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Meeting U.S. Energy Resource Needs The Energy Resources Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (1999) / Chapter Skim
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5 Principal Findings and Recommendations
Pages 49-54

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From page 49...
... These plans aim to provide policymakers at all levels of government with unbiased geological information for use in making the trade-offs that national policy always entails. This report considers the placement of the ERP within the structure created by the USGS and GD strategic plans.
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From page 50...
... The panel concludes that the ERP fulfills a mission essential to the federal government. The panel recommends that the ERP develop a formal mission statement and a strategic plan that fits within and contributes to the mission statements and strategic plans adopted recently for the GD and for the USGS as a whole.
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From page 51...
... It is not clear, for example, whether concerns about carbon dioxide emissions will cause policymakers to limit burning of fossil fuels at some point, and the future economics of energy sources is certain to differ from the present situation. Accordingly, the panel recommends that the ERP portfolio be broadened to include geologically based energy resources beyond oil, gas, and coal, and that the ERP develop priorities for long-term balance among the various energy resources as part of the implementation of its strategic plan.
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From page 52...
... In the panel's view, the national coal assessment should identify and clearly state priorities of a comprehensive nationwide coal resource assessment; identify and clearly state the assumptions of the framework of a comprehensive coal resource asessment; identify the portions of the resource endowment that are not included in the study and explain why; explain clearly the limitations, qualifications, and restrictions of the data used in the assessment; plan for the evaluation of the remaining resource endowment as data become more available or the resources become economically viable; and design a program of supporting research that adequately focuses on coal resources in basins that have not been extensively studied and that uses integrated, basin-scale studies incorporating modern approaches of sedimentology and sequence and seismic stratigraphy. In addition, the panel urges the coal assessment team to provide clear statements of the limitations of the data collected and to build links with the coal industry as a way to review the accuracy of assessments and to improve access to data.
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From page 53...
... It is in a good position to plan effectively for its future, and the panel encourages it to plan strategically for its role in a world in which population pressures, global environmental concerns, and a linked world economy will all intersect in the need to supply energy for the United States. A successful ERP will help the United States understand and guide its energy future.
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Key Terms

  • energy sources
  • resource assessments
  • panel urges
  • energy resource
  • panel notes

  • coal assessment
  • resource assessment
  • panel encourages
  • federal lands
  • mission statement

  • changing world
  • offshore resource
  • geological samples
  • based energy
  • supporting research

  • geologically based
  • coal resource
  • lease sales
  • international energy
  • conducts lease

  • coal resources
  • formal mission
  • national coal
  • erp develop
  • resource endowment

  • strategic plans
  • policy relevance
  • geothermal resources
  • managing energy
  • coalbed methane


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