AGI Testifies for Geologic Mapping and Natl. Science Foundation
ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- The American Geological Institute (AGI) voiced
its support for geologic mapping and fundamental geoscience
research at two hearings held recently on Capitol Hill. Appearing
before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources,
AGI President Robert D. Hatcher Jr. urged Congress to support
legislation (H.R. 3198) that would reauthorize the National
Geologic Mapping Act of 1992. Last Friday, May 10, AGI Director
of Government Affairs David Applegate urged the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies
to support the fiscal year 1997 budget request of the National
Science Foundation (NSF). Congressional support, they told the
legislators, allows geologists and non-geologists alike to work
as partners -- seeking the wisest use of America's natural
resources or fighting the devastating effects of floods,
earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and other natural hazards.
Dr. Hatcher, who has spent much of his career mapping the
Appalachians, told the subcommittee that geologic maps provide
geoscientists with the fundamental data necessary to understand
Earth's surface and its underlying architecture.
H.R. 3198, introduced by subcommittee chairman Rep. Ken
Calvert (R-Calif.), would fund the National Cooperative Geologic
Mapping Program of the U.S. Geological Survey through 2000 and
would change the funding structure to increase support for
partnerships with the state geological surveys and with
universities. It has strong bipartisan support in Congress. At
the hearing, Calvert stated that this is the first bill to be
considered by his subcommittee during the 104th Congress with
administration support from the outset. Hatcher is UT/ORNL Distinguished
Scientist and Professor of Geology at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) and
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He is a member of the
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Advisory Committee.
Speaking in favor of EdMap, which matches federal and
university dollars to support mapping projects by graduate
students and faculty, Hatcher stated that this particular
component "is the smallest part of the overall program ... but
has the potential to deliver the greatest long-term benefit,
providing valuable experience and training for the next
generation of field-oriented geoscientists."
Dr. Applegate's testimony focused on earthquakes and other
natural hazards as examples of national problems that require the
fundamental geoscience research that is supported by NSF's
Directorate on Geosciences. "The federal government and the
nation clearly have a stake in maintaining the health of the
basic science on which applications and policy decisions
ultimately must be based," he said. Applegate noted that he had
spent several years involved in NSF-supported research in the
Death Valley region, which is in the district of Subcommittee
Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.). In response, Lewis stated that
he had recently had his home computer hooked up to earthquake
monitoring information for California, and he voiced particular
concern for the western parts of his district, located near the
San Andreas Fault.
The appearances of Hatcher and Applegate before these
subcommittee are part of AGI's continuing efforts to ensure that
the geoscience community is heard on Capitol Hill. Complete texts
of all AGI testimony is available on the Institute's World Wide
Web home page, http://www.agiweb.org/agi.html,
in the Government Affairs section.
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation
of 29 geoscientific and professional associations that represent
more than 80,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth
scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to
geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the
earth-science profession, plays a major role in strengthening
geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of
the vital role the geosciences play in mankind's use of resources
and interaction with the environment.
