43 U.S.C. § 31e

1. (a)The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall, with the advice and review of the advisory committee, prepare a 5-year plan for the geologic mapping program.
2. (b)The 5-year plan shall identify—
   1. (1)overall priorities for the geologic mapping program; and
   2. (2)implementation of the overall management structure and operation of the geologic mapping program, including—
      1. (A)the role of the Survey in the capacity of overall management lead, including the responsibility for developing the national geologic mapping program that meets Federal needs while fostering State needs;
      2. (B)the responsibilities of the State geological surveys, with emphasis on mechanisms that incorporate the needs, missions, capabilities, and requirements of the State geological surveys, into the nationwide geologic mapping program;
      3. (C)mechanisms for identifying short- and long-term priorities for each component of the geologic mapping program, including—
         1. (i)for the Federal component, a priority-setting mechanism that responds to—
            1. (I)Federal mission requirements for geologic map information;
            2. (II)critical scientific problems that require geologic maps for their resolution; and
            3. (III)shared Federal and State needs for geologic maps, in which joint Federal-State geologic mapping projects are in the national interest;
         2. (ii)for the State component, a priority-setting mechanism that responds to—
            1. (I)specific intrastate needs for geologic map information; and
            2. (II)interstate needs shared by adjacent States that have common requirements; and
         3. (iii)for the education component, a priority-setting mechanism that responds to requirements for geologic map information that are dictated by Federal and State mission requirements;
      4. (D)a mechanism for adopting scientific and technical mapping standards for preparing and publishing general- and special-purpose geologic maps to—
         1. (i)ensure uniformity of cartographic and scientific conventions; and
         2. (ii)provide a basis for assessing the comparability and quality of map products; and
      5. (E)a mechanism for monitoring the inventory of published and current mapping investigations nationwide to facilitate planning and information exchange and to avoid redundancy.