With the start-up of FFS, the Department of the Interior has taken an important step toward its goals of improving the efficiency of financial management operations, reducing the number of accounting systems, standardizing the processing of accounting data and payments, and reducing the cost of financial management operations within the Department. In order to take these goals one step further, the USGS was also designated by the Department of the Interior as an Administrative Service Center (ASC) to provide automated data processing services to all bureaus of the DOI and, as negotiated, to other Federal agencies. A second ASC was established at the Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, which will handle the new payroll and personnel system and FFS processing for Denver-based Interior bureaus. Efforts are also underway to encompass budgeting, procurement, and property management within the FFS. The USGS ASC will focus on centralized systems and data-base design services for administrative applications, tailored to serve a community of users with local administrative staff. The Information Systems Division in Reston will provide the mainframe computer and telecommunications services necessary to process the supported administrative systems. The USGS comes to the task of hosting an ASC with a proven track record of success in the data-processing arena and in large-scale IBM-compatible data processing. The USGS has provided services nationwide for a wide variety of program functions, both within the USGS and in other Federal and State agencies. In addition to the FFS efforts, the USGS initiated and continues to manage the highly successful Department-wide telecommunications network known as GEONET. The USGS also developed a very successful "paperless" system for processing personnel actions that is now being recognized governmentwide. Based on these experiences, the USGS is poised to provide improved administrative ADP services to the Department of the Interior, and potentially to other Federal agencies as well. Facilities Management By Lavera Hamidi The U.S. Geological Survey has assumed more responsibility for facilities management by accepting delegated General Service Administration (GSA) building operations and lease management functions. Over the years, the USGS has worked successfully with GSA to acquire office and special-purpose space to support our scientific programs nationwide; more than 90 percent of the space currently occupied by USGS is GSAprovided. The nature of USGS earth science programs requires laboratory, computer, and other specialized facilities that benefit from the closer bureau management and supervision allowed by the GSA delegations of responsibility. Background In 1981, GSA initiated a pilot program to test the feasibility of delegating building operations authority to its tenant agencies. GSA was interested in testing its premise that tenant agencies could operate their buildings more responsively than and as economically as GSA. Several major agencies agreed to participate, and by 1985 the program had expanded to a total of 10 agencies and 24 buildings in the Washington, D.C., area. Each delegation was slightly different, depending on the individual circumstances and the negotiations that took place. On the basis of the program's success, the Office of Management and Budget in 1985 directed GSA to expand and accelerate the program to encompass all Federal agencies in single-tenant buildings nationwide, setting a target date of September 30, 1986, for accomplishment. The USGS took an active role in the new program to delegate buildings operations and maintenance. Operations and Maintenance In August 1987, GSA delegated building operations and maintenance responsibilities for Reston, Va., where the USGS is the sole tenant in Governmentowned space. These responsibilities include day-to-day facility support necessary for physical maintenance of the buildings, such as cleaning, mechanical operation, preventive maintenance, energy management, repairs and alterations, monitoring of concessions, contracting, space assignment and lease management, and guard service. The USGS was required to establish a cleaning and grounds maintenance program, a preventive maintenance program for all building operating equipment, and an energy management and conservation plan. GSA transferred funds, manpower, and support contracts for these facilities, in addition to responsibility for payment of all utilities and fuel bills. Currently, the USGS manages the operation and maintenance of the John Wesley Powell Federal Building in Reston, with a budget of about $5 million; this headquarters facility has over 1 million gross square feet and houses some 2,400 employees. The USGS also accepted limited responsibility for operations and maintenance of smaller, leased facilities in Golden, Colo., and Flagstaff, Ariz. Lease Management Early in fiscal year 1988, the USGS completed implementation of GSAdelegated lease management authority for more than 120 leased sites nationwide encompassing more than 2.2 million square feet of space. Lease management requires that the designated agency perform periodic inspections to ensure compliance with lease terms, establish a register to record all complaints and their resolutions, and provide written notification to the lessor of non-performance with terms of the lease. These documents must be maintained in an on-site lease enforcement file. In addition, responsibilities now performed by USGS employees, formally designated as GSA contracting officer representatives, include managing the lease, verifying utility bills, ordering services beyond those provided during normal working hours, and contracting for low-dollar repairs and alterations. Benefits The USGS has realized a number of benefits since assuming these delegations: • Improvements in building-service quality and responsiveness through streamlining of service procedures and organization. • Improved performance of service contracts through better monitoring and ability to make contract specifications more responsive to specific buildings and to USGS scientific program needs. • Savings from energy conservation at the John Wesley Powell Building in Reston, due primarily to direct control of building heating, air-conditioning, ventilation, and electrical systems and the incentive to apply savings to meet deferred maintenance needs. • More flexibility and greater control to direct funds and staff time to meet the program requirements deemed most critical and to respond more quickly to shifting program needs during the year. • Improved ability to integrate planning, requirements development, and implementation for alteration projects to meet program needs within required timeframes. Future of the Program In concert with GSA, the USGS is continuing to review further opportunities for delegation. An operations and maintenance delegation for several USGS buildings in Menlo Park, Calif., is being considered. The John Wesley Powell Federal Building, Reston, Va. (Photograph by Kathleen K. Gohn.) People and Programs of the Mission ur Nation is faced with some serious questions concerning the availability and use of land, water, energy, and mineral resources of the Earth. How can we ensure an adequate supply of critical resources in the future? In what ways are we irreversibly altering our natural environment when we use these resources? How can we predict, prevent, or mitigate the effects of natural hazards? Responses to these and similar questions depend on continually increasing the knowledge about the structure, resources, and dynamics of the Earth. Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating the scientific information necessary to answer these questions is the primary mission of the U.S. Geological Survey. The U.S. Geological Survey was established by an Act of Congress on March 3, 1879, to provide a permanent Federal agency to conduct the systematic and scientific "classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain." Since 1879, the research and factfinding role of the USGS has grown and has been modified to meet the changing needs of the Nation it serves. The USGS, however, has remained principally a scientific and technical agency rather than a developmental or regulatory one. Today's programs serve a diversity of needs and users. The current mission of the USGS is to provide geologic, topographic, and hydrologic information that contributes to the wise management of the Nation's natural resources and that promotes the safety and wellbeing of the public. This information consists of maps, data bases, and descriptions and analyses of the water, energy, and mineral resources, the land surface, the underlying geologic structure, and the dynamic processes of the Earth. As the Nation's largest earth-science research agency, the USGS maintains a long tradition of providing accurate and impartial information to all, which underscores its continued dedication to "Earth Science in the Public Service." Organization and The USGS is headquartered in Reston, Va., near Washington, D.C. Its scientific programs are administered through the Geologic, Water Resources, and National Mapping Divisions, supported by the Administrative and Information Systems Divisions. The Survey conducts its research and investigations through an extensive organization of regional and field offices located throughout the 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the Trust Territories. In fiscal year 1988, the USGS had obligational authority for $662.1 million, $448.2 million of which came from direct appropriations; $7.4 million came from estimated receipts from map sales, and $206.5 million came from reimbursements. The Survey was reimbursed for work performed for other Federal, State, and local agencies whose needs for earthscience expertise complement USGS program objectives. Work for State, county, and municipal agencies is most often conducted on a cost-sharing basis. Most of the appropriations and reimbursements received by the USGS in fiscal year 1988 were distributed to geologic, hydrologic, mapping, and administrative areas of responsibility. Budget tables appear at the back of this section. Program Descriptions Geologic Division Organization The headquarters office of the Geologic Division is located in Reston, Va., and consists of the Office of the Chief Geologist and six subordinate offices: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Engineering; Regional Geology; Mineral Resources; Energy and Marine Geology; International Geology; and Scientific Publications. Assistant Chief Geologists in the Eastern, Central, and Western Regions act for the Chief Geologist in carrying out general objectives, policies, and procedures for the Division. Project operations are conducted by personnel located principally in regional centers at Reston, Va.; Denver, Colo.; and Menlo Park, Calif.; and at field centers in Flagstaff, Ariz.; Anchorage, Alaska; Woods Hole, Mass.; Tucson, Ariz.; Reno, Nev.; and Spokane, Wash. Geologic Hazards Surveys The Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program conducts a national research effort to reduce hazards and risks from future earthquakes in the United States. Specific tasks include evaluation of earthquake potential for seismically active areas of the United States and operation of global seismic networks. The Volcano Hazards Program conducts research on volcanic processes to help reduce the loss of life, property, and natural resources that can result from volcanic eruptions and related hydrologic events. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the Cascades Volcano Observatory, in Vancouver, Wash., are the principal field research centers for this program. The Landslide Hazards Program emphasizes field and laboratory research into the active earth processes that result in ground failures such as landslides, mudflows, and debris flows. Geologic Framework and Processes The National Geologic Mapping Program conducts basic geologic research to acquire fundamental data on the Nation's geologic structure and the environmental and dynamic processes that have shaped it. Geologic mapping, geophysical research on the properties of Earth materials, age determinations of rocks, and modernization of mapping techniques are the main components of the program. The Deep Continental Studies Program conducts research to obtain information on the composition, structure, formation, and evolution of the middle |