1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated January 4, 2021The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): FY2021 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; minimiz
2、e loss of life and property from natural disasters; and support the management of water, biological, energy, and mineral resources. The USGS is a scientific agency housed within the Department of the Interior (DOI). In contrast to other DOI bureaus, it has no regulatory authority and does not manage
3、 any major federal lands. The USGS also collects scientific information for long-term 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 known as the USGS Organic Act (43 U
4、.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 geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national dom