remarks by the Science Advisor to Secretary Babbitt Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 09:18:56 -0400 To: "A - Division Chief and Staff", "B - Branch Chiefs and Offices", "DC - All District Chiefs" From: "Robert M. Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist, USGS" Subject: remarks by the Science Advisor to Secretary Babbitt Cc: "Katherine F Lins, Regional Director, Eastern Region, Reston, VA" , "Douglas R Posson Denver, CO" , "Thomas J Casadevall Menlo Park, CA" , "Donovan B Kelly Reston, VA" , "Gail A Wendt, Chief, Info Delivery Services, Reston, VA" Secretary Babbitt has a new Science Advisor (he has had two others in the past but each for short periods of time). His name is Bill Brown. He has a Ph.D. in wildlife biology. We have given him two briefings in recent weeks: a Division overview from me and a detailed briefing from Tim Miller on NAWQA. After these briefings he made his first significant public statements about science in the Department, in a speech to a group from the National Association of Counties. I have provided, below, two excerpts from this speech that I think give a good insight into Bill's thinking and some views that represent the perspectives of the top level of Departmental leadership. I think you will find it interesting. ************************************************************************* Science at the Interior Department Remarks of William Y. Brown Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Interior Western Interstate Region Conference National Association of Counties May 21, 1997 [after an introduction he gave a brief discussion of the issues facing each bureau in the department - his discussion of the USGS is about 3 times longer than any of the others] USGS: The US Geological Survey is the science agency of the Department, and I'll dwell on it a little more than the others. USGS was established in 1879, and carries with that age a tradition of independence and objectivity that few other government agencies would try to match. Historically, USGS defined itself by geology, water and mapping. Two years ago [sic] biology was added to the matrix, formed first as the National Biological Survey from the research groups of the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, and then placed in USGS by Congress. I suppose that many of you followed that saga. Now it is the job of the Department to make that arrangement work -- to have USGS serve a good portion of the science needs of other bureaus of the Department, promote objectivity by virtue of being a step removed from them, and still be responsive. We also need to make sure that the four divisions of USGS find synergy with each other. You should note that USGS has direct missions in addition to serving other bureaus. Its hazards program illustrates the former: volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, and floods. Understanding when and where these will occur, and receiving warning when they do, is a need reaching directly to many institutions, with counties high on the list. Consider also the National Water Quality Assessment Program or NAWQA. It was started six years ago and is undertaking water quality monitoring in 59 watersheds selected to cover 60 to 70 percent of the population and 60 to 70 percent of water use by it. The program is designed to roll by thirds. The first third results are now about ready, and include evaluations of VOCs and pesticides to parts-per-billion in addition to traditional, basic measures of water quality. NAWQA, at $63 million a year, is THE systematic national water quality assessment program. And it's done by USGS. [edited out some discussion of the stress of budget pressures on DOI over the last few years] Interior Department bureaus need and conduct all kinds of work that most people would call science. We are working to make the most of USGS as the central internal Department source for the longer-term, more basic science. However we also need to continue science in all the other bureaus, and afford that science its own priority and respect. Some science needs are peculiar to a bureau, for example the Bureau of Reclamation's interest in energy-efficiency in dam construction. Some requests will be answered more efficiently and quickly by third-parties. Some information sources outside of USGS or outside the Department will be less expensive. Sometimes the most capable source will not be in USGS or the Department. My point is that everybody who cares about what the Interior Department does and how it gets information should avoid compulsiveness about who does science or does not. It's a big tent and diversity enhances quality and efficiency, so long as people talk and find ways to work together with mutual advantage. I can play a role in this because my office has no special turf. Making partnerships that give advantage is the role of synergist. There are partnerships outside the Department that need tending too. The usual suspects are other federal, state and local agencies. The Department's relationships with these agencies shake and twist perpetually, but they persist. In the case of the private sector, for the most part there are no relationships to disturb. We need to change that. Business needs oversight but it is also the engine of our economy. I've spent a fair part of my life in the private sector, have some dim understanding of it, and plan to engage it in the job I now have. *************************************************************** * Robert M. Hirsch rhirsch@usgs.gov * * 409 National Center 703-648-5215 * * U.S. Geological Survey fax 703-648-5002 * * Reston, VA 20192 * ***************************************************************