120.8 - Office of the Associate Director for Energy and Mineral Resources
Date: 12/29/2020
OPR: Office of the Associate Director for Energy and Mineral Resources
Instruction: This revises the chapter dated January 15, 2016 to reflect current organizational structure.
1. General Functions. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Office of the Associate Director for Energy and Mineral Resources provides executive-level leadership for the impartial science and reliable information required to understand the foundational geologic framework and distribution of mineral and energy resources of the Nation. Activities include conducting research on the formation of geologic resources and assessing the occurrence and distribution of national and global resources including a wide range of current and future energy and mineral resources and their wastes; research on the potential environmental and socioeconomic effects associated with geologic resource occurrence and use; analysis of the global supply and flow of nonfuel mineral commodities; and the geologic and geophysical data acquisition and mapping required to advance the understanding of the Nation’s subsurface geology and resources. These activities together support integrated, interdisciplinary characterization of the full life cycle of geologic resources to provide an understanding of the feedbacks between multiple types of resource development. Energy and mineral resources research and assessments are used by Federal, State, and local government officials to inform land planning decisions; by private sector companies concerned with resource availability; by both government and private sector decisionmakers responsible for supply chains and trade and industrial policy; and by the general public.
2. Associate Director for Energy and Mineral Resources. The Associate Director exercises the authority delegated by the USGS Director to provide leadership and nationwide guidance for energy and minerals-related research activities of the Bureau and ensures integration of these activities with the strategic goals of the USGS and the Department of the Interior. The Associate Director provides executive direction and oversight to ensure effective and efficient program planning, management and execution of the Bureau’s Energy and Mineral Resources Programs, including the development of methods and tools, research, and quality assurance. Responsibilities are shared with the Deputy Associate Director for Energy and Mineral Resources. The Associate Director and Deputy Associate Director are assisted in the development and implementation of a national geologic science program by the following senior management team:
A. Senior Science Advisor. The Senior Science Advisor serves as the scientific lead for developing integrated and inclusive research programs in the Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area. The Senior Science Advisor focuses on issues that transect current science programs and activities throughout the USGS and the Department of the Interior including integrated, interdisciplinary characterization of the full life cycle of geologic resources.
B. Energy and Mineral Resources Program Coordinators. Program Coordinators are responsible for program planning, budget development, and program evaluation. The Program Coordinators develop strategic program plans; coordinate programmatic activities within and outside the USGS to ensure broad participation in interdisciplinary studies; and conduct program reviews of current scientific projects to ensure that science is relevant to national objectives, meets the priorities of land managers, and is coordinated with other Federal, State and local agencies. The programs of the Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area are:
(1) Energy Resources Program. The Energy Resources Program supports research to understand the processes critical to the formation, accumulation, occurrence, and alteration of geologically-based energy resources. In addition, the program conducts assessments (both nationally and globally) of energy resources and studies the full life cycle of energy resources including the environmental effects of energy resource occurrence and/or production.
(2) Mineral Resources Program. The Mineral Resources Program supports research to understand the processes critical to the formation, deposition, occurrence, and alteration of mineral resources. In addition, the program conducts information gathering ranging from fieldwork to industry surveys to provide the scientific foundation for objective resource assessments and unbiased research results on mineral potential, production, consumption, and the environmental effects of mineral extraction and wastes. The program also disseminates production, consumption, and trade data for mineral commodities in the United States and around the world.
/s/ Katherine M. McCulloch December 29, 2020
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Katherine M. McCulloch Date
Associate Director for Administration