Ag coalition pushes for IRA drought funding implementation

A coalition of agricultural organizations have offered their support, assistance and counsel for the immediate implementation of drought funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. In a letter sent to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton, seven organizations including the Family Farm Alliance, Western Growers and several Western state organizations proposed key principals including the following:

• The Bureau of Reclamation should quickly release a Notice of Funding Availability with guidance to water managers currently developing drought response proposals and urgently deploy that funding to address the most critical needs.
• As the Bureau of Reclamation develops a plan to deploy drought funding, they should work with local water managers; set goals focused on driving the voluntary participation needed; and keep the process, selection criteria and any necessary agreements simple and transparent.
• Any program designed to temporarily reduce agricultural water use must recognize the value of lost production, the extended impact on the rural community and the cost of developing incremental new water supplies. It is also important to avoid any actions that result in permanent disruptions to our long-term capacity to produce the food and fiber that is relied upon in the U.S. and across the globe.
• Agriculture should not be the only sector expected to reduce water use for the benefit of river systems. Urban planners and water users must also seriously address growth and reduce overall use or diversions to protect these systems.

“Adhering to the recommendations provided above will help ensure that agricultural water users can be meaningful partners in our collective effort to manage water supply and protect important supply systems in exceptionally dry times like those we face now, from the headwaters in the upper basin to the last user in the lower basin,” noted coalition members in the letter.

The letter can be read by clicking here.