Department of the Interior 



The Department of the Interior contributes to the Federal Ocean 

 Program through activities that relate to determination and 

 development of the Nation's non-living and recreational resources. 

 In response to the challenge outlined by the President in his April 18, 

 1973 Energy Message to the Congress, emphasis is being placed on 

 those activities that will accelerate production of petroleum from 

 beneath the Federal Lands of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and 

 expedite delivery of foreign oil and gas to U.S. markets. The 

 Department continues to place high priorities on activities that will 

 assure adequate supplies of fresh water within the coastal zone, 

 protect gamefish and wildlife, and develop the esthetic and 

 recreation values of our natural environment in order that they may 

 be appreciated and enjoyed by both present and future generations. 

 Increasing attention is being devoted to interrelationships between 

 land and offshore development, to possible future recovery of sand 

 and gravel from the continental shelves to meet needs of heavily 

 populated areas, and to factors involved in mining manganese 

 nodules and other minerals from the seabed of the deep oceans. 



The Department's U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Land 

 Management have evaluation, regulatory, and advisory functions 

 that are fundamental to the success of Government efforts to meet 

 those aspects of the President's energy challenge that involve 

 offshore areas. These functions, and activities being undertaken to 

 fulfill them, are described in Chapter III of this report. 



In addition to its important role in the energy challenge, the U.S. 

 Geological Survey continues a wide variety of general-and special- 

 purpose investigations of geologic and hydrologic conditions, 

 resources, and hazards to obtain information that is needed for 

 planning and development in coastal and offshore areas. Many of 

 these investigations are undertaken in cooperation with other 

 Federal agencies, the States, various municipalities, and, in a few 

 cases, foreign governments. They include maintenance of a stream 

 gauge network that now provides an inventory of nearly all surface- 

 water runoff from land to the Nation's coastal waters. The Survey 

 has regulatory responsibility for technical supervision of mineral as 

 well as oil and gas development and extraction on the OCS to ensure 

 that mineral resources of government-owned lands will be 

 developed in an orderly and safe manner, that maximum recovery 

 will be achieved, and that the government will be fully compensated 

 for resources removed from on or beneath its offshore lands. 



Although most effort is now being devoted to Outer Continental 

 Shelf leasing and associated functions, the Bureau of Land 

 Management remains a focal point for development of Departmental 

 and Federal policies that may be applied to future development of 

 mineral resources on the outer shelves. 



The Office of Water Resources Research currently supports 



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