Future Challenges for the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resources Program (2003) / Chapter Skim
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2 The Mineral Resources Program Today
2 The Mineral Resources Program Today
Pages 33-50
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From page 33... ...
While the Minerals Information Team is included to a limited extent in this chapter's discussion, Chapter 4 contains a more detailed evaluation of it. THE MRP'S PRIORITIES 1999 TO 2004 Rather than revise the MRSP plan reviewed in 1996 by the NRC, a new five-year plan, Mineral Resources Program Priorities 1999-2004 (Kathleen Johnson, USGS, personal communication, 2002)
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From page 34... ...
· Obtain expertise in quantitative mineral resources assessment and industrial ecology. · Provide training for existing staff to develop skills, knowledge, and expertise consistent with present and future core competency needs.
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From page 35... ...
The f~ve-year plan proposes the slowing of certain programs, such as extending the time frame for completing the global mineral resource assessment and the less frequent publishing of certain mineral commodities information, as an approach for effectively operating with level funding and maintaining core competencies (Kathleen Johnson, USGS, personal communication, 2002~. The five-year plan addresses a number of opportunities for cooperative program efforts that also include reimbursable project development.
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Reimbursable project development is proposed with foreign countries seeking mineral resources information and with international funding agencies such as the World Bank and foreign banks, requiring mineral environment assessment studies to ensure environmentally sound mining practices before resource development. Reimbursable projects
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From page 37... ...
. The Central Mineral Resources Team in Denver, Colorado, follows its historic mission to conduct research on basic understanding of metallic and nonmetallic nonfuel mineral deposits, their geological environments, and processes of formation; to apply this knowledge to assessments of the nation's nonfuel mineral endowment; and to determine the potential environmental consequences of mineral resource development (http://minerals.cr.usgs.gov/team/aboutus.htmI)
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This team compiles and publishes production data on U.S. and global mineral commodities.
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(see also Chapter 4~. At the end of 1997 the USGS instituted matrix management, in which headquarters personnel are responsible for results relating to long-term planning and regional staff is responsible for project-level planning and decision making (USGS, 2001~.
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NOTE: CICT, Crustal Imaging and Characterization Team. "Other" includes funds used for other programs (including the Geology Discipline's Eastern Earth Surface Processes Team, the Eastern Energy Resources Team, the Central Earth Surface Processes Team, and the Volcano Hazards Team)
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From page 41... ...
However, no data were made available to support these statements. The Geologic Discipline of the USGS has implemented the Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program, to provide an opportunity for postdoctoral fellows to conduct concentrated research in association with selected members of the USGS staff.
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(Kathleen Johnson, USGS, personal communication, 2002~. The majority of these publications are in outside refereed journals (33 percent)
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The staff expects that in the future less research will be published in these traditional and highly respected publications with more research published in outside refereed journals, trade journals, and conference proceedings. While publication in refereed journals validates research quality and is encouraged by the committee, the committee is concerned that, since outside journals are often hesitant to publish large quantities of data, this might lead to less data being published.
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From page 44... ...
Finally, projects in economy and public policy center on land stewardship, national and international commodity studies, mineral conservation and material flows, and special international studies. The MRP also supports several national technical capabilities, including isotope laboratories, analytical laboratories, regional GIS laboratories, and petrographic and ore microscopy laboratories.
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From page 45... ...
~ pla-cl-n-g~ monela~ va-l-u-e~ on~ aepOslls~ a-n-a~ pole-nll-a-l~ llaw.s~ l-n~ u-s-l-n-g~ exlsll-n-g~ aepo-sIl~ ::::: : : ::1: : : ::::: ::::::::: ::::::::::::: :: ::::::::::::::::t::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :::::::t: ::::::: ::::::: ~ ~-~-u-~w=-:~ caste-rn~ ~v~-l-ne- a~~ ~so-u-rce-s~ ~ ttp- ~~-m-l-n-e- a-~-s-.-u-sg-s-.-g-ow-ea-sUg-Io-ualI~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ~ l-na-ex~n-lm-l~ J~ ~ ~-rl-s-Key~ u-~-~-~ pe-mo-n-al~co-m-m-u-nl-call-o-n~ ~u-u '-'-'M'£KelVey'~ The committee conc1/~des that the g1/toba1/t minera1/t resource assessment wouic~7 benefit from additiona1/t co1/~1/laboration with potentia1/t users as wed as from an outside review pane1/t, which cou1/~dprovide objective guidance and ba1/lance to the assessment. The NRC was not asked to conduct a comprehensive review of the global mineral resource assessment.
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From page 46... ...
In 1996 the clients and users of MRSP products included federal land management agencies, the mining and quarrying industries, environmental organizations, state geological surveys, state regulatory agencies, local governments, universities, other federal agencies (particularly the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corp of Engineers) , and other groups within the USGS, particularly the Water Resources Division and others in geological mapping, energy, and coastal and marine programs.
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From page 47... ...
-- -Th ~ ................................. ,.,.,.,.,u.,.,.~.,.,.~a-oes~n-o,l.~speclTI- a.,.,-l-ly~lal-l-or -- -ln-e~ln~rmallOn,l.~m-eel~lne-l-r~n-eea-s~ l -- -ne e~l-s~no~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::: : :~:: B: : : ::::: 1:~::: :1 : I ::::::: ::::::: ::::::::::: :1:::::::: ::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I: :~: : : :::: ::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::: ::::::: ::::::::::: :1':':':::::::':::::::'::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::: For the purposes of this report all of the above categories will be referred to collectively as "users." The top three users since 1997 are the federal government, trade associations, and the news media, followed closely by state and local agencies (Table 2.1 and Table 2.2~.
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From page 48... ...
addresses a number of opportunities for cooperative program efforts including reimbursable project development. The MRP response to the NRC's 1996 general recommendation on increased collaboration is discussed in Chapter 3.
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The committee is concerned that the fragmentation of staff effort may create unexpected long-term consequences for staff performance, quality of MRP work, and documentation, which could threaten the MRP's strong tradition for reporting its science.
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, through criticism and recommendations from the review panel that both improved the methods and added credibility to the results. This committee recommends that an external review panel be inaugurated to gauge methods and results for the global mineral resource assessment and other similar types of assessments.
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