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HRpt 107-234 CONFERENCE REPORT to accompany H.R. 2217 MAKING

APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES FOR

THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2002, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Conference Committee

(10/11/01)

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UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

SURVEYS, INVESTIGATIONS, AND RESEARCH

The conference agreement provides $914,002,000 for surveys,

investigations, and research instead of $900,489,000 as proposed by the

House and $892,474,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within this amount,

$25,000,000 is from the conservation spending category.

Changes to the House for the national mapping programs include

increases of $3,000,000 for Landsat 5 operations, $300,000 for the civil

applications program, and $300,000 for urban dynamics, and a decrease of

$996,000 for internet access.

Changes to the House for geology programs include increases of

$1,000,000 for volcanic hazard equipment in Shemya, Alaska, $1,500,000 for

the minerals at risk program, $500,000 for coastal erosion in North

Carolina, $500,000 for land subsidence in Louisiana, $299,000 for Lake

Mead studies, $450,000 for geologic mapping for Lake Mojave, and $474,000

for Yukon Flats geology surveys, and a decrease of $100,000 for the

advanced seismic network.

Changes to the House for water resources include increases of

$200,000 for a Berkley Pit study in Montana, $299,000 for the Lake

Champlain toxic study, $499,000 for Hawaiian water monitoring, $5,000 for

the Southern Maryland aquifer study, and $195,000 for the Noyes Slough

study in Alaska, and decreases of $596,000 for the National Water Quality

Assessment program, and $296,000 for water information and delivery.

The managers concur with the House direction to contract with the

National Academy of Sciences to examine water resources research funded by

all Federal agencies and by significant non-Federal organizations. Based

on information that the managers have received, it appears that water

resources research is not well coordinated. The managers therefore direct

that the Academy primarily consider the level and allocation of resources

that are currently deployed in water research programs, both Federal and

non-Federal, and provide recommendations for a national research program

that maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness of existing programs.

While the primary focus of this study deals with the existing research

agenda, the managers would like an answer to the question of whether the

Nation is making an adequate level of investment in water resources

research.

Increases above the House for biological research include $400,000

for the Leetown science center, $300,000 for the Columbia environmental

research center for pallid sturgeon studies, $250,000 for Chesapeake Bay

terrapin research, $500,000 for a NBII Hawaii node, $180,000 for a Yukon

River chum salmon study, $500,000 for biological information management

and delivery, $50,000 for an Atlantic Salmon restoration study at the

Tunison laboratory, and $748,000 for the continuation of the Mark Twain

National Forest mining study to be accomplished in cooperation with the

water resources division and the Forest Service.

Changes to the House for facilities include increases of $2,000,000

for phase one of the Leetown research center expansion, and $2,250,000 for

the Center for Coastal Geology in Florida, and decreases of $300,000 for

Leetown research center design and $898,000 for uncontrollable costs.

The funding provided for the construction of the Center for Coastal

Geology in St. Petersburg, Florida is for a cooperative effort between the

Survey and the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership. The Partnership is

providing a two-to-one match for the costs of constructing this science

facility.

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