Interior Programs for Assessing Mineral Resources on Federal Lands Need Improvements and Acceleration

Information about reserves of mineral deposits is essential for developing government policies on resources and land use. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the main government information source on domestic mineral resources. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service, the two largest federal land managing agencies, expect to spend about $200 million preparing their land use plans through fiscal year 1986.