OIL AND GAS ONSHORE

Updated resource assessments of the Nation's onshore oil and gas are a vital part of the Nation's overall energy plan. The Survey responded to this need by conducting detailed reevaluations of the resources remaining in the Permian, Gulf of Mexico, and other significant petroleum basins. A revised overall assessment of onshore and offshore oil and gas resources will be forthcoming in the latter half of fiscal year 1980.

The Survey's long history of basic scientific research paid a dividend in fiscal year 1979. Continuing basic research studies resulted in the discovery of a concealed belt of sedimentary rock in the Appalachian region that has the potential of doubling the area favorable for oil and gas exploration.

The Survey provides substantial support in the development of oil and gas on Federal and Indian lands. In fiscal year 1979, roughly 6.4 percent of all oil and 5.9 percent of all natural gas produced domestically came from leases on these lands.

Total domestic production of oil and gas is on the decline because of diminishing existing reserves, and new reserves are replaced at about 50 percent of production. Private companies have expanded exploration activities into promising frontier areas on Federal lands in the overthrust belt of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. During fiscal year 1979, 3,550 new exploration and development wells were approved by the Survey following the completion of 3,660 environmental analyses.

While monitoring this exploration and development activity, the Survey began implementing procedures in the Natural Gas Policy Act which allow lessees or operators to charge higher prices for natural gas produced from certain categories of wells. From December 1978 to September 1979, the Survey processed 7,598 applications and made 4,469 determinations of various well categories described under the provisions of the Act which allow prices to be increased. At this time, approximately 300 applications for well reclassification are received each month.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey also continued the exploration of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) through Husky Oil NPR Operations, Inc. Nine exploration wells were active during the year; five were completed, including one well that was reentered and completed to target depth and one well that was left for reentry in fiscal year 1980. Three wells were still drilling at the end of fiscal year 1979. The 16 wells drilled to date, including the 7 drilled by the Navy prior to the transfer of the Reserve to the Geological Survey, have been dry or, at best, had only slight indications of oil and gas. The primary aim of the drilling program was accomplished to assess the petroleum resources of NPRA and to support completion of the study mandated by Public Law 94-258, which called for "the best overall procedure to be used in the development and production, transportation, and distribution to the petroleum resources in the reserve." The Survey provided support to the Department of the Interior's Office of Minerals Policy and Research Analysis, which is charged with the responsibility of preparing the economic analysis. This

report is due to be presented to the Congress by January 1, 1980. All data and results from drilling, geophysical surveys, and special studies continued to be released to the public during fiscal year 1979.

GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Geothermal energy is coming of age and will play an important role in solving the Nation's energy shortages in the next decade. During fiscal year 1979, the Survey updated its assessment of geothermal resources and attempted a first evaluation of low-temperature geothermal waters, which have the potential of adding to the resource base.

The Survey continued its support for the development of geothermal resources on Federal lands. In fiscal year 1979, the Survey supported the lease of 268 geothermal tracts consisting of 541 acres, a 30-percent increase over fiscal year 1978. During fiscal year 1979, the number of geothermal wells drilled on Federal, State, and private lands increased about 60 percent over the preceding fiscal year. Fewer wells (11 instead of 13) were drilled on Federal leases last year, but approvals to drill 336 wells have been issued.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

The Geological Survey accelerated a research program to assist the Department of Energy in the selection and design of high-level nuclear-waste repository sites. During fiscal year 1979, studies were underway of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in southeastern New Mexico; the shale and granite bodies in the Nevada Test Site area; the salt anticlines in the Paradox Basin, Utah; the Gulf Coast salt domes in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas; the bedded salt deposits in the Salina Basin, N.Y.; and the basalt formations in the Hanford Reservation area of Washington.

The Survey continued its efforts in support of the Department of Energy's National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program. These efforts are concentrated on conducting studies in 23 selected 1° x 2° quadrangles in the conterminous United States to assess the uranium potential in each quadrangle and to develop uraniumresource assessment methodologies. Maps showing the results of these studies will be compiled and published.

MINERALS

There is increasing evidence that the Nation will soon experience shortages of critical mineral commodities in the same manner that it now experiences shortages in energy commodities. The mineral availability issue is closely entwined with the equally difficult issues addressed by the Wilderness Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-577). This act guarantees that increasing population and industrial expansion would not occupy and modify all of the Nation's lands and, thus, leave no areas preserved and protected in their natural unspoiled condi

WATER RESOURCES

The Survey amplified several of its programs that evaluate the Nation's water resources and continued to provide basic hydrologic data on surface and ground water in support of the numerous Federal agencies, State and local governments, and other groups charged with managing and developing water resources.

The National Water-Use Program, which is a joint Federal-State cooperative effort begun in 1977, made great strides in accomplishing its aim of being operational in all 50 States and Puerto Rico by fiscal year 1982. The objective of this Program is to enable Federal and State agencies to account for present water use and, thus, to project future water requirements.

Under the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program, 28 aquifer systems have been identified for study. In fiscal year 1979, studies began in three of these aquifer systems-the Southeastern Carbonate aquifers (Florida, eastern Georgia, and small areas in Alabama and South Carolina), the Northern Midwest Sandstone aquifers (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, lowa, and a small area in Indiana), and the Southwest Alluvial valleys (parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas). For these three areas, significant accomplishments were the development of maps showing water quality, potentiometric surface, aquifer characteristics, and the confirmation of fresh ground water in the Continental Shelf sediments off the Florida coast.

River-quality assessments presently underway include those on the Potomac River Estuary, Md., the Truckee and Carson River basins, Nevada-California, the Schuylkill River, Pa., and the Apalochicola River, Fla. The purpose of these assessments is to define the character, interrelationships, and causes of existing river-quality conditions and to provide a basis for evaluation of different alternatives for river-quality management. Findings from the completed assessment of the Chattahoochee River indicating that storm-water runoff from Atlanta, Ga., contributed significantly to pollution of the river further underscored the need for development of techniques for managing urban storm-water runoff. To assist local agencies in addressing the problem of storm-water runoff, the Survey has begun studies that will provide the agencies with data and interpretive reports.

Over the years, new methods have been developed for recording and distributing the information collected at stream-gaging stations to improve the reliability of the data and the timeliness of distribution. A technique now being tested is the use of Earth satellites to relay measurements from 140 remote data-collection stations to a central processing and distribution facility.

MAPPING AND EARTH IMAGERY

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey published 3,546 new and revised maps at scales ranging from 1:24,000 to 1:500,000. This effort brought the completion of the

1:24,000-scale map series to 64.6 percent of the Nation. To meet high-priority and urgent needs, the Survey also produced 3,995 orthophotoquads as an interim mapping product.

The Geological Survey published maps at several other scales with significant national coverage and use. More than one-half the conterminous United States has been mapped at the 1:100,000 scale; this scale is of particular benefit to those involved in resource planning, inventorying, and conservation activities because information is portrayed on a regional basis. This coverage is up from about one-third at the end of fiscal year 1978.

The Survey initiated a digital mapping program as the first step toward use of the computer to collect and to integrate various types of data regarding the Earth's surface into specialized mapping products and information. Digital cartographic technology is revolutionizing the way map information is produced and used by an increasingly sophisticated scientific and land use planning community. Alaskan mapping programs were strengthened during the year when the decision was made to increase map coverage of the State's lands and resources. The Survey is using a variety of techniques, including aerial, Earth, and experimental radar imagery.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey published a new 1:100,000-scale map for the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., in cooperation with the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee. The map is printed on both sides; one side shows the topographic map, and the other highlights the areas where key events will

occur.

The Geography Program continued its effort to complete land use and land cover maps for the entire Nation by fiscal year 1982. During fiscal year 1979, an additional 260,000 square miles were mapped bringing the total square miles completed to 1.25 million since the beginning of the Program in fiscal year 1975. Of special note was the use of the Survey's land use maps in the analysis of population densities in the vicinity of Three Mile Island, Pa.

The Earth Resources Observation Satellite Data Center (EDC) began using a domestic communications satellite to relay Landsat image data from the Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington, D.C., to EDC in Sioux Falls, S. Dak. Used with the new EDC Image Processing System, the relay has made possible an all-digital process that greatly speeded the transfer of Landsat data from Goddard to EDC. This process will allow Landsat data to be used in applications that require quick access to such data. These applications include detecting and tracking oilspills and monitoring agricultural and range land through the seasons, forest fires, and floods.

The Survey published two new books on mapping during the year, the Coastal Mapping Handbook, prepared jointly by the Geological Survey and the National Ocean Survey of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Maps for America.

Dr. Oskár Ádám (left), Head of the Department of and Coordinator of the Central Office of Geology/USGS, and Dr. H. William Menard, Director, U.S. Geological Survey, signing a memorandum of the visit of the Hungarian earth science delegation, April 30, 1979.

NATURAL HAZARDS

Significant progress has been made in recent years in the development of techniques and systems to provide warnings of the possibility of impending natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and earthquakes. The Disaster Relief Act of 1974 gave the Geological Survey the responsibility for warning State and local officials of impending geologic hazards in their areas. To help meet this responsibility, a communications network for the transmission of technical information has been established in a majority of States.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey made considerable progress in implementing the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. Seismicity studies of earthquakeprone regions were underway for much of the Nation; intensified studies were begun in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, and research investigations have been focused on the central and southern California regions as well as several other areas of high seismicity around the world.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey prepared floodprone-area maps in 236 areas subject to urban flooding. In response to the Flood Insurance Act of 1968, 222 Housing and Urban Development flood-insurance studies were completed.

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

As an extension of the Survey's domestic program and in support of national foreign policy, the Survey undertook a wide variety of cooperative research, assistance, and (or) training programs with other governments or on behalf of other U.S. or international agencies.

Among the foreign countries with which the Survey dealt were Saudi Arabia, Botswana, Diego Garcia (Chargos Archipelago), Hungary, Mexico, Portugal, Somalia, Tunesia, Indonesia, the Philippine Islands, and Bolivia. The Survey assisted with such projects as surveying and cartographic support; hydrology planning; digital modeling of ground water; geothermal studies; identifying, evaluating, and planning for development of energy and energy-related resources; and geologic studies.

MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey made several substantial improvements in the manner in which it conducts its business. Among these were the establishment

of the Office of the Data Base Administrator and several improvements in the areas of administrative and technical support and in the Equal Employment Opportunity Program.

DATA BASE ADMINISTRATION

The Survey is computerizing data, such as tables, text, maps, analog charts, and photographs, that were formerly available only in document form. With the long-term trend toward a more complete and unified representation of all earth science data components, coordination of data activities is of major concern. The Office of the Data Base Administrator was created to coordinate and to increase the compatibility of Geological Survey scientific and technical data bases and systems, both internally and externally. Recent efforts have involved the initiation of projects for the development of a Surveywide data-base inventory and a dictionary-directory of data elements and their attributes.

ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Creation of the Senior Executive Service under the Civil Service Reform Act changed the roles and responsibilities of the Federal executive manager. The executive staff of the Survey welcomed this change and envisioned this new approach to top-level management as an opportunity to develop a more effective managerial framework for the conduct of the Survey's programs. In a continuing effort to streamline administrative operations, the Survey implemented the computer-based Advance Procurement Planning System in fiscal year 1979. This system should reduce the time involved in processing contracts by increasing the coordination between the procurement officer and the project officer.

In searching for a more effective communications link between the computer user and his or her data, the Survey has increased its data communications services by expanding the TYMNET facility, a nationwide network that allows users to access distant computers at minimal cost. This expansion adds additional TYMNET lines into all sites and provides the capability to transmit at a higher speed. Research and planning are currently underway for access to ARPANET, a resource-sharing intercomputer network linking a variety of computers.

To improve the dissemination of the Geological Survey's technical and scientific information to the public, a new Public Inquiries Office was established in Menlo Park, Calif., at the Survey's Western Region Center. In fiscal year 1979, the Survey produced 10,147 topographic, hydrologic, and geologic maps of which over 9.3 million copies were sold to other Federal agencies, States, and the public by the distribution centers.

Sales of open-file reports increased from 27,804 in fiscal year 1978 to 35,527 in fiscal year 1979.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICE

Fiscal year 1979 constituted a period of major change in operation, organization and extent of responsibility for the Geological Survey's Equal Opportunity (EO) Program. During this period, the Survey's EO policy and program have been dominated by two major objectives: enlarging the EO staff and reorganizing the organizational structure of the EO Office. These actions were prompted by increased program requirements brought about by new Departmental guidelines and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.

On October 16, 1978, the newly structured organization and staffing plan in the format specified by Departmental EO Memorandum No. 78-11 was submitted to the Director, Office for Equal Opportunity, Department of the Interior, and subsequently approved. The staffing plan called for an immediate overall increase of nine positions including seven additional full-time personnel (an increase of 75 percent) and two additional less than fulltime positions to provide essential support; this resulted in a total staffing of 25 (21 full-time and 4 part-time). The organizational plan called for incorporating regional program responsibility of Mid-Continent States and Headquarters with Central Region and Eastern Region, respectively, to avoid duplication of efforts and to promote the efficient utilization of personnel.

The staffing and reorganization plans were accomplished in June 1979 to include the transfer of overall responsibility of the Minority Participation in Earth Science Program from the EO Office to the Regional Director's Offices.

The goal of the Equal Opportunity Office is to broaden and strengthen the Survey's effort to carry out a program designed to promote equal opportunity in every aspect of personnel policy and practice through increased monitoring guidance and technical assistance to all directorates. Fiscal year 1979 provided the personnel resources and a newly structured EO Office to meet such goal. The long-range goal of ensuring equality of opportunity in employment for all Survey employees and applicants is no longer perceived by many as compliance of EO laws but a current program of operation.

CONCLUSION

As fiscal year 1980 begins, we expect to continue delivering the much-needed scientific support upon which so many of the Nation's goals rely. Although the Survey is a product of its distinguished past, we cannot allow ourselves to let the past dictate our future.