Mineral resources and society. A review of the U.S. geological survey's mineral resource surveys program plan / Минеральные ресурсы и общество. Обзор плана программы Геологической службы США по изучению минеральных ресурсов

The U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop a program plan for its mineral-resource activities. In 1995, the USGS completed the Mineral Resource Surveys Program (MRSP) plan requested by Congress (Appendix A). To obtain an independent review of the five-year MRSP plan, the U.S. Geological Survey, in a letter from Dr. Willis H. White, the Chief of the USGS Office of Mineral Resources, requested in July, 1995, that the National Research Council (NRC) evaluate the MRSP plan and recommend improvements.
The Panel to Review the Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan was established by the NRC in November, 1995. The panel consists of 12 geoscientists and resource experts from the mining and mineral industry, the environmental consulting industry, academia, state agencies, and the Geological Survey of Canada. The panel members have expertise in mitigation of environmental impacts related to extraction and use of mineral resources, as well as in genesis, assessment, exploration, and development of mineral resources. In spite of this diversity of professional focus and experience, the panel reached consensus on all significant issues, thus obviating the need for minority reports. Brief biographies of panel members are provided in Appendix F. The panel operates under the Committee on Earth Resources, which is under the aegis of the Board on Earth Science and Resources within the NRC's Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources. <...>