House Committee on Science

Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), Chairman

Bart Gordon (D-TN), Ranking Minority Member

www.house.gov/science

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 4, 2006

Contacts: Joe Pouliot (Science Committee), 202-225-4275

                Leslee Gilbert (Rep. Hall), 202-225-6673

HALL BILL TO MITIGATE TEXAS DROUGHT PROBLEMS PASSES SUBCOMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY

President of Texas Farm Bureau Testifies Before Congress, Endorses Bill

WASHINGTON – Today, a House Science subcommittee unanimously passed a bill by Congressman Ralph Hall (R-Rockwall) that would help Texas’ farmers and state and local leaders better prepare for and respond to droughts, which cost the State more than $1 billion last year alone.

Prior to the vote, the Subcommittee held a hearing on Hall’s bill, H.R. 5136, the National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006.  The President of the Texas Farm Bureau and witnesses representing Western states and water resource agencies testified at the hearing and urged passage of the bill.  The full Science Committee, on which Hall serves as a senior member, is expected to pass the bill later this month. 

“Like so many areas of the country, Northeast Texas has been tormented with drought – so much so that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared every county in the 4^th Congressional District a primary disaster area,” Hall said.  “Last year, drought cost the agricultural economy here in Texas more than $1 billion due to crop and livestock loss, soil damage, insect infestation, and wildfires. 

“The bill that I have introduced, H.R. 5136, will help mitigate the impact of droughts by coordinating drought efforts between local, state, and federal entities and providing decision makers with the best tools to manage our natural resources.  It also addresses a fundamental problem our nation faces related to drought monitoring by coordinating what are now ad hoc efforts and better disseminating useful information to the people who need it the most.  I am pleased that this bill is supported by the Western Governors’ Association, the Texas Farm Bureau, and the American Meteorological Society.” 

H.R. 5136 would establish a National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), which would help decision makers better prepare for drought periods by expanding monitoring and data collection efforts, implementing an integrated data collection and dissemination system, and developing effective and useful tools to support decision making at all levels and geographic scales.  Additional information on the bill is available on the Science Committee website.

Hall’s bill was endorsed today by Mr. Kenneth Dierschke, President of the Texas Farm Bureau; Mr. Duane Smith, Vice Chairman of the Western States Water Council and a representative of the Western Governors’ Association; Mr. Marc Waage, P.E., Manager of Raw Water Supply for Denver Water; and Dr. Donald Wilhite, Director of the National Drought Mitigation Center. 

“Drought is literally squeezing the life out of Texas agriculture,” said the Texas Farm Bureau’s Dierschke.  “The Texas fires have been graphic evidence of the drought, but the burning countryside is only one symptom of this catastrophe.  In Texas, the economic impact of the drought will more than match the effects of Hurricane Rita, the category five storm that hit our Gulf Coast.”

Discussing the severe impact drought has had on Texas, Dierschke told the Subcommittee, “In 2005, more than 200 of Texas’ 254 counties were designated disaster areas due to weather related events.  Unfortunately, during the last decade and a half, this has been a very common occurrence.”

“In our view,” he added, “H.R. 5136 is an investment in new technology and systems that will benefit the nation far beyond an individual farm or ranch.  But speaking for those farmers and ranchers, Congressman Hall’s bill will certainly help us prepare for an all too uncertain future.”

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