Release of National Drought
                                                               
Remarks                          
          As Prepared for Delivery
                               by
             Secretary of Agriculture  Dan Glickman
                  Release of National Drought 
                    Policy Commission Report
                          May 16, 2000

     "Before we start, I want to send my condolences to the family and friends of Sam Tobias,
a Forest Service employee who was killed, along with a private pilot, in a plane crash yesterday
afternoon on a reconnaissance mission in New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest.  Our Forest
Service employees throw themselves in harm's way to protect their fellow citizens from fire, and
sometimes they pay the ultimate price.  Sam Tobias and the pilot, Leo Kupoman, will be in our
thoughts.

     "What has happened over the last week in New Mexico is a reminder of the kind of havoc
that drought can wreak.  The devastating wildfires in the Los Alamos area were made worst by
drought conditions, causing the fire to spread more rapidly and making it harder to control.  This
is an important issue, and the National Drought Policy Commission's report discusses, among
other things, ways to address drought-related wildfires.  

     "I sent the Chief of the Forest Service out to New Mexico to assess the need for action
there.  As a result of his recommendations, we are taking the following actions to address a key
finding in the Commission Report -- the need for "restoring forest and grassland health."

          "We are continuing to work with Congress on ways to reduce fire risk around
     communities in New Mexico and across the west that are at high risk from wildfires.  

          "We are also working with Congress to provide $250 million in emergency funds to fight
     new fires we expect this year because of the drought.

          "The President's 2001 budget request includes the Forest Service's HIRE Initiative,
     which stands for Healthy Investments in Rural Environments.  This would provide a
     permanent source of funding for reducing long-term fire risks and for other innovative
     projects that create private sector jobs.  We are ready to work with Congress to pass this
     initiative immediately.
                                 
     "This Commission and the report they have completed are about creating a new drought
policy model that takes the long view, putting the emphasis on preparedness. 
                         
We need to move beyond damage control, to give farmers and citizens -- urban and rural -- the
tools they need to protect themselves before drought hits.  When it comes to drought, an ounce of
prevention is worth at least a pound of cure. 

     "That means better planning and improved financial and technical assistance for things
like mitigation measures and resource management.  It means a broad public education effort.  It
means a stronger federal crop insurance program, something that Congress is currently working
on.  And it means making drought forecasts and other research more accessible to farmers,
landowners and community leaders. 

     "Specifically, the Commission has assembled a set of recommendations, which are
currently being reviewed internally in the Administration.  If these recommendations should
become law...

          "I will have the authority to immediately borrow money from the Commodity Credit
     Corporation to implement USDA emergency programs.  This will allow for more timely
     drought response, since we won't have to wait for Congress to act before getting the
     money out to the people and communities who need it.

          "We will have improved, more comprehensive drought monitoring capability.  Better
     information about the location and severity of a drought will make it easier to prepare for
     that drought. 

          "There will be within USDA a single trigger for all of our disaster programs.  This will
     mean a more streamlined process.  Farmers will need to meet just one set of criteria to
     qualify for assistance and  fill out only one form to get us the information we need.

          "There will be a one-stop shop for information about federal drought assistance programs
     through a new user-friendly website.

     "Better coordination of drought relief and prevention efforts is critical.  Right now, we
have a kind of scattershot approach, with some 80 federal drought-related programs.  Often,
people have to navigate their way through a bureaucratic maze to get the help they need, and a lot
of them end up slipping through the cracks. 

     "Even as we coordinate within the federal government, we must also mesh our efforts
with  the various drought-prevention initiatives of state, local and tribal governments.  We are
one piece of a broader partnership.  We want to supplement -- not supersede -- existing efforts.  

     "Today is the beginning, not the end.  This report is not going to lay on shelf.  We intend
to turn its words into action.  I have asked Deputy Secretary Rominger to review the
Commission's work and to propose specific actions to implement its recommendations by June
15.  

     "With the Commission's mandate due to expire in 90 days, I am also moving to set up an
interim committee that will continue this work until a more permanent National Drought Council
can be established.  And I look forward to working with Congress to turn the principles of this
report into law.

"Thank you very much."

                                 


#