Four Republican US senators asked President Donald J. Trump to refocus the US Geological Survey on its primary mission, which they said is to assess US mineral reserves, and to nominate an economic geologist as the US Department of the Interior agency’s next director
“Despite the clear directives in its Organic Act, the most important charge for the USGS—the surveying of our nation’s mineral resource base—is today being severely shortchanged,” Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alas.), John A. Barrasso (Wyo.), James E. Risch (Ida.) and Bill Cassidy (La.) wrote in their Mar. 27 letter to the president.
“After a broad reorganization in 2011, the agency’s Mineral Resources Program is now just one part of one of its seven mission areas, and accounted for just 4.6% of its total budget in fiscal 2016,” they noted.
Minerals play an important role in modern society, the senators said as they argued that the USGS’s lack of focus on its minerals mandate comes at a high price. “We must restore the mineral supply chain in the US, and one of our first steps must be the collection of the basic data needed to give us a true understanding and reliable inventory of the location and extent of America’s mineral base,” they said.
They urged Trump to choose an economic geologist, who would be trained in earth sciences and understand the economic and strategic value of domestic mineral production, to lead the agency.
“We strongly believe that having an economic geologist at the head of the USGS will embolden the agency to reprioritize its original minerals mandate, and thereby allow the US to take much-needed action to restore our mineral security,” the senators said.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].
