{ "id": "RL34580", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL34580", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 428443, "date": "2013-04-22", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T23:29:57.184346", "title": "Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress", "summary": "Drought is a natural hazard with often significant societal, economic, and environmental consequences. Public policy issues related to drought range from how to identify and measure drought to how best to prepare for, mitigate, and respond to drought impacts, and who should bear associated costs. Severe drought in 2011 and 2012 fueled congressional interest in near-term issues, such as current (and recently expired) federal programs and their funding, and long-term issues, such as drought forecasting and various federal drought relief and mitigation actions. Continuing drought conditions throughout the country contribute to ongoing interest in federal drought policies and responses. \nAs of April 2013, drought has persisted across approximately two-thirds of the United States and is threatening agricultural production and other sectors. More than 1,180 counties so far have been designated as disaster areas for the 2013 crop season, including 286 counties contiguous to primary drought counties. In comparison, in August 2012, more than 1,400 counties in 33 states had been designated as disaster counties by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Most attention in the 112th Congress focused on the extension of expired disaster assistance programs in separate versions of a 2012 farm bill. Attention in the 113th Congress again is expected to focus on farm bill legislation; however, other bills addressing different aspects of drought policy and response have also been introduced. (For information regarding drought disaster assistance for agricultural producers, see CRS Report RS21212, Agricultural Disaster Assistance. For information on the 2012 bill, see CRS Report R42552, The 2012 Farm Bill: A Comparison of Senate-Passed S. 3240 and the House Agriculture Committee\u2019s H.R. 6083 with Current Law.) \nAlthough agricultural losses typically dominate drought impacts, federal drought activities are not limited to agriculture. For example, the 2012 drought raised congressional interest in whether and to what extent other federal agencies have and are using authorities to address drought. Similarly, the President in August 2012 convened the White House Rural Council to assess executive branch agencies\u2019 responses to the ongoing drought. The Administration shortly thereafter announced several new administrative actions to address the drought. \nWhile numerous federal programs address different aspects of drought, no comprehensive national drought policy exists. A 2000 National Drought Policy Commission noted the patchwork nature of drought programs, and that despite a major federal role in responding to drought, no single federal agency leads or coordinates drought programs\u2014instead, the federal role is more of \u201ccrisis management.\u201d Congress may opt to revisit the commission\u2019s recommendations. Congress also may consider proposals to manage drought impacts, such as authorizing new assistance to develop or augment water supplies for localities, industries, and agriculture\u2014or providing funding for such activities where authorities already exist. Congress also may address how the two major federal water management agencies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, plan for and respond to drought. \nThis report describes the physical causes of drought, drought history in the United States, and policy challenges related to drought. It also provides examples of recurrent regional drought conditions. For information on federal agricultural disaster assistance and related legislation, see the CRS reports noted above.\nThis report will not be updated. For further information about the causes and current understanding of drought in the United States, see CRS Report R43407, Drought in the United States: Causes and Current Understanding.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL34580", "sha1": "189dac2621aef08a6b95f41fd4cc48270057e547", "filename": "files/20130422_RL34580_189dac2621aef08a6b95f41fd4cc48270057e547.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL34580", "sha1": "0b30411af04dd4f1e100dff7e9d3eb6e073b3499", "filename": "files/20130422_RL34580_0b30411af04dd4f1e100dff7e9d3eb6e073b3499.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc122326/", "id": "RL34580_2012Aug15", "date": "2012-08-15", "retrieved": "2012-11-30T09:28:34", "title": "Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report describes the physical causes of drought, drought history in the United States, and policy challenges related to drought. It also provides examples of recurrent regional drought conditions.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120815_RL34580_a7dc9a2788aec840d21af31ccfa9f4a755fdf996.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120815_RL34580_a7dc9a2788aec840d21af31ccfa9f4a755fdf996.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Droughts", "name": "Droughts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Water supply", "name": "Water supply" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Water resources", "name": "Water resources" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc809664/", "id": "RL34580_2012Jul31", "date": "2012-07-31", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120731_RL34580_5a38aaf4661cda2b4c9d9ac5a35ff06f51ca61e6.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120731_RL34580_5a38aaf4661cda2b4c9d9ac5a35ff06f51ca61e6.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc94164/", "id": "RL34580_2012Jun12", "date": "2012-06-12", "retrieved": "2012-07-24T12:39:36", "title": "Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report defines drought and discusses its background and cause in the United States. It looks in detail at the 2007-2009 California drought as well as drought in the American West in general. Lastly, it discusses the future of U.S. drought and how congressional policy can affect drought.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120612_RL34580_32abcf61647b80bc26c673ee6521e0248b72c2c2.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120612_RL34580_32abcf61647b80bc26c673ee6521e0248b72c2c2.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Droughts", "name": "Droughts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Water supply", "name": "Water supply" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Water resources", "name": "Water resources" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc87350/", "id": "RL34580_2009Mar02", "date": "2009-03-02", "retrieved": "2012-07-03T07:51:21", "title": "Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report discusses how drought is defined (e.g., why drought in one region of the country is different from drought in a different region), and why drought occurs in the United States. The report briefly describes periods of drought in the country's past that equaled or exceeded drought conditions experienced during the 20th century, including periods during earlier centuries where the American West was substantially drier, on average, than it is today.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090302_RL34580_e896750860ec3b3e1924c8288cca306d173bfe1b.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090302_RL34580_e896750860ec3b3e1924c8288cca306d173bfe1b.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Droughts", "name": "Droughts" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Rain and rainfall", "name": "Rain and rainfall" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Desertification", "name": "Desertification" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc811579/", "id": "RL34580_2008Jul15", "date": "2008-07-15", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080715_RL34580_acc600fdd58c2d460c758d66142d442cc874035a.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080715_RL34580_acc600fdd58c2d460c758d66142d442cc874035a.html" } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Agricultural Policy" ] }