[20200102]IF11181_美国地质调查局（USGS）：2020财年拨款流程和背景.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated January 2, 2020The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): FY2020 Appropriations Process and BackgroundBackground The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) aims to provide unbiased scientific information to describe and understand the geological processes of the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect the nations quality of life. The USGS is a scientific agency that is housed within the Department of the Interior (DOI). In contrast to other DOI bureaus, it has no regulatory authority and does not manage any major federal land areas. The USGS also collects and stores scientific information in long-term continuous data sets. These data sets range from satellite imagery of land and ecosystem features to streamflow and groundwater data. Congress created the USGS in 1879 in a portion of a law that is known as the USGS Organic Act (43 U.S.C. 31). The USGS Organic Act defined the initial scope of the USGS: “The Director of the USGS shall have the direction of the United States Geological Survey, and the classification of the public lands and examination of the