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OVERALL BUDGET

Question: The budget request reduces ongoing programs by $30,421,000 from the base as shown in detail on pages GS-18 and GS-19. If Congress were to add back that amount, in what priority sequence would you place the individual programs?

Answer: The budget proposed by the President represents a fair balance among the programs managed by the Geological Survey. The Survey supports the administration's efforts toward curbing unnecessary Federal spending and has prepared this budget request in keeping with that goal. Adding back the total amount proposed for reduction by the administration would conflict with the agreements reached between the administration and the Congress and would not support our mutual attempts to reduce the Federal budget deficit. The add backs referred to in testimony before the Committee are repeated here in priority order and represent my highest priorities for restoration.

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Question: In addition to those items in the base, your request to the Department included additional amounts for "Small, Intermediate and Special Mapping", "National Geologic Mapping", and "Mineral Resource Surveys." What were the programs or projects for which the additional amounts were requested?

Answer: The requested increase in Small, Intermediate, and Special Mapping was $2,000,000 for Geographic Information Systems Research and Applications. The proposed increase was to support an expansion of three components in the Geological Survey's implementation of GIS technology:

1. Provide the hardware and software needed in regional GIS facilities.

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3.

Increase GIS research and development activities to facilitate use of large digital earth-science data bases.

Expand multi-discipline data applications using GIS technology for analysis of earth-science data.

The requested increase in the National Geologic Mapping Program was $2,000,000. Of the requested $18,972,000, the Department recommended $17,734,000, and OMB allocated $17,403,000. The OMB passback included a $500,000 increase to the COGEOMAP Component of the National Geologic Mapping Program--an allocation that increased the COGEOMAP base from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 and accommodated a $500,000 increase added on by Congress to COGEOMAP in each of the 1986, 1987, and 1988 fiscal years. The OMB FY 1989 passback excluded approximately $1,500,000 that the Geological Survey originally requested to support other National Geologic Mapping activities.

The $1,500,000 million increase not included in the request to Congress was intended for three National Geologic Mapping activities, including Cooperative Geologic Mapping (COGEOMAP, $500,000), Federal Geologic Mapping (FEDMAP, $500,000), and modernization of geologic mapping (MODMAP, $500,000):

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COGEOMAP Component--The Geological Survey originally requested that
the COGEOMAP base be increased by $1,000,000 to $2,000,000.
Depending on the scope of the projects proposed by the States, the
$500,000 increase will continue to fund between 5 and 15 projects
and the $1,000,000 increase would have provided funding for 5 to 15
additional COGEOMAP projects.

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Federal Geologic Mapping Component--The FY 1989 request included
$500,000 to increase the level of Federal geologic-mapping
activities. This increase was in response to two issues: (1) a
response to preliminary contacts with other Federal agencies that
identified geologic-mapping requirements in support of their
missions, and (2) a response to the findings of the National
Research Council which, in a report released in 1987, recommended
that the Geological Survey increase the level of its geologic-
mapping activities and develop a coherent National policy regarding
long-term basic geologic mapping.

Modernization of Mapping Component--The FY 1989 request included
$500,000 to apply digital technology to the geologic-mapping
process. This effort presently is spearheaded by research and
development leading to a prototype geologic-mapping workstation.
The workstation is designed to generate a digital geologic-map file
that can be used to produce both paper and digital geologic-map
products. The geologic workstation is the front end of a broader
digital map-production system that the Modernization of Mapping
Component will develop. The total system will include digital
geomap editing and processing components that still have to be
developed under this component. This modernization activity
complements the modernization activities of the National Mapping
Division.

The mineral-resource surveys request to the Department for fiscal year 1989 was $49,200,000, compared to the $46,300,000 requested from Congress. The difference of $2,900,000 represents two activities--$400,000 of the restoration to NAMRAP to accomplish BLM requirements and $2,500,000 to the Strategic and Critical Minerals Program for an initiative to develop airborne geophysical methods to explore for and assess mineral deposits.

Question: What are their priorities in relation to the priorities you are providing for the base programs which were reduced?

Answer: Generally, base programs or ongoing activities are considered to be higher priority than proposed additions. In this specific case, the priority list of the proposed decreases was reviewed in relation to the additional funding that had been requested for Small, Intermediate, and Special Mapping; National Geologic Mapping; and Mineral Resource Surveys. Continuing to fund the base programs was determined to be of a higher priority than proposing increases in the three areas listed above.

PERSONNEL

In the fiscal year 1988 budget, full-time equivalent employment was estimated to be 9,727 for both appropriated and reimbursable funds. Congress added over $27 million to the request. In spite of that the estimates in the fiscal year 1989 budget for the fiscal year 1988 are reduced to 9,461, a reduction of 266.

Question: Why are FTE's reduced from the previous estimate?

Answer: FY 1988 FTE's were reduced from the 1988 budget to the 1989 estimate to: (1) align FTE target levels closer to the actual FTE usage experienced by the USGS over the last few fiscal years and (2) permit continued program operations within reduced funding levels.

Question: If they were reduced to cover operating costs, why were operating costs underestimated? (1988 hearings, p.660)

Answer: During the development of the FY 1989 budget and the FY 1988 operating plan, it became clear that absorption and partial absorption of increases in fixed costs over a number of years had reduced the level of available operational funding to the point where program objectives might be

affected. The only alternative available to managers at this point is to restrict hiring and constrain FTE usage to avoid using funds needed for other operational costs.

Question: Are the FTE's being used in fiscal year 1988 adequate to cover program workloads?

Answer: The FY 1988 FTE levels are adequate to cover the program workloads described in the FY 1989 Budget Justifications. The reduced FY 1988 FTE target levels are anticipated to more closely reflect the projected FY 1988 FTE usage and available funding. Actual usage during FY 1988 is running somewhat below target, due to the impact of a hiring freeze during the first few months of FY 1988, and prudent hiring restraints pending resolution of uncertainties over the Continuing Resolution and possible Gramm-Rudman-Hollings reduction targets.

Question: Are operating expenses adequate to provide for field work, travel, and equipment costs?

Answer: The USGS continually monitors and evaluates its funding for operating expenses. At this time, the funding level for field work, travel, and equipment costs is estimated to be sufficient to cover the program workloads described in the FY 1989 Budget Justification.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM

In addition to normal personnel costs, Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) costs were significantly overestimated in fiscal year 1988. The adjustment to the fiscal year 1989 base is $11,132,000. (p. GS-20)

1988?

Question: For what are the excess FERS costs being used in fiscal year

Answer: Based on revised guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has recalculated its FY 1988 FERS requirement and has estimated a surplus of $12,100,000. A careful study of all potential alternative uses of these funds has been conducted and has been sent to the Department for review. A decision has been made to go forward with a Departmental reprogramming letter for USGS pay and certain unbudgeted fixed costs in the following amounts:

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It is anticipated that a decision will be made shortly on the best use to be proposed for the balance of the FERS residual funding.

Question: When can we expect a reprogramming letter to cover this different use of funds?

Answer: A reprogramming letter detailing pay and fixed costs for all of the Interior bureaus is now being prepared by the Department to be sent to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. After additional decisions are made, a subsequent letter covering the reprogramming of all other residual FERS funding will be transmitted to the Committees.

PRIMARY MAPPING

Question: Where do you stand in the modernization of your mapping

program?

Answer: The USGS has purchased and installed the initial hardware and software systems needed to support the transition from current to future production process. Initial operating capability for Advanced Cartographic Systems (ACS) is planned for late FY 1991. Review of final systems design is underway. Engineering studies and systems integration studies are also in progress.

Question: How long will it be before the equipment and software are in place for your advanced cartographic systems?

Answer: The initial capital procurement program required to develop a fully operational Advanced Cartographic System is planned for completion by the end of FY 1993. Subsequently, the program will be sustained at a lower budget level for the purpose of system maintenance.

Question: How much as been spent so far on these systems?

Answer: Through the end of FY 1988, the USGS, through the Advanced Cartographic Systems subactivity, will have spent approximately $32.5 million for hardware and software procurement, software development, engineering studies, systems integration support, and systems maintenance.

Question:

How much is yet to be spent (FY 1989 and beyond)?

Answer: The USGS has requested an estimated $17.7 million in funding for FY 1989. For FY 1990 through FY 1993, the estimated funding requirement for Advanced Cartographic Systems is $161 million. Beyond FY 1993 when ACS is operational, an estimated $14.4 million will be required annually for hardware and software system update and maintenance.

Question: How much of your mapping data has been digitized?

Answer: Approximately 10% of the presently estimated size of the National Digital Cartographic Data Base (NDCDB) has been digitized. The NDCDB initially will contain 600,000 800,000 digital files collected from the USGS primary topographic maps at 1:24,000, 1:100,000 and 1:2,000,000scale, and land use/land cover maps principally at 1:250,000-scale.

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