43 U.S.C. § 31a : US Code - Section 31A: Findings and purpose

Search 43 U.S.C. § 31a : US Code - Section 31A: Findings and purpose

(a) Findings
The Congress finds and declares that -
(1) during the past 2 decades, the production of geologic maps
has been drastically curtailed;
(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 environmental
protection;
(D) earthquake hazards reduction;
(E) predicting volcanic hazards;
(F) design and construction of infrastructure 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; and
(J) basic earth-science research;
(3) Federal agencies, State and local governments, private
industry, and the general public depend on the information
provided by geologic maps to determine the extent of potential
environmental damage before embarking on projects that could lead
to preventable, costly environmental problems or litigation;
(4) the combined capabilities of State, Federal, and academic
groups to provide geologic mapping are not sufficient to meet the
present and future needs of the United States for national
security, environmental protection, and energy self-sufficiency
of the Nation;
(5) States are willing to contribute 50 percent 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 energy, minerals, land, water, and biological
resources;
(9) advances in digital technology and geographical information
system science have made geologic map databases increasingly
important as decision support tools for land and resource
management; and
(10) a comprehensive nationwide program of geologic mapping of
surficial and bedrock deposits 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 resources, groundwater management, and
environmental protection.