[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 29, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL GEOLOGIC MAPPING REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 
                                  2008

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 29, 2008

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, today I am proud to be joined by the 
Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, Mr. Rahall of West 
Virginia, in introducing the National Geologic Mapping Reauthorization 
Act of 2008, which would reauthorize the National Cooperative Geologic 
Mapping Program, a critically important initiative that was created by 
the Geologic Mapping Act of 1992, originally sponsored by Chairman 
Rahall.
  The importance of geologic maps to our society is not very well known 
by the general public, but it is hard to overstate. Geologic maps help 
us build highways, safeguard drinking water, prepare for disasters, 
protect wildlife, discover precious minerals, locate the fuels that 
power our society, and much more.
  Geologic maps are particularly essential for my own home State. 
Californians face more geologic hazards than almost anyone else in the 
country. Over 25 million people live in the State's tectonically active 
regions near the coast, where earthquakes are only one of a multitude 
of geologic threats. Landslides, floods, hazardous minerals, and 
tsunamis are some of the other dangers that come with living in one of 
the most seismically active and geologically diverse states in the 
nation.
  The STATEMAP component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping 
Program has provided over $2.5 million to California, matched by over 
$2.6 million from the State, to create highly precise geologic maps 
that are being used by the California Geological Survey's Seismic 
Hazard Mapping Program to identify areas that are most prone to 
liquefaction or landslides during earthquakes. This information allows 
communities to require stronger building codes in areas that are more 
susceptible to these hazards, or to avoid them altogether.
  In addition, the maps created through STATEMAP provide information 
about the location of California's abundant supply of oil, natural gas, 
and valuable minerals, and have also been used to support water 
management decision-making around Lake Tahoe.
  California is, of course, not the only State that benefits from the 
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. Since the program's 
inception, 49 States, plus Puerto Rico, have matched nearly $70 million 
in STATEMAP funds to help produce over 7,500 new geologic maps. Despite 
this effort, only about 25 percent of the Nation has been mapped at a 
precision that provides the maximum benefits. And only 2 percent of 
California has been mapped under the STATEMAP program.
  There are two additional components to the National Cooperative 
Geologic Mapping Program: the FEDMAP component, which is run by the 
United States Geological Survey and carries out geologic mapping 
according to priorities developed by a Federal advisory committee, and 
the EDMAP component, which has provided millions of dollars to help 
train over 600 students at 131 universities across the Nation. 
According to the Department of the Interior, the vast majority of those 
students receiving EDMAP grants continued in the geosciences, 
indicating that this program is truly helping to train the next 
generation of geologists.
  A reauthorization of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping 
Program is necessary in order to continue to move the goals of the 
program forward, to build on the momentum of the previous 16 years, and 
to provide comprehensive geologic mapping of the entire country. The 
program has been reauthorized with broad bipartisan support in 1997 and 
1999, and a similar bill introduced in the 109th Congress received the 
endorsement of the administration and passed the House on a voice vote. 
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and 
moving forward quickly toward reauthorizing this essential program.

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