The Portland Cement Association and the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association are among 15 organizations behind the Mineral Science and Information Coalition (MSIC), formed to advocate for federal agency endeavors such as the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Resources Program – the top source of cement, sand and gravel, and crushed stone shipments.
Over the past decade federal programs in minerals science, research, information, data collection and analysis have been weakened owing to a 30 percent funding drop in constant dollar terms, noted Washington, D.C.-based MSIC. The Coalition is requesting Congress and Obama administration to increase investment in federal minerals research, information gathering, analysis, and forecasting to sustain economic prosperity and ensure national security.
“U.S. Geological Survey [data] are exceptionally important to a wide array of both producers and users,” stated American Geosciences Institute Executive Director and MSIC Chair Dr. P. Patrick Leahy. To maintain robust supply chains of critical mineral materials and make well-informed land-use decisions, he added, the U.S. government and industry must have accurate, timely information on mineral resources plus minerals and mineral materials’ domestic and global flow.
