Technical assistance and transfer of precipitation management technology

The Secretary is authorized to provide technical assistance for drought contingency planning in any of the States not identified in section 391 of this title, and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and upon termination of the Trusteeship, the Republic of Palau, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Secretary is authorized to conduct a Precipitation Management Technology Transfer Program to help alleviate problems caused by precipitation variability and droughts in the West, as part of a balanced long-term water resources development and management program. In consultation with State, tribal, and local water, hydropower, water quality and instream flow interests, areas shall be selected for conducting field studies cost-shared on a 50–50 basis to validate and quantify the potential for appropriate precipitation management technology to augment stream flows. Validated technologies shall be transferred to non-Federal interests for operational implementation.