Department Of The Interior S Efforts To Estimate The Cost Of Federal Irrigation Subsidies

Considers (102) H.R. 429.

To assist the Congress in its oversight capacity, we have developed an oversight framework that is intended to allow the Congress to systematically address the goals, scope and approaches for delivering these on-going programs. Specifically, the options in this report fall under one of the following three areas that constitute one potential framework for congressional oversight: Reassess objectives: Options for reconsidering whether to terminate or revise services and programs because goals have been achieved, have been persistently not met, or are no longer relevant due to changing conditions. Redefine beneficiaries: Options for revising formulas or eligibility rules or improved targeting of benefits or fees. Improve efficiency: Options to address program execution problems through consolidation, reorganization, improving collections methods, or attacking high-risk activities.

As the U.S. enters a new cent., the 107th Cong. and the new admin. face an array of challenges and opportunities to enhance the performance and accountability of the Fed. gov't. and to position our country for the future. The GAO's recently issued Performance and Accountability Series describes those challenges. This report provides a framework for considering the budgetary implications of certain program reform options discussed in past GAO work but not yet addressed or enacted. This report is not a complete summary of possible options, but it does provide specific examples that demonstrate the programmatic and fiscal oversight needed as we enter the new millennium. Charts and tables.

This book clearly and authoritatively addresses significant issues of water policy in the western United States at a time when the growing scarcity of western water and the role of the Bureau of Reclamation in the allocation of that resource are becoming increasingly urgent issues. In this scholarly study, Wahl combines his insider's knowledge of the Interior Department's dam-building, regulatory, and water-pricing decisions with an objective analysis of the efficiency dilemma. The study begins by tracing the origins of the reclamation idea and the expansion of subsidies in the program since 1902. The author then recommends major changes in reclamation law and in the Bureau of Reclamation's policies for administering its water supply contracts. He uses four case studies to illustrate the application and potential benefits of his proposals.