43 U.S.C. § 31 — Director of United States Geological Survey

Page 6 TITLE 43—PUBLIC LANDS § 22 of this title, and section 1733 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure. § 22. Repealed. July 30, 1947, ch. 354, § 2, 61 Stat. 522 Section, act June 5, 1920, ch. 235, 41 Stat. 908, related to cost of photolithographic copies of plats. See section 1460 of this title. § 23. Repealed. Pub. L. 86–649, title II, § 202(b), July 14, 1960, 74 Stat. 507 Section, act Feb. 14, 1931, ch. 187, 46 Stat. 1118, pre- scribed fees for depositions in hearings in Bureau of Land Management. See section 1371 of this title. Simi- lar provisions were contained in the following prior ap- propriation acts: Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 462, 43 Stat. 1145. June 5, 1924, ch. 264, 43 Stat. 395. Jan. 24, 1923, ch. 42, 42 Stat. 1179. May 24, 1922, ch. 199, 42 Stat. 558. Mar. 3, 1915, ch. 75, 38 Stat. 855. § 24. Repealed. Pub. L. 89–554, § 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 632, 646, 647 Section, acts May 10, 1926, ch. 277, 44 Stat. 456; Jan 12, 1927, ch. 27, 44 Stat. 938; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, § 403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100, authorized pay- ment of mileage for automobile travel. §§ 25 to 25b. Repealed. Oct. 25, 1951, ch. 562, § 1(25), 65 Stat. 639 Section 25, act May 28, 1926, ch. 415, § 1, 44 Stat. 672, related to transfer of records of United States land of- fice to any State upon closing of last United States land office in that State. Section 25a, act May 28, 1926, ch. 415, § 2, 44 Stat. 673, related to transfer of field notes and maps of United States land office to any State upon closing of last United States land office in that State. Section 25b, act May 28, 1926, ch. 415, § 3, 44 Stat. 673, related to requirement that State provide by law for preservation and access of records, field notes, and maps. See section 3301 et seq. of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents. CHAPTER 2—UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Sec. 31. Director of United States Geological Survey. 31a. Findings and purpose. 31b. Definitions. 31c. Geologic mapping program. 31d. Advisory committee. 31e. Geologic mapping program 5-year plan. 31f. National geologic map database. 31g. Biennial report. 31h. Authorization of appropriations. 31i. Report on resource research activities. 31j. Biological research activity of Survey; review and report by National Academy of Sciences. 31k. National Volcano Early Warning and Moni- toring System. 31l. Earth Mapping Resources Initiative. 32. Acting Director. 33. Repealed. 34. Scientific employees. 35. Repealed. 36. Purchase of books. 36a. Acquisition of scientific or technical books, maps, etc., for library. 36b. Acquisition of lands or interests therein for use in gaging streams or underground water resources. Sec. 36c. Acceptance of contributions from public and private sources; cooperation with other agencies in prosecution of projects. 36d. Cooperative agreements. 37. Omitted. 38. Topographic surveys; marking elevations. 39, 40. Omitted. 41. Publications and reports; preparation and sale. 42. Distribution of maps and atlases, etc. 42a. Use of receipts from sale of maps for map printing and distribution. 43. Copies to Senators, Representatives, and Del- egates. 44. Sale of transfers or copies of data. 45. Production and sale of copies of photographs and records; disposition of receipts. 46 to 48. Omitted or Repealed. 49. Extension of cooperative work to Puerto Rico. 50. Survey’s share of cost of topographic mapping or water resources investigations carried on with States. 50–1. Funds for mappings and investigations con- sidered intragovernmental funds. 50a. Working capital fund for United States Geo- logical Survey. 50b. Recording of obligations against accounts re- ceivable and crediting of amounts received; work involving cooperation with State, Territory, etc. 50c. Payment of costs incidental to utilization of services of volunteers. 50d. Services of students or recent graduates. 50e. USGS energy and minerals research facility. § 31. Director of United States Geological Survey (a) Establishment of office; appointment and du- ties; examination of geological structure, mineral resources, and products of national domain; prohibitions in respect to lands and surveys The Director of the United States Geological Survey, which office is established, under the In- terior Department, shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. This officer shall have the direction of the United States Geological Survey, and the classification of the public lands and examina- tion of the geological structure, mineral re- sources, and products of the national domain. The Director and members of the United States Geological Survey shall have no personal or pri- vate interests in the lands or mineral wealth of the region under survey, and shall execute no surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations. (b) Examination of geological structure, mineral resources, and products outside national do- main The authority of the Secretary of the Interior, exercised through the United States Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior, to ex- amine the geological structure, mineral re- sources, and products of the national domain, is expanded to authorize such examinations out- side the national domain where determined by the Secretary to be in the national interest. (Mar. 3, 1879, ch. 182, 20 Stat. 394; Pub. L. 87–626, §§ 1, 2, Sept. 5, 1962, 76 Stat. 427; Pub. L. 93–608, § 2(6), Jan. 2, 1975, 88 Stat. 1971; Pub. L. 102–154, title I, Nov. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1000; Pub. L. 104–66, title I, § 1081(e), Dec. 21, 1995, 109 Stat. 721.) Page 7 TITLE 43—PUBLIC LANDS § 31 Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Subsec. (a) of this section is from act Mar. 3, 1879. Subsecs. (b) and (c) of this section are sections 1 and 2, respectively, of Pub. L. 87–626. Provisions of subsec. (a) of this section which limited the salary of the Director of the Geological Survey to $6,000 a year were omitted as obsolete. See section 5316 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. AMENDMENTS 1995—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–66 struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows: ‘‘The Secretary of the Interior shall report to the Speaker of the House of Representa- tives and the President of the Senate on January 31 of each year on all actions taken pursuant to subsection (b) of this section during the year ending on the Decem- ber 31 immediately preceding the reporting date and on the results of such actions.’’ 1975—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 93–608 substituted require- ment of an annual report for requirement of a semi- annual report. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries CHANGE OF NAME Pub. L. 102–285, § 10(a), May 18, 1992, 106 Stat. 171, pro- vided that: ‘‘The Geological Survey established by the Act of March 3, 1879 (43 U.S.C. 31(a)), is designated as and shall hereafter [on and after May 18, 1992] be known as the United States Geological Survey.’’ ‘‘United States Geological Survey’’ substituted for ‘‘Geological Survey’’ in subsecs. (a) and (b) pursuant to provision of title I of Pub. L. 102–154, which provided: ‘‘That the Geological Survey (43 U.S.C. 31(a)) shall hereafter [on and after Nov. 13, 1991] be designated the United States Geological Survey.’’ CONTINENTAL SCIENTIFIC DRILLING AND EXPLORATION Pub. L. 100–441, Sept. 22, 1988, 102 Stat. 1760, provided: ‘‘That this Act may be cited as the ‘Continental Sci- entific Drilling and Exploration Act’. ‘‘SEC. 2. PURPOSES. ‘‘The purpose of this Act is to— ‘‘(1) implement section 323 of the joint resolution entitled ‘Joint Resolution making continuing appro- priations for the fiscal year 1985, and for other pur- poses’, approved October 12, 1984 (Public Law 98–473; 98 Stat. 1875) [set out below] which supports and en- courages the development of a national Continental Scientific Drilling Program; ‘‘(2) enhance fundamental understanding of the composition, structure, dynamics, and evolution of the continental crust, and how such processes affect natural phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, transfer of geothermal energy, distribution of mineral deposits, the occurrence of fossil fuels, and the nature and extent of aquifers; ‘‘(3) advance basic earth sciences research and tech- nological development; ‘‘(4) obtain critical data regarding the earth’s crust relating to isolation of hazardous wastes; and ‘‘(5) develop a long-range plan for implementation of the Continental Scientific Drilling Program. ‘‘SEC. 3. FINDINGS. ‘‘Congress finds that— ‘‘(1) because the earth provides energy, minerals, and water, and is used as a storage medium for mu- nicipal, chemical, and nuclear waste, an under- standing of the processes and structures in the earth’s crust is essential to the well being of the United States; ‘‘(2) there is a need for developing long-range plans for a United States Continental Scientific Drilling Program; and ‘‘(3) the Continental Scientific Drilling Program would enhance— ‘‘(A) understanding of the crustal evolution of the earth and the mountain building processes; ‘‘(B) understanding of the mechanisms of earth- quakes and volcanic eruptions and the development of improved techniques for prediction; ‘‘(C) understanding of the development and utili- zation of geothermal and other energy sources and the formation of and occurrence of mineral depos- its; ‘‘(D) understanding of the migration of fluids in the earth’s crust for evaluation of waste contami- nation and the development of more effective tech- niques for the safe subsurface disposal of hazardous wastes; ‘‘(E) understanding and definition of the size, source, and more effective use of aquifers and other water resources; and ‘‘(F) evaluation and verification of surface geo- physical techniques needed for exploring and moni- toring the earth’s crust. ‘‘SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINENTAL SCI- ENTIFIC DRILLING PROGRAM. ‘‘The Secretary of the Department of Energy, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior through the United States Geological Survey, and the Director of the National Science Foundation shall implement the policies of section 323 of the joint resolution enti- tled ‘Joint Resolution making continuing appropria- tions for the fiscal year 1985, and for other purposes’, approved October 12, 1984 (Public Law 98–473; 98 Stat. 1875) [set out below] by— ‘‘(1) taking such action as necessary to assure an ef- fective, cooperative effort in furtherance of the Con- tinental Scientific Drilling Program of the United States; ‘‘(2) taking all reasonable administrative and finan- cial measures to assure that the Interagency Accord on Continental Scientific Drilling continues to func- tion effectively in support of such program; ‘‘(3) assuring the continuing effective operation of the Interagency Coordinating Group to further the objectives of such program; ‘‘(4) taking such action to assure that the Inter- agency Coordinating Group receives appropriate co- operation from any Federal agency that can con- tribute to the objectives of such program, without ad- versely affecting any program or activity of such agency; ‘‘(5) acting through the Interagency Coordinating Group, preparing and submitting to the Congress, within one hundred and eighty days after the enact- ment of this Act [Sept. 22, 1988] a report describing— ‘‘(A) long and short-term policy objectives and goals of the United States Continental Scientific Drilling Program; ‘‘(B) projected schedules of desirable scientific and engineering events that would advance United States objectives in the Continental Scientific Drilling Program; ‘‘(C) the levels of resources and funding for fiscal year 1989 that would be required by each partici- pating Federal agency to carry out events pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B); ‘‘(D) the scientific, economic, technological, and social benefits expected to be realized through the implementation of such program at each level de- scribed in subparagraph (C); ‘‘(E) a recommended course for interaction with the international community in a cooperative ef- fort to achieve the goals and purposes of this Act; ‘‘(F) the extent of participation or interest shown to date in the Continental Scientific Drilling Pro- gram by— ‘‘(i) any other governmental agency; ‘‘(ii) any academic institution; ‘‘(iii) any organization in the private sector; and ‘‘(iv) any governmental or other entity in the international community; Page 8 TITLE 43—PUBLIC LANDS § 31a ‘‘(G) a plan to develop beneficial cooperative rela- tionships among the entities mentioned in subpara- graph (F), to the extent that the Interagency Co- ordinating Group deems practicable; and ‘‘(H) any other information or recommendations that the Interagency Coordinating Group deems ap- propriate; and ‘‘(6) submitting to the Congress annually, beginning one year after the submission of a report under para- graph (5), a report describing the levels of resources and funding that would be required by each partici- pating Federal agency for the next fiscal year to carry out events pursuant to paragraph (5)(A) and (B).’’ [For termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions of law requiring submittal to Congress of any annual, semiannual, or other regular periodic report listed in House Document No. 103–7 (in which a report required under section 4(6) of Pub. L. 100–441, set out above, is listed as the 10th item on page 149), see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, and section 1(a)(4) [div. A, § 1402(1)] of Pub. L. 106–554, set out as notes under sec- tion 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance.] Pub. L. 98–473, title I, § 101(c) [title III, § 323], Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 1837, 1875, provided that: ‘‘It is the sense of the Congress that the Continental Scientific Drilling Program is an important national scientific endeavor, benefiting the commerce of the Nation, which should be vigorously pursued by Government and the private sector. The Continental Scientific Drilling Program is an important national scientific endeavor that is vital to the understanding of the geologic evolution of the Earth and the economic value of its resources; the most effective and efficient means of realizing the fullest po- tential in the Continental Scientific Drilling Program is through a cooperative effort by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the United States Geological Survey; many important commercial and scientific advances may result from the Continental Scientific Drilling Program; and many foreign nations are engaged in a comparable deep drill- ing program, and cooperation and coordination would be beneficial to United States efforts. It is the sense of the Congress that— ‘‘(1) the Continental Scientific Drilling Program is an important national scientific endeavor by the United States which should be enthusiastically im- plemented through a joint cooperative effort among the United States Department of Energy, the Na- tional Science Foundation, and the United States Ge- ological Survey; ‘‘(2) the private sector should be encouraged to sup- port the Continental Scientific Drilling Program and the participating agencies should solicit appropriate private sector participation in such program; and ‘‘(3) the United States Government should cooper- ate to the extent practicable with the international community in developing this important scientific and technical activity.’’ Executive Documents TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS For transfer of functions of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with cer- tain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out under section 1451 of this title. § 31a. Findings and purpose (a) Findings The Congress finds and declares that— (1) although significant progress has been made in the production of geologic maps since the establishment of the national cooperative geologic mapping program in 1992, no modern, digital, geologic map exists for approximately 75 percent of the United States; (2) geologic maps are the primary data base for virtually all applied and basic earth- science investigations, including— (A) exploration for and development of mineral, energy, and water resources; (B) screening and characterizing sites for toxic and nuclear waste disposal; (C) land use evaluation and planning for homeland and environmental protection; (D) earthquake hazards reduction; (E) identifying volcanic hazards; (F) design and construction of infrastruc- ture requirements such as utility lifelines, transportation corridors, and surface-water impoundments; (G) reducing losses from landslides and other ground failures; (H) mitigating effects of coastal and stream erosion; (I) siting of critical facilities; (J) recreation and public awareness; and (K) basic earth-science research; (3) Federal agencies, State and local govern- ments, private industry, and the general pub- lic depend on the information provided by geo- logic maps to determine the extent of poten- tial environmental damage before embarking on projects that could lead to preventable, costly environmental problems or litigation; (4) the combined capabilities of State, Fed- eral, and academic groups to provide geologic mapping are not sufficient to meet the present and future needs of the United States for na- tional security, environmental protection, and energy self-sufficiency of the Nation; (5) States are willing to contribute 50 per- cent of the funding necessary to complete the mapping of the geology within the State; (6) the lack of proper geologic maps has led to the poor design of such structures as dams and waste-disposal facilities; (7) geologic maps have proven indispensable in the search for needed fossil-fuel and mineral resources; (8) geologic map information is required for the sustainable and balanced development of natural resources of all types, including en- ergy, minerals, land, water, and biological re- sources; (9) advances in digital technology and geo- graphical information system science have made geologic map databases increasingly available as decision support tools for land and resource management; and (10) a comprehensive nationwide program of geologic mapping of surficial and bedrock de- posits is required in order to systematically build the Nation’s geologic-map data base at a pace that responds to increasing demand. (b) Purpose The purpose of sections 31a to 31h of this title is to expedite the production of a geologic-map data base for the Nation, to be located within the United States Geological Survey, which can be applied to land-use management, assessment, and utilization, conservation of natural re- sources, groundwater management, and environ- mental protection and management. (Pub. L. 102–285, § 2, May 18, 1992, 106 Stat. 166; Pub. L. 106–148, § 2, Dec. 9, 1999, 113 Stat. 1719;