[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 136 (Thursday, October 11, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S10649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Mr. Domenici, and Mr. Inhofe):
  S. 1538. A bill to further continued economic viability in the 
communities on the High Plains by promoting sustainable groundwater 
management of the Ogallala Aquifer; to the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce two important 
pieces of legislation that have great significance for New Mexico, but 
also are crucial to the entire Great Plains region of our Nation. The 
bills address the alarming decline in portions of the Ogallala Aquifer, 
which extends under eight States: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, 
Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota.
  A reliable source of groundwater is esential to the well-being and 
livelihoods of people in the great Plains region. Local towns and rural 
areas are dependent on the use of groundwater for drinking water, 
ranching, farming, and other commercial uses. Yet many areas overlying 
the Ogallala Aquifer have experienced a dramatic depletion of this 
groundwater resource. Some areas have seen a decline of over 100 feet 
in aquifer levels during the last half of the twentieth century.
  The first bill that I am introducing today, the ``High Plains Aquifer 
Conservation, Monitoring, and Coordination Act,'' would direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to develop and carry out a comprehensive 
hydrogeologic mapping, modeling and monitoring program for the High 
Plains Aquifer, which is comprised in large part by the Ogallala 
Aquifer. The Secretary is directed to work in conjunction with the 
eight High Plains Aquifer States in carrying out this program. The U.S. 
Geological Survey and the States will work in cooperation to further 
the goals of this program, with half of the available funds directed to 
the States for their participation in the program.

  The bill would also charge the Secretary of the Interior, working in 
cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture, with establishing a High 
Plains Aquifer Coordination Council. This Council would coordinate 
mapping, modeling, and monitoring efforts; facilitate coordination of 
federal, state and local programs relating to the groundwater resources 
of the High Plains Aquifer; facilitate coordination of programs and 
policies among the High Plains Aquifer States; and provide 
recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of 
Agriculture, and the Governors regarding programs and policies to 
address the groundwater resources of the High Plains Aquifer. The 
Council will be comprised of State and Federal representatives, as well 
as individuals from irrigation production agriculture, nonagricultural 
water users, the conservation community, and Indian Tribes.
  Finally, the legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to 
provide funding to each of the High Plains Aquifer States to further 
groundwater education programs, working with land grant universities 
and other educational institutions and cooperating entities.
  The second bill that I am introducing today is the ``High Plains 
Groundwater Resource Conservation Act.'' This bill would establish a 
voluntary 10-year groundwater conservation incentives program for the 
High Plains Aquifer region. Incentive payments would be made for 
voluntary land management practices, which may include changes from 
irrigated to dryland agriculture, changes in cropping patterns to 
utilize water conserving crops, and other conservation measures that 
result in quantifiable and significant savings in groundwater use. 
Cost-share payments will be made for structural practices that will 
conserve groundwater resources of the High Plains Aquifer, which may 
include improvement of irrigation systems and purchase of new 
equipment. Priority will be given to areas experiencing significant 
aquifer level declines. In order to be eligible, producers must be in 
an area covered by a groundwater conservation plan.

  The legislation would also require the Secretary of Agriculture to 
provide financial and technical assistance on a cost-share basis to 
States, tribes, counties, conservation districts and other political 
subdivisions. Upon approval by the Secretary, a State can carry out 
these activities in lieu of the Secretary. The Secretary is also 
required to set up a process to certify groundwater conservation plans.
  In addition, the bill would enhance eligibility for participation in 
the Conservation Reserve Program for lands drawing water from the High 
Plains Aquifer.
  These two bills bring focus to an issue that concerns the long-term 
economic viability of communities in much of America's heartland. This 
is farm country, and the cornerstone of its economy is its groundwater 
supply, the Ogallala Aquifer, which allows for irrigated agriculture. 
The Department of Agriculture estimates that there are over six million 
acres of irrigated agriculture overlying just the southern portion of 
the Ogallala. These farms use between six and nine million acre feet of 
water per year. The problem we are confronting is that the aquifer is 
not sustainable, and it is being depleted rapidly, This threatens the 
way of life of all who live on the High Plains. These bills would take 
significant steps to address this serious problem. I ask that my 
colleagues join me in supporting this legislation.
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