|
Most Recent Action
H.R.
4132 was introduced in the House on March 30, 2000 by Rep. John Doolittle
(R-CA). The purpose of the bill was to reauthorize and amend the
Water Resources Research Act of 1984. That act established a system
of state water research institutes supported by the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS), which work with state organizations and universities to do basic
and applied research, training, and technology and information transfers
in order to develop programs designed to resolve regional water and related
land problems. H.R. 4132 would reauthorize the program and triple
the grant amounts for general water resources research and for research
focused on interstate water problems through Fiscal Year 2005. The
bill passed the House Committee on Resources and the full House on July
10, 2000 and was referred to the Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works. (7/20/00)
Background
The Water Resources Research Act of 1984 was enacted to establish state
university-based research and technology institutes. The Secretary
of the Interior was responsible for setting up the institutes to plan,
conduct or arrange for water resources research, and to cooperate with
other academic institutions in the state to formulate and implement state-wide
water and land resource management plans. The act authorized federal
funding through the USGS to be matched by non-federal monies. Every
year, each institute is required to submit its proposals to the Secretary
of the Interior for evaluation. It repealed the Water Research and
Development Act of 1978. H.R. 1743 amended the act in 1995 to broaden
the institutes' involvement with other natural resources and agricultural
systems. It also directed that other federal agencies coordinate
with the water resource research institutes, began an internship program
for undergraduate and graduate students, and shifted the financial burden
away from the government by requiring that each federal grant dollar be
matched by two non-federal dollars. In fiscal year 1999, the institutes
leveraged $71 million, of which $4 million was from federal sources. The
institutes collaborate with 123 other universities, 148 state agencies,
and over 273 other entities. The USGS funding supported the training
of over 1000 students.
Please send any comments or requests for information to the AGI Government Affairs Program at govt@agiweb.org.
Contributed by 2000 AGI/AIPG Geoscience Policy Intern Audrey Slesinger
Posted July 20, 2000
| Information Services | | Geoscience Education | | Public Policy | | Environmental Geoscience | | Publications | | Workforce | | AGI Events | ||
|
© 2013. All rights reserved. | ||||||||
