal is to implement the recommendations of this report as soon as practicable.

5.2 Co-chairs. The President should appoint the Secretary of Agriculture as co-chair of the interim National Drought Council, with a nonfederal co-chair elected by the nonfederal interim Council members.
Congress should designate the Secretary of Agriculture as the permanent federal co-chair of the long-term Council, with a nonfederal co-chair elected by the nonfederal Council members.

5.3 Funding. The President should request and Congress should provide administrative funding to support the interim and long-term National Drought Councils. (continue)

10 National Drought Policy Commission Report