Minerals Management at the Department of the Interior Needs Coordination and Organization
EMD-81-53
Published: Jun 05, 1981. Publicly Released: Jun 05, 1981.
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Highlights
Growing national awareness of the strategic importance and uncertain sources of some minerals is leading to development of a strategic minerals policy. In 1980, Congress enacted the National Materials and Minerals Policy Research and Development Act. The Act establishes the Executive Office of the President as the focus of policymaking in this area. Any national policy for assuring availability of such strategic minerals as cobalt, tin, chromium, and platinum must be formulated in light of the potential of federally controlled resources and the ramifications of Federal land use decisions for domestic supply of these commodities.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should develop a minerals management program plan which outlines and discusses in detail the objectives and goals of the Department of the Interior with respect to the key questions of Federal mineral resource management. The Secretary should examine how such an explicit statement of objectives could be used to evaluate and provide consistency to the Department's mineral-related budget submissions, program proposals, and administrative actions. The plan should include specific national objectives for the Department's mineral resource programs, explain criteria for establishing priorities for mineral exploration and development, examine constraints to long-term mineral management goals and alternatives for coping with them, and devise strategies for anticipating and contributing to national industrial and strategic requirements. Such a plan, developed from national objectives would, for the first time, provide criteria and standards of accountability for the Secretary and Congress to measure the performance of the Government's resource managers. |
Based on discussions with Interior officials, it is clear that no action is intended.
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Topics
Economic analysisEnvironmental monitoringLand managementMineral resourcesMineral rightsPlanningProgram managementProperty and supply managementLand usePublic lands