FY 2012 Request for U.S. Geological Survey

In a statement introducing President Obama’s FY 2012 budget request to Congress for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Director Marcia McNutt said: “The USGS supports Secretary Salazar’s and the Administration’s strong commitment to use science as the cornerstone of natural resource management by providing timely, unbiased research related to our nation’s most important natural resources. By providing funds for the sustained operation of Earth-observing satellites and for scientific research to enable understanding of complex ecosystems, the USGS budget will help our nation meet its energy needs, protect its land, water and wildlife, and make wise decisions about natural resources.”

The budget request for USGS represents an increase of 0.6 percent or $6.1 million from the FY 2010 enacted level, from $1,111.7 million to $1,117.8 million.

Note that overall numbers do not include amounts received from Permanents and Trust Funds. More detailed budget information may be found here .

USGS is currently in the process of realigning its management structure in order to, according to the budget justification document , “strengthen the USGS’s role as the premier science agency that equips the Nation with information needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century.” Part of this realignment includes restructuring USGS’s budget requests to fit programs more effectively into the new management structure. To avoid confusion, FYI will present budgetary information based on both the old and the new structures.

Under the old budget structure, USGS’s requests were broken into eight accounts:

Geographic Research, Investigations, and Remote Sensing:

Up 3 percent or $5.0 million from $145.6 million to $150.6 million.

Geologic Hazards, Resources, and Processes:

Down 7 percent or $18.3 million from $249.1 million to $230.8 million.

Water Resources Investigations:

Down 11 percent or $24.4 million from $232.3 million to $207.9 million.

Biological Research:

Down 5 percent or $9.3 million from $204.9 million to $195.6 million.

Enterprise Information:

Down 20 percent or $9 million from $46.0 million to $36.9 million.

Global Change:

Up 16 percent or $9.5 million from $58.2 million to $67.7 million.

Science Support:

Up 15 percent or $10.4 million from $69.2 million to $79.6 million.

Facilities:

Down 5 percent or $5.6 million from $106.4 million to $100.8 million.

USGS also proposes a new, ninth account for National Land Imaging, which according to its budget overview, “will allow independent tracking of expenditures for this program that provides for the operation, maintenance, and development of a continuous program of Landsat satellites that will ensure continuity of global land cover data.” Under the old budget alignment, this new account is requested to be funded at $48 million.

Under the new budget alignment, USGS’s account requests are broken down in the following way:

Ecosystems:

Up 1 percent or $0.8 million from $165.6 million to $166.4 million.

Climate and Land Use Change:

Down 23 percent or $31.6 million from $138.0 million to $106.4 million.

Energy, Minerals, and Environmental Health:

Down 13 percent or $13.0 million from $101.5 million to $88.5 million.

Natural Hazards:

Down 4 percent or $5.1 million from $139.0 million to $133.9 million.

Water Resources:

Down 10 percent or $21.6 million from $221.2 million to $199.6 million.

Core Science Systems:

Down 15 percent or $19 million from $124.9 million to $105.9 million.

Administration and Enterprise Information:

Up 1 percent or $1.4 million from $115.2 million to $116.6 million.

Facilities:

Down 5 percent or $5.6 million from $106.4 million to $100.8 million.

National Land Imaging:

A new account funded at $99.8 million.