Future Challenges for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Resources Program
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Grant No. 02HQAG0091 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Geological Survey. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY’S MINERAL RESOURCES PROGRAM
Members
CORALE L. BRIERLEY, Chair,
Brierley Consultancy LLC, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
GEORGE H. BRIMHALL,
University of California, Berkeley
RODERICK G. EGGERT,
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado
JESSICA ELZEA KOGEL,
Thiele Kaolin Company, Sandersville, Georgia
JAMES M. FRANKLIN,
Franklin Geosciences Ltd., Nepean, Ontario, Canada
RHEA GRAHAM,
New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Albuquerque
MARK J. LOGSDON,
Geochimica, Inc., Ojai, California
DREW A. MEYER,
Vulcan Materials Company, Birmingham, Alabama
GLENN C. MILLER,
University of Nevada, Reno
ANTHONY J. NALDRETT,
University of Toronto, Canada
Staff
TAMARA L. DICKINSON, Senior Program Officer
KERI H. MOORE, Program Officer (through March 2003)
MONICA R. LIPSCOMB, Research Assistant
KAREN L. IMHOF, Senior Project Assistant
COMMITTEE ON EARTH RESOURCES
Members
SUSAN M. LANDON, Chair,
Thomasson Partner Associates, Denver, Colorado
JAMES C. COBB,
University of Kentucky, Lexington
VICKI J. COWART, Consulting Geologist,
Denver, Colorado
PATRICK CUMMINS,
Western Governors’ Association, Denver, Colorado
THOMAS V. FALKIE,
Berwind Natural Resources Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MURRAY W. HITZMAN,
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado
MICHAEL L. MENGE,
U.S. Senate Committee for Energy and Natural Resources, (retired), Dover, Arkansas
JOHN N. MURPHY,
University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DONALD L. PAUL,
ChevronTexaco Corporation, San Ramon, California
MARK C. ROBERTS,
Michigan Technological University, Houghton
JOAQUIN RUIZ,
University of Arizona, Tucson
RUSSELL E. STANDS-OVER-BULL,
Arrow Creek Resources, Inc., Pryor, Montana
R. BRUCE TIPPIN,
North Carolina State University, Asheville
LAWRENCE P. WILDING,
Texas A&M University, College Station
P. MICHAEL WRIGHT,
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls
Staff
TAMARA L. DICKINSON, Senior Program Officer
KERI H. MOORE, Program Officer (through March 2003)
KAREN L. IMHOF, Senior Project Assistant
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES
Members
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
JILL BANFIELD,
University of California, Berkeley
STEVEN R. BOHLEN,
Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Washington, D.C.
VICKI COWART, Consulting Geologist,
Denver, Colorado
DAVID L. DILCHER,
University of Florida, Gainesville
ADAM M. DZIEWONSKI,
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
WILLIAM L. GRAF,
University of South Carolina, Columbia
RHEA GRAHAM,
New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Albuquerque
V. RAMA MURTHY,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
DIANNE R. NIELSON,
Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City
RAYMOND A. PRICE,
Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
MARK SCHAEFER,
NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia
BILLIE L. TURNER II,
Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
THOMAS J. WILBANKS,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Staff
ANTHONY R. DE SOUZA, Director
PAUL M. CUTLER, Senior Program Officer
TAMARA L. DICKINSON, Senior Program Officer
DAVID A. FEARY, Senior Program Officer
ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program Officer
RONALD F. ABLER, Senior Scientist
KRISTEN L. KRAPF, Program Officer
LISA M. VANDEMARK, Program Officer
YVONNE P. FORSBERGH, Research Assistant
MONICA R. LIPSCOMB, Research Assistant
VERNA J. BOWEN, Administrative Associate
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Administrative Associate
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Alex Glover, Feldspar Corporation
Jean-Michel M. Rendu, Mining Consultant
Jeffrey Christian, CPM Group
Larry Grayson, University of Missouri-Rolla
Joaquin Ruiz, University of Arizona
Iddo Wernick, World Resources Institute
James Davis, California State Geologist (retired)
Samuel S. Adams, Independent Consultant
Ann S. Maest, Buka Environmental
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Geoffrey P. Feiss, College of William and Mary, Provost. Appointed by the NRC, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Preface
The very importance of minerals to the economy and security of the United States demands that a vast amount of information on the geological, economic, and environmental aspects of minerals from all parts of the world is readily available to government, private, and public sectors. Since 1879 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been the preeminent organization providing vital minerals information not only on a national basis but internationally as well. In 1995 the USGS developed a plan for its minerals program, a mission-driven research program specifically focused on mineral issues that integrates environmental, resource, and economic factors. In 1996 the National Research Council (NRC) conducted a critical evaluation of this plan and provided input on how it could be modified to improve its effectiveness in meeting the long-term needs of the nation. The committee concluded that the plan represented a significant departure from the past and that its implementation would result in important directional changes in the USGS’s mineral resource activities (NRC, 1996).
Since the 1996 NRC evaluation, the USGS minerals program has indeed undergone significant changes, including a new moniker, the Mineral Resources Program (MRP). The program changes resulted not only from incorporation of the 1996 recommendations but also assimilation of the minerals information function from the U.S. Bureau of Mines, decreases in budgetary allocations, and managerial reorganization. These substantial program transformations prompted the USGS to request a re-assessment
by the NRC of its minerals program. This re-assessment examines the USGS’s response to the 1996 report, evaluates the minerals information function, examines changes in the MRP’s customer base, and offers recommendations for the program’s future.
This report is the culmination of many hours of evaluation, deliberation, writing, and rewriting by a dedicated committee whose expertise and experience were invaluable to the final product. The committee thanks Keri Moore for her unwavering enthusiasm and persistence in obtaining necessary information, and we offer our very best wishes to her in her new career. The committee is especially indebted to Tammy Dickinson, who stepped in mid-report and ably guided us to a logical conclusion and contributed substantially to the final report.
Corale L. Brierley
Chairman