The purpose of this organization which falls under the Department of the Interior is to provide impartial information on the health of our ecosystems and environment, the natural hazards that threaten us and the natural resources on which we rely. Other responsibilities include providing information on the impact of climate and land-use change and the core science systems that help to provide timely, relevant and useful information.
Currently the U.S. needs to seriously reconsider how much oil we import on a daily basis. The involvement of this organization associated with our natural resources is important. The responsibilities of this organization are clear. Providing impartial information with regards to the amount and types of natural resources we have is critical. This organization is the nation’s largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency. It is a collector of information. It monitors, analyzes and provides a scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues and problems.
Before discussing this organization further it is important to understand the mission it has been assigned. The mission is to serve the nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters, manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. The vision of the organization as stated is to be the world leader in the field of natural sciences through its scientific excellence and responsiveness to society’s needs.
The information that this organization provides is published in several media sources. Prior to publication, the information is reviewed to ensure the reliability, objectivity, and integrity of the data. Recent information involving the oil reserves in the Dakotas and Montana was included in various sources including their own website which validates the existence of oil in the Bakken formation. One example of this validation can be seen in a news release from July 2010 on their own website.
This organization provides a wealth of information associated with the resources we are known to have and those that may potentially be available in the future given our technological abilities. The work that this agency performs in analyzing our natural resources makes a positive contribution to our nation. Much information is collected and analyzed by government agencies. One important question which must be answered is, “Once data is collected and validated, who or what agency is responsible to take appropriate actions based upon the information?” At first glance, it appears that the United States Geological Survey (USGS) is only responsible to provide the information, not to take action associated with the data it collects. This may not necessarily be true given the nature and structure of the organization. They have a program entitled, The U.S. Geological Survey Energy Resources Program.
As an added validation, the Office of Science Quality and Integrity monitors and enhances the integrity, quality, and health of USGS science. This involves four distinct components: Education and Development; Native American Activities; Evaluation, Review and Recognition; and last Fundamental Science Practices.
There is a distinct portion of the USGS website devoted strictly to energy research and news. This portion provides details on the oil and gas assessments performed by the organization. Looking briefly at the information, there are fact sheets regarding several assessments associated with oil and gas reserves in the United States. The information is something of which we need to be aware, and it should cause us to ask what the state and federal government is doing with this information. Data being collected, but not used serves no useful purpose. Collecting data that is either not used or is not deemed valuable requires expenditures. Expenditures for data must be justified. The expenses for data which is used and provides added value are justified, while those that do not provide value are not.
One last point to make is that government agencies provide a wealth of information on their respective websites for the public. There is often data, as is the case with this organization, that can impact our quality of life. This information in some cases is not brought before the public. It is up to the public to be aware of this information and start asking questions as to the actions or the lack of them associated with the information.
