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April 18, 2019
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): FY2020 Appropriations
Process and Background
Background
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 nation's quality of life. USGS is a scientific
agency that is housed within the Department of the Interior
(DOI). Its primary mission is conducting science; in
contrast to other DOI bureaus, it has no regulatory authority
and does not manage any major federal land areas. 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.
USGS was created 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 defines 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 domain.
The USGS's scope has expanded over time from its early
activities of studying mineral deposits and mapping.
Presently, USGS conducts scientific activities under six
interdisciplinary mission areas: (1) Ecosystems, (2) Land
Resources, (3) Energy, Minerals, and Environmental Health
(4) Natural Hazards, (5) Water Resources, and (6) Core
Science Systems. USGS also has budget lines for Science
Support (administrative activities and information) and
Facilities (sites where USGS activities are housed). The
agency generally is funded through the Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations laws.
USGS activities have both national and regional policy
implications. USGS often partners with stakeholders in its
monitoring and scientific endeavors and contributes
scientific knowledge to seminal policy decisions, such as
the listing of species under the Endangered Species Act.
Appropriations
The President's budget request for FY2020 USGS
appropriations is $983.5 million, which is $177.1 million
less than the FY2019-enacted level of $1,160.6 million (a
15.3% reduction; see Table 1). The FY2020 request, if
enacted, would be the lowest funding amount for USGS
since 2007 (Figure 1). The request proposes restructuring
USGS from six to five mission areas and reorganizing
mission areas with new programs.
Table I. USGS Funding FY2018-FY2020 Request
(nominal $ in millions)
FY2018 FY2019 FY2020
Mission Area Enacted Enacted Request
Ecosystems 157.7 156.9 141.0
Land Resources 152.5 158.3 0.0
Energy, Minerals,
and
and 102.8 II1I.7 86.1
Environmental
Health
Natural Hazards 178.6 166.3 145.0
Water Resources 217.6 226.3 179.9
Core Science 116.3 117.9 207.2
Systems
Science Support 102.8 102.8 102.9
Facilities 120.1 120.4 121.3
Total 1,148.5 1,160.6 983.5
Sources: U.S. Department of Interior Budget justifications and
Performance Information, FY2020, U.S. Geological Survey; P.L. 116-6;
and P.L. 115-141.
All mission areas would receive reductions in funding from
FY2019 levels under the FY2020 request. (Core Science
Systems would receive a reduction when discounting the
addition of the National Land Imaging Program.) The
largest reductions would be for the Energy, Minerals, and
Environmental Health Mission Area (approximately 23%)
and the Water Resources Mission Area (approximately
21%). The Administration stated that these reductions are
needed to address higher-priority needs in other areas. The
mission areas as proposed with new changes are discussed
below.
Ecosystems Mission Area
The Ecosystems Mission Area conducts biological and
ecological science to inform natural resource management
decisions. The budget proposes consolidating research
spread across five existing Ecosystem programs into three
new programs and one new center: Species Management
Research Program, Land Management Research Program,
Biological Threats Research Program, and Climate
Adaptation Science Center. The request also proposes
eliminating the Cooperative Research Units (CRU)
Program (CRUs received $18.4 million in FY2019). CRUs
are intended to enhance graduate education in fisheries and
wildlife science through research partnerships with the
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