responsible for assisting the President to insure that the marine science 

 activities of the United States are conducted so as to accelerate development 

 of marine resources and to encourage private investment in the requisite 

 exploration, technological development, and economic utilization. 



Programs of the Department of the Interior 



The Department of the Interior, as the Government's primary agent for 

 natural resources, carries out those Federal programs specifically directed 

 at marine minerals development and management. To strengthen the 

 Department's capabilities to deal with emerging and critical issues in the 

 marine area, the Secretary of the Interior has named an Assistant Secretary 

 for Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Marine Resources and created an Office of 

 Marine Resources under the Assistant Secretary. During the last fiscal year. 

 Interior funded marine minerals programs amounting to $8 million which 

 were conducted by the Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, 

 Bureau of Mines, and Office of SaUne Water (table V-4) . 



Table V-4 — Department of the Interior Programs in Direct 

 Support of Marine Minerals Development 



[In millions of dollars] 



Activity and agency Estimated Estimated Estimated 



1969 1970 1971 



Geologic investigations: Geological Survey 



Mining research: Bureau of Mines 



Leasing and management: 



Bureau of Land Management 



Geological Survey 



Fresh water sources and marine relationships: 



Office of Saline Water ' 



Geological Survey 



Total 



1 Programs to develop and demonstrate desalting methods are not included. 



The Geological Survey's program of marine geology involves geological 

 and geophysical reconnaissance surveys and mapping of the U.S. continental 

 margins to: identify and appraise target areas for potential new mineral 

 resources ; evaluate geologic and engineering hazards relating to the seafloor ; 

 and investigate geologic processes in the marine environment. The Geo- 

 logical Survey began concerted offshore mapping in 1962 by sponsoring 

 a cooperative program with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on the 

 Atlantic continental margin ; this mapping effort has since been expanded to 

 the Gulf, Pacific, and Alaskan coasts and includes research contracts with 

 nine universities. Work is now proceeding on a time-phased program 

 for completing a comprehensive geological analysis of the Nation's con- 

 tinental margins at a scale of 1 : 250,000 with periodic compilation of data 

 from all available sources at 1 : 1 ,000,000 or smaller for planning purposes. 

 At present, less than 10 percent of the mapping effort has been completed. 



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