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 the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, under assistance award No. 1434-HQ-97-AG-01886. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. government.
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PANEL TO REVIEW THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY'S ENERGY RESOURCES PROGRAM
FRANKLIN M. ORR, JR., Chair,
Stanford University, California
VICKI J. COWART,
Colorado Geological Survey, Denver
JOHN C. CRELLING,
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
JOEL DARMSTADTER,
Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C.
CHARLES G. GROAT,
University of Texas at El Paso (resigned July 30, 1998)
CLAUDIA J. HACKBARTH,
Shell E&P Technology Company, Houston, Texas
WILLIAM N. POUNDSTONE,
Consolidation Coal Company (retired), North Palm Beach, Florida
RAYMOND A. PRICE,
Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario
REGINAL SPILLER,
Frontera Resources, Houston, Texas
JOHN E. TILTON,
Colorado School of Mines, Golden
NOEL TYLER,
The University of Texas at Austin
NRC Staff
ANTHONY R. DE SOUZA, Study Director
JUDITH L. ESTEP, Administrative Assistant
COMMITTEE ON EARTH RESOURCES
SUSAN M. LANDON, Chair,
Thomasson Partner Associates, Denver, Colorado
PAUL B. BARTON, JR.,
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, emeritus
CORALE L. BRIERLEY, Independent Consultant,
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
RODERICK G. EGGERT,
Colorado School of Mines, Golden
JAMES M. FUNK,
Shell Continental Companies, Houston, Texas
PERRY R. HAGENSTEIN,
Resources Issues, Inc., Wayland, Massachusetts
ALLEN L. HAMMOND,
World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C.
PAMELA D. LUTTRELL,
Mobil, Dallas, Texas
DIANNE R. NIELSON,
Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City
JILL D. PASTERIS,
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
JONATHAN G. PRICE,
Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology, Reno
RICHARD J. STEGEMEIER,
Unocal Corporation, Brea, California, emeritus
HUGH P. TAYLOR, JR.,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NOEL TYLER,
The University of Texas at Austin
MILTON H. WARD,
Cyprus Amax Minerals Company, Englewood, Colorado
NRC Staff
CRAIG M. SCHIFFRIES, Director
JUDITH L. ESTEP, Administrative Assistant
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES
J. FREEMAN GILBERT, Chair,
University of California, San Diego
KENNETH I. DAUGHERTY,
Marconi Information Systems, Reston, Virginia
RICHARD S. FISKE,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
JAMES M. FUNK,
Shell Continental Companies, Houston, Texas
WILLIAM L. GRAF,
Arizona State University, Tempe
CHARLES G. GROAT,
University of Texas, El Paso (resigned November 7, 1998)
DONALD C. HANEY,
Kentucky Geological Survey, Lexington
RAYMOND JEANLOZ,
University of California, Berkeley
SUSAN M. KIDWELL,
University of Chicago, Illinois
SUSAN KIEFFER,
Kieffer & Woo, Inc., Palgrave, Ontario
PAMELA LUTTRELL,
Mobil, Dallas, Texas
J. BERNARD MINSTER,
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
ALEXANDRA NAVROTSKY,
University of California, Davis
DIANNE R. NIELSON,
Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City
JILL D. PASTERIS,
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
EDWARD C. ROY, JR.,
Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
EDWARD M. STOLPER,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
MILTON H. WARD,
Cyprus Amax Minerals Company, Englewood, Colorado
NRC Staff
CRAIG M. SCHIFFRIES, Director
WILLIAM E. BENSON, Senior Program Officer
ANTHONY R. de SOUZA, Senior Program Officer
TAMARA L. DICKINSON, Senior Program Officer
ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program Officer
THOMAS M. USSELMAN, Senior Program Officer
VERNA J. BOWEN, Administrative Assistant
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Administrative Assistant
JUDITH L. ESTEP, Administrative Assistant
COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
PATRICK R. ATKINS,
Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
JERRY F. FRANKLIN,
University of Washington, Seattle
B. JOHN GARRICK,
PLG, Inc., Newport Beach, California
THOMAS E. GRAEDEL,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
DEBRA KNOPMAN,
Progressive Foundation, Washington, D.C.
KAI N. LEE,
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
JUDITH E. MCDOWELL,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts
RICHARD A. MESERVE,
Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.
HUGH C. MORRIS,
Canadian Global Change Program, Delta, British Columbia
RAYMOND A. PRICE,
Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario
H. RONALD PULLIAM,
University of Georgia, Athens
THOMAS C. SCHELLING,
University of Maryland, College Park
VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,
Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida
E-AN ZEN,
University of Maryland, College Park
MARY LOU ZOBACK,
U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California
NRC Staff
ROBERT M. HAMILTON, Executive Director
GREGORY H. SYMMES, Assistant Executive Director
JEANETTE SPOON, Administrative and Financial Officer
SANDI FITZPATRICK, Administrative Associate
MARQUITA SMITH, Administrative Assistant/Technology Analyst
This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the authors and the NRC in making their 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 content of 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 participation in the review of this report:
Harry M. Conger
Homestake Mining Company
Walnut Creek, California
Roderick G. Eggert
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado
Rhea Graham
Consultant
Placitas, New Mexico
Steven Holditch
S,A. Holditch and Associates
College Station, Texas
Susan Longacre
Texaco
Houston, Texas
Hugh C. Morris
Canadian Global Change Program
Delta, British Columbia
Dianne R. Nielson
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Salt Lake City, Utah
Thomas F. Torries
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia
Although the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, responsibility for the final content of this report rests solely with the authoring committee and the NRC.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. If is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
Preface
A decade ago, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Budget Justifications FY 1989 (DOI, 1988a) stated that the USGS energy program "is conducted to improve the understanding of the nature, distribution, and size of the national endowment of energy-related resources as a prerequisite to the formulation of an effective national energy policy and optimum development of energy resources" (p. GP-160). At the same time, a National Research Council (NRC) committee reviewed the USGS energy programs and commented that "effective and timely scientific information from these programs is needed to help the nation determine its energy options through the year 2000 and beyond" (NRC, 1988, p.17). Ten years later, as the year 2000 approaches, many of the issues addressed in that report are still timely, and the need for accurate information about energy resource options is every bit as great. The fact that the 1988 review considered many issues that are still relevant today is an indication that the time scales for changes in the energy mix are long, and the products of the USGS Energy Resources Program are important to the economic, environmental, and security future of the United States.
This report examines the current state of the Energy Resources Program (ERP) in the USGS and offers suggestions for the future of the program. It was assembled based on the thoughtful evaluations and comments of the members of the panel, who shared their expertise, invested many hours in program review meetings, and reviewed carefully a succession of drafts of the report. It was a pleasure to work with them. The panel is also grateful to Dave Houseknecht and many members of the staff of the Energy Resources Program, who prepared cogent briefings about ERP activities and responded rapidly to every request for
information from the panel. Finally, we are especially indebted to Tony de Souza, NRC staff director for the study, and his able assistant Judy Estep. Their efforts kept us organized and on track, and they contributed substantially to the final product. The talented group of people who contributed to this review made my job as chairman a pleasure to fulfill.
LYNN ORR
CHAIRMAN