U.S. Geological Survey

State environmental policy
U.S. environmental policy
Endangered species policy
State endangered species
Federal land policy
Environmental terms

The U.S. Geological Survey is a federal agency tasked with researching ecosystems, natural resources, and potential natural hazards. The agency is the largest water, earth, biological science, and civilian mapping agency in the United States. As a research agency, it is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior and possesses no regulatory authority, meaning that the agency exists to provide scientific information and not to issue regulations with the force of law.^[1]

The U.S. Geological Survey in fiscal year 2023 employed the equivalent of 4,806 full-time employees. The agency's budget for fiscal year 2023 totaled $1.6 billion.^[2]

History

In 1878, Congress requested that the National Academy of Sciences "recommend a plan for surveying and mapping the Territories of the Unites States that would secure the best possible results at the least possible cost." The academy recommended the following:^[3]

1. Rename the Coast and Geodetic Survey as the Coast and Interior Survey, transfer the division from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of the Interior, and give the division responsibility over mapping the land for geodetic (the geometric shape of land), topographic (detailed mapping or charting of an area's features), and land-parceling (dividing plots of land within a larger area) purposes.
2. Establish the U.S. Geological Survey for "classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain."

These provisions were part of an appropriations bill for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 1879. President Rutherford B. Hayes (R) signed the bill into law on March 3, 1879. On March 20, 1879, Hayes nominated Clarence King as the first director of U.S. Geological Survey. The Senate confirmed King on April 3, and he took office on May 24, 1879.^[4][5]

Structure

Administrative State
Read more about the administrative state on Ballotpedia.

Mission

The mission statement of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is as follows:^[1]

Responsibilities

The U.S. Geological Survey "collects, monitors, analyzes and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems." The agency conducts research in the following areas:^[1][7]

Staff

The director of the U.S. Geological Survey is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate.^[8]

For a listing of current staff, see this website.^[9]

Budget and finance

The table below summarizes the agency's appropriations and FTEs from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2024.^[2]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term U.S. + Geological + Survey

See also

• 

  Fracking

• 

  Federal land

• 

  Environmental chemistry

• 

  Environmental science

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey

Footnotes

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United States Terms Adjudication (administrative state) • Administrative judge • Administrative law • Administrative law judge • Administrative state • Arbitrary-or-capricious test • Auer deference • Barrier to entry • Bootleggers and Baptists • Chevron deference (doctrine) • Civil servant • Civil service • Code of Federal Regulations • Codify (administrative state) • Comment period • Compliance costs • Congressional Record • Coordination (administrative state) • Deference (administrative state) • Direct and indirect costs (administrative state) • Enabling statute • Ex parte communication (administrative state) • Executive agency • Federal law • Federal Register • Federalism • Final rule • Formal rulemaking • Formalism (law) • Functionalism (law) • Guidance (administrative state) • Hybrid rulemaking • Incorporation by reference • Independent federal agency • Informal rulemaking • Joint resolution of disapproval (administrative state) • Major rule • Negotiated rulemaking • Nondelegation doctrine • OIRA prompt letter • Organic statute • Pragmatism (law) • Precautionary principle • Promulgate • Proposed rule • Publication rulemaking • Regulatory budget • Regulatory capture • Regulatory dark matter • Regulatory impact analysis • Regulatory policy officer • Regulatory reform officer • Regulatory review • Rent seeking • Retrospective regulatory review • Risk assessment (administrative state) • Rulemaking • Separation of powers • Significant regulatory action • Skidmore deference • Statutory authority • Substantive law and procedural law • Sue and settle • Sunset provision • Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions • United States Code • United States Statutes at Large Bibliography "Administrative Law - The 20th Century Bequeaths an 'Illegitimate Exotic' in Full and Terrifying Flower" by Stephen P. Dresch (2000) "Confronting the Administrative Threat" by Philip Hamburger and Tony Mills (2017) "Constitutionalism after the New Deal" by Cass R. Sunstein (1987) Federalist No. 23 by Alexander Hamilton (1787) "From Administrative State to Constitutional Government" by Joseph Postell (2012) "Interring the Nondelegation Doctrine" by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule (2002) "Rulemaking as Legislating" by Kathryn Watts (2015) "The Checks & Balances of the Regulatory State" by Paul R. Verkuil (2016) "The Myth of the Nondelegation Doctrine" by Keith E. Whittington and Jason Iuliano (2017) "The Progressive Origins of the Administrative State: Wilson, Goodnow, and Landis" by Ronald J. Pestritto (2007) "The Rise and Rise of the Administrative State" by Gary Lawson (1994) "The Study of Administration" by Woodrow Wilson (1887) "The Threat to Liberty" by Steven F. Hayward (2017) "Why the Modern Administrative State Is Inconsistent with the Rule of Law" by Richard A. Epstein (2008) Agencies Administrative Conference of the United States • United States Civil Service Commission • U.S. Government Accountability Office • U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs • U.S. Office of Management and Budget