A new drought-focused partnership among federal agencies aims to strengthen western communities affected by the drought that has plagued the region for years.
In a memo released Monday morning, President Obama directed 13 federal agencies, including the Army, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense, to work together on coordinating federal responses to drought. The agreement also aims to help local and state authorities respond to droughts.
The memoranda listed six goals for the National Drought Resilience Partnership: share drought data with each other, communicate drought risk to local officials, plan better, coordinate on drought activity among federal agencies, create market-based infrastructure improvements, and find more innovative water technology.
“In sustaining this focused collaboration, the [partnership] will provide the federal government with a lasting platform that enables locally and regionally driven priorities and needs to guide coordinated federal activities,” Obama wrote.
Much of the western United States has been bone dry in recent years, though an intense El Nino system this winter should lessen the drought effects in 2016.
About 45 million people live in areas affected by drought. About 63 percent of the area of the Western states — Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California — are experiencing some level of drought, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s drought monitor.
California is hardest hit, as the entire state has experienced some form of drought. Nearly half the state is categorized as being in the most severe drought category, characterized by water shortages and widespread crop and pasture losses. More than 20 million Californians live in the areas most severely affected by drought, the university reports.
To meet their goals, the 13 federal agencies must start taking action by the end of the year. The Departments of Interior, Agriculture and Commerce will coordinate the federal work, along with the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Among the actions they will take is finding the right format to share information across all agencies, working with state, regional, local and tribal authorities on drought and preparedness planning and gathering information on how drought could affect critical infrastructure.
“In responding to and recovering from past droughts, we have learned that focused collaboration across all levels of government and the private sector is critical to enable productive and workable solutions to build regional resilience to drought,” Obama wrote.
The other agencies participating in the National Drought Resilience Partnership are Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Economic Council, Council on Environmental Quality and the National Security Council.
