Drought is a natural hazard with potentially 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, respond to, and mitigate drought
impacts, and who should bear such costs. This report provides
information relevant to drought policy discussions by describing
the physical causes of drought, drought history in the United
States, examples of regional drought conditions, and policy
challenges related to drought. What is drought? Drought is commonly
defined as a lack of precipitation over an extended period of time,
usually a season or more, relative to some long-term average
condition. While the technology and science to predict droughts
have improved, regional predictions remain limited to a few months
in advance. History suggests that severe and extended droughts are
inevitable and part of natural climate cycles. What causes drought?
The physical conditions causing drought in the United States are
increasingly understood to be linked to sea surface temperatures
(SSTs) in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Studies indicate that
cooler-than-average SSTs have been connected to the severe western
drought in the first decade of the 21st century, severe droughts of
the late 19th century, and precolonial North American
"megadroughts." The 2011 severe drought in Texas is thought to be
linked to La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean. What is the
future of drought in the United States? The prospect of extended
droughts and more arid baseline conditions in parts of the United
States could suggest new challenges to federal water projects,
which were constructed largely on the basis of 20th century climate
conditions. Some studies suggest that the American West may be
transitioning to a more arid climate, possibly resulting from the
buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, raising concerns
that the region may become more prone to extreme drought it was in
the 20th century. Some models of future climate conditions also
predict greater fluctuations in wet and dry years. California's
2007-2009 drought exacerbated ongoing tensions among competing
water uses. While drought is most common in California and the
Southwest, drought also can exacerbate water tensions in other
regions. For example, the 2007-2008 drought in the Southeast
heightened a long-standing dispute in the
Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River (ACF) basin. Both California
and the ACF are again experiencing drought conditions, as are the
Rio Grande and Upper Colorado River basins. What are some drought
policy challenges? Although the impacts of drought can be
significant nationally as well as regionally, comprehensive
national drought policy does not exist. Developing such a policy
would represent a significant challenge because of split federal
and non-federal responsibilities, the existing patchwork of federal
drought programs, and differences in regional conditions and risks.
While a comprehensive national policy has not been enacted,
Congress has considered and acted upon some of the recommendations
issued by the National Drought Policy Commission in 2000. In coming
years, Congress may review how federal agencies such as the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation respond to
droughts. Congress may also assess other federal programs or choose
to reassess the National Drought Policy Commission's
recommendations.
General
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