IIA
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 709
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 12, 1997
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources
AN ACT
To reauthorize and amend the National Geologic Mapping
Act of 1992, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
HR 709 RFS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Geologic
Mapping Reauthorization Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) in enacting the National Geologic Mapping
Act of 1992 (43 U.S.C. 31a et seq.), Congress
found, among other things, that—
(A) during the 2 decades preceding enact-
ment of that Act, the production of geologic
maps had been drastically curtailed;
(B) geologic maps are the primary data
base for virtually all applied and basic earth-
science investigations;
(C) Federal agencies, State and local gov-
ernments, private industry, and the general
public depend on the information provided by
geologic maps to determine the extent of poten-
tial environmental damage before embarking on
projects that could lead to preventable, costly
environmental problems or litigation;
(D) the lack of proper geologic maps has
led to the poor design of such structures as
dams and waste-disposal facilities;
HR 709 RFS
(E) geologic maps have proven indispen-
sable in the search for needed fossil fuel and
mineral resources; and
(F) a comprehensive nationwide program
of geologic mapping is required in order to sys-
tematically build the Nation’s geologic-map
data base at a pace that responds to increasing
demand;
(2) the geologic mapping program called for by
that Act has not been fully implemented; and
(3) it is time for this important program to be
fully implemented.
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION AND AMENDMENT.
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3 of the National Geo-
logic Mapping Act of 1992 (43 U.S.C. 31b) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘As used in this Act:’’ and in-
serting ‘‘In this Act:’’;
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), (4),
and (5) as paragraphs (3), (4), (5), and (7), respec-
tively;
(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the follow-
ing:
‘‘(2) ASSOCIATION.—The term ‘Association’
means the Association of American State Geolo-
gists.’’;
HR 709 RFS
(4) by inserting after paragraph (5) (as redesig-
nated by paragraph (2) of this subsection) the fol-
lowing new paragraph:
‘‘(6) STATE.—The term ‘State’ includes the
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Virgin Is-
lands.’’; and
(5) in each paragraph that does not have a
heading, by inserting a heading, in the same style as
the heading in paragraph (2), as added by para-
graph (3), the text of which is comprised of the term
defined in the paragraph.
(b) GEOLOGIC MAPPING PROGRAM.—Section 4 of the
National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (43 U.S.C. 31c)
is amended—
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the
following:
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established a na-
tional cooperative geologic mapping program be-
tween the United States Geological Survey and the
State geological surveys, acting through the Associa-
tion.
HR 709 RFS
‘‘(2) DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND
ADMINIS-
TRATION.—The cooperative geologic mapping pro-
gram shall be—
‘‘(A) designed and administered to achieve
the objectives set forth in subsection (c);
‘‘(B) developed in consultation with the ad-
visory committee; and
‘‘(C) administered through the Survey.’’;
(2) in subsection (b)—
(A) in the subsection heading by striking
‘‘USGS’’ and inserting ‘‘THE SURVEY’’;
(B) in paragraph (1)—
(i) by single-indenting the paragraph,
double-indenting the subparagraphs, and
triple indenting the clauses;
(ii) by inserting ‘‘LEAD AGENCY.—’’
before ‘‘The Survey’’;
(iii) in subparagraph (A)—
(I) by striking ‘‘Committee on
Natural Resources’’ and inserting
‘‘Committee on Resources’’; and
(II) by striking ‘‘date of enact-
ment of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘date
of enactment of the National Geologic
HR 709 RFS
Mapping 
Reauthorization 
Act 
of
1997’’;
(iv) in subparagraph (B)—
(I) by striking ‘‘State geological
surveys’’ and inserting ‘‘Association’’;
and
(II) by striking ‘‘date of enact-
ment of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘date
of enactment of the National Geologic
Mapping 
Reauthorization 
Act 
of
1997’’; and
(v) in subparagraph (C)—
(I) by striking ‘‘date of enact-
ment of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘date
of enactment of the National Geologic
Mapping 
Reauthorization 
Act 
of
1997’’;
(II) by striking ‘‘Committee on
Natural Resources’’ and inserting
‘‘Committee on Resources’’;
(III) in clauses (i) and (ii) by in-
serting ‘‘and the Association’’ after
‘‘the Survey’’;
(IV) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end
of clause (ii); and
HR 709 RFS
(V) by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the
end of clause (iii) and all that follows
through the end of the subparagraph
and inserting a period;
(C) in paragraph (2)—
(i) by inserting ‘‘RESPONSIBILITIES
OF THE SECRETARY.—’’ before ‘‘In addi-
tion to’’; and
(ii) in subparagraph (A) by striking
‘‘State geological surveys’’ and inserting
‘‘Association’’; and
(D) by single-indenting the paragraph and
double-indenting the subparagraphs;
(3) in subsection (c)—
(A) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘interpre-
tive’’ and inserting ‘‘interpretative’’; and
(B) in paragraph (4) by striking ‘‘aware-
ness for’’ and inserting ‘‘awareness of’’; and
(4) in subsection (d)—
(A) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘FED-
ERAL COMPONENT.—’’ before ‘‘A Federal’’;
(B) in paragraph (2)—
(i) by inserting ‘‘SUPPORT
COMPO-
NENT.—’’ before ‘‘A geologic’’; and
HR 709 RFS
(ii) by striking subparagraph (D) and
inserting the following:
‘‘(D) geochronologic and isotopic investiga-
tions that—
‘‘(i) provide radiometric age dates for
geologic-map units; and
‘‘(ii) fingerprint the geothermometry,
geobarometry, and alteration history of
geologic-map units,
which investigations shall be contributed to a
national geochronologic data base;’’;
(C) in paragraph (3) by inserting ‘‘STATE
COMPONENT.—’’ before ‘‘A State’’; and
(D) by striking paragraph (4) and insert-
ing the following:
‘‘(4) EDUCATION
COMPONENT.—A geologic
mapping education component—
‘‘(A) the objectives of which shall be—
‘‘(i) to develop the academic programs
that teach earth-science students the fun-
damental principles of geologic mapping
and field analysis; and
‘‘(ii) to provide for broad education in
geologic 
mapping 
and 
field 
analysis
through support of field studies;
HR 709 RFS
‘‘(B) investigations under which shall be
integrated with the other mapping components
of the geologic mapping program and shall re-
spond to priorities identified for those compo-
nents; and
‘‘(C) Federal funding for which shall be
matched by non-Federal sources on a 1-to-1
basis.’’.
(c) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—Section 5 of the Na-
tional Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (43 U.S.C. 31d) is
amended—
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the
following:
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be established
a 10-member geologic mapping advisory committee
to advise the Director on planning and implementa-
tion of the geologic mapping program.
‘‘(2) MEMBERS EX OFFICIO.—Federal agency
members shall include the Administrator of the En-
vironmental Protection Agency or a designee, the
Secretary of Energy or a designee, the Secretary of
Agriculture or a designee, and the Assistant to the
President for Science and Technology or a designee.
HR 709 RFS
‘‘(3) APPOINTED MEMBERS.—Not later than 90
days after the date of enactment of the National
Geologic Mapping Reauthorization Act of 1997, in
consultation with the Association, the Secretary shall
appoint to the advisory committee 2 representatives
from the Survey (including the Chief Geologist, as
Chairman), 2 representatives from the State geologi-
cal surveys, 1 representative from academia, and 1
representative from the private sector.’’; and
(2) in subsection (b)(3) by striking ‘‘and State’’
and inserting ‘‘, State, and university’’.
(d) GEOLOGIC MAPPING PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN.—Section 6 of the National Geologic Mapping Act
of 1992 (43 U.S.C. 31e) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘cooperative’’
after ‘‘national’’;
(2) by striking paragraph (3)(C) and inserting
the following:
‘‘(C) for the State geologic mapping com-
ponent, a priority-setting mechanism that re-
sponds to—
‘‘(i) specific intrastate needs for geo-
logic-map information; and
HR 709 RFS
‘‘(ii) interstate needs shared by adja-
cent entities that have common require-
ments; and’’;
(3) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5) and in-
serting the following:
‘‘(4) a mechanism for adopting scientific and
technical mapping standards for preparing and pub-
lishing general-purpose and special-purpose geologic
maps to—
‘‘(A) ensure uniformity of cartographic and
scientific conventions; and
‘‘(B) provide a basis for judgment as to
the comparability and quality of map products;
and’’; and
(4) by redesignating paragraph (6) as para-
graph (5).
(e) NATIONAL GEOLOGIC-MAP DATA BASE.—Section
7 of the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (43
U.S.C. 31f) is amended by striking subsection (b) and in-
serting the following:
‘‘(b) STANDARDIZATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Geologic maps contributed
to the national archives shall have format, symbols,
and technical attributes that adhere to standards so
HR 709 RFS
that archival information can be accessed, ex-
changed, and compared efficiently and accurately, as
required by Executive Order 12906 (59 Fed. Reg.
17,671 (1994)), which established the National Spa-
tial Data Infrastructure.
‘‘(2) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.—Entities
that contribute geologic maps to the national ar-
chives shall develop the standards described in para-
graph (1) in cooperation with the Federal Geo-
graphic Data Committee, which is charged with
standards development and other data coordination
activities as described in Office of Management and
Budget revised Circular A–16.’’.
(f) ANNUAL REPORT.—Section 8 of the National
Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (43 U.S.C. 31g) is amend-
ed in the first sentence—
(1) by striking ‘‘Committee on Natural Re-
sources’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee on Resources’’;
and
(2) by striking ‘‘program, and describing and
evaluating progress’’ and inserting ‘‘program and
describing and evaluating the progress’’.
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section
9 of the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (43
U.S.C. 31h) is amended to read as follows: