OVERSIGHT OF THE OPERATION OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1975 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MINERALS, MATERIALS AND FUELS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m. in room 3110 Dirksen Office Building, Hon. Lee Metcalf presiding. Present: Senator Metcalf. Also present: D. Michael Harvey, deputy chief counsel. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LEE METCALF, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MONTANA Senator METCALF. The subcommittee will be in order. This is the first of a series of legislative oversight hearings on the programs of the U.S. Geological Survey. This hearing today will focus on the activities of the USGS carried out by its Conservation Division. These activities include supervision of development and production of Federal mineral leases, both onshore and on the Outer Continental Shelf, and evaluation of Federal mineral resources prior to leasing. Today's principal witness will be Dr. Vincent E. McKelvey, Director of the Geological Survey. Dr. McKelvey has brought with him a number of key members of his staff. At the conclusion of this statement, I will ask Dr. McKelvey to identify them for the record. When Congress created the Geological Survey in 1879, it intended the Survey to be the Nation's scientific expert on geology, water, and other natural resource disciplines. Over the years those hopes have been realized so that now the Geological Survey has a worldwide reputation as an outstanding professional and scientific organization. In recent years, however, the Survey has been criticized for its activities related to resource development. Most of these activities are carried out by the Conservation Division, although they involve the Geologic and Water Resources Divisions as well. The subcommittee is particularly concerned about criticism directed toward the professional expertise and integrity of the Survey's employees. We suspect that many of these criticisms are directed toward decisions which were in fact made by officials outside the Geological Survey and were not necessarily consistent with the scientific professional judgments of the Survey's personnel. The subcommittee has asked Dr. McKelvey to answer questions concerning current operations. These questions and the Survey's answers will be printed in full in the record, immediately after the oral testimony of Dr. McKelvey. Incidentally, I am pleased to note that the responses were submitted on the date requested by the subcommittee. This is the most timely response we have had from an agency of the Department of the Interior for some time. We are looking forward to hearing from Dr. McKelvey and his associates. You have a prepared statement so go right ahead and then we will have some questions. As I have informed you earlier, we will also have some questions that we may want you to respond to in written form because you may need to give greater consideration. Dr. McKelvey. STATEMENT OF DR. VINCENT E. MCKELVEY, DIRECTOR, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ACCOMPANIED BY ASSOCIATES OF THE SURVEY Dr. MCKELVEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the Subcommittee on Minerals, Materials, and Fuels for arranging for these oversight hearings on the programs of the Geological Survey, for I believe they will provide an excellent opportunity for exchange of views concerning the content and direction of our activities. They will also give us an opportunity to clarify some problems and issues in which there has been much congressional and public interest. Before proceeding further I wish to introduce my colleagues: William Radlinski, Associate Director; Dale Bajema, Assistant Director for Program Analysis; Henry Coulter, Assistant Director for Environmental Conservation; Jane Wallace, Deputy Bureau Ethics Counselor; Russell G. Wayland, Chief of the Conservation Division; Robert Evans, Associate Chief of the Conservation Division; Robert Rioux, Assistant Chief of the Conservation Division for Resources Evaluation; John Duletsky, Assistant Chief of the Conservation Division for Operations; Richard Krahl, Chief of the Conservation Division's Marine Oil and Gas Operations; Andrew Bailey, Chief, Branch of Mining Operations; Richard Sheldon, Chief Geologist; and Charles Masters, Chief of the Office of Energy Resources. I understand, Mr. Chairman, that you wish to focus today on the work of our Conservation Division, and we are glad to do that. May I first, however, say a few words about the Geological Survey's principal missions and organization to help put the work of the Conservation Division into perspective, and to help provide background for any later hearings you may wish to have. In this connection, I wish to commend the report prepared for the committee by Dr. Allen Agnew of the Congressional Reference Service summarizing the history and activities of the Survey and to say that I believe this informative, objective account of our history and work provides an excellent background for these overview hearings. The programs of the Geological Survey are complex and diverse, but they may be classified as parts of two major missions: one is to undertake research and factfinding aimed at enlarging the Nation's knowledge about the extent, distribution, and character of its physical resources and about geologic processes that affect the development and use of the land and the physical environment. The other is to classify and evaluate the mineral resources of the Federal land and to supervise mineral operations on Federal land that have been authorized through mineral leases issued by the Bureau of Land Management. These two missions—one mainly scientific research and factfinding, the other essentially regulatory-are very different, of course, but they have many linkages and they have one very important common denominator: both require objective, impartial execution, free from either advocate or public policymaking responsibilities. In our research and factfinding, it is our job to report objectively and factually about physical resources, natural geologic processes, and the problems they may pose in the use of the land and development of its resources. We analyze the consequences of alternative policies or actions related to resource development, conservation, or environmental protection, but we do not recommend or advocate positions with respect to these policies. To do so would destroy our credibility as a source of objective, impartial information. Similarly, in our regulatory role, we objectively and impartially carry out and implement policies and decisions made by the Congress and the executive branch, rather than playing an advocacy role in the development of those policies and decisions. To illustrate by a practical example, we identify broadly favorable areas for petroleum exploration on the Continental Shelf, to help to analyze the consequences of their development, evaluate tracts to be offered for lease by the Bureau of Land Management, and supervise operations authorized by lease to conform with laws and policies established by the Congress and the executive branch. But we do not make recommendations as to whether leasing should or should not be undertaken or what the leasing procedures should be. A word now about our organizational structure, shown on the next page of my statement. Our work is undertaken through five operating units: the Geologic. Water Resources, and Topographic Divisions; a newly formed Office of Land Information and Analysis, all of those responsible for our research and factfinding responsibilities; and the Conservation Division, responsible for the regulatory functions. In addition, we have three service Divisions: the Administrative, Computer Center, and Publications Divisions. Our direct appropriation in fiscal year 1975 for all of these activities is $254.1 million, supplemented by $85.2 million of reimbursable funds from State and other Federal agencies, for a total budget of $339.3 million. Our total work force includes 9,017 full-time and 1,632 part-time employees. The Conservation Division's 1975 budget is $36 million or 10.6 percent of the Survey's total. To assist the committee in its preparation for subsequent hearings, within a few days I will submit for your consideration and possible incorporation in the record two documents that describe our activities and objectives. One is the table of contents of our annual review of Geological Survey Research for 1975, which will be published in January as Professional Paper 975. The other is a comprehensive description of our programs and their objectives and activities, compiled to show the multidivision character of much of our work. Senator METCALF. The material you mentioned will be incorporated into the record without objection. Did we receive Professional Paper Dr. MCKELVEY. We will be glad to furnish that when that is published, Mr. Chairman. Senator METCALF. And that will go into the file for the staff and members of the committee. I assume that you are not submitting that for the record because it would be too voluminous for the record. But I think it would be useful to have it in the files for reference purposes. Dr. MCKELVEY. I would be glad if that would be possible, Mr. Chairman. I think the table of contents, however, which you have indicated would be incorporated into the record, is extremely informative. Senator METCALF. It would indicate the scope and the depth, yes; that will be incorporated in the record. [Subsequent to the hearing the table of contents referred to follows:] GEOLOGICAL SURVEY RESEARCH 1975 SUBJECT OUTLINE I. Mineral-resource and mineral fuel investigations: B. Geologic studies in potentially mineralized areas. D. Resource analysis. E. Coal resources. F. Oil and gas resources. G. Oil-shale resources. H. Nuclear fuels resources. I. Geothermal resources. II. Regional geological investigations: A. New England. B. Appalachian Highlands and the Coastal Plains. D. Rocky Mountains. E. Basin and Range region. F. Pacific coast region. G. Alaska. H. Puerto Rico. I. Geologic Maps. III. Water-resource investigations: A. Introduction. B. Northeastern region. C. Southeastern region. D. Central region. E. Western region. F. Special water-resource programs: 1. Saline water. 2. Data coordination, acquisition, and storage. 4. Water use. 5. Coordinated water-quality programs. 6. International Hydrological Decade, 1965–75. IV. Marine geology and hydrology investigations: A. Marine and coastal geology. B. Estuarine and coastal hydrology. V. Management of natural resources on Federal and Indian lands and on the Outer Continental Shelf: A. Classification and evaluation of mineral lands. B. Mineral and waterpower classification. C. Supervision of mineral leasing. D. Cooperation with other agencies. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY RESEARCH 1975-Continued SUBJECT OUTLINE-Continued VI. Geologic and hydrologic principles, processes, and techniques: 1. Heat flow. 2. Rock magnetism. 3. Computer modeling of geologic processes. B. Applied geophysical techniques. C. Geochemistry, mineralogy, and petrology: 1. Experimental and theoretical geochemistry. 4. Plutonic rocks and magmatic processes. 5. Metamorphic rocks and processes. 6. Geochemistry of water and sediments. D. Isotope and nuclear geochemistry: 1. Isotope tracer studies. 2. Stable isotopes. 3. Advances in geochronometry. E. Geothermal systems. F. Sedimentology. G. Glaciology. H. Paleontology. I. Ground-water hydrology. J. Surface-water hydrology. K. Chemical and physical characteristics of water. L. Relation between surface water and ground water. M. Soil moisture. N. Evapotranspiration. O. Limnology and potamology. P. Plant ecology. Q. New hydrologic instruments and techniques. R. Sea-ice studies. S. Analytical methods. VII. Geology and hydrology applied to engineering and the public welfare: A. Earthquake studies: 1. Geophysical studies. 2. Geologic studies. B. Engineering geology. C. Environmental geology. D. Investigations related to nuclear energy: 1. Underground nuclear explosions. 2. Relation of radioactive wastes to the hydrologic environment. 3. Sites for nuclear power reactors and the other facilities. A. Planetary investigations and geologic mapping. B. Lunar investigations. C. Terrestrial analog and experimental studies. D. Lunar sample investigations. IX. Remote sensing and related advanced techniques: A. Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Program. B. Applications to geologic studies. C. Applications to hydrologic studies. |