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Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program (2018)

Chapter: Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Energy Resources Program
U.S. Geological Survey

National Academies Review–September 2017

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) conducts geological, geophysical and geochemical surveys and research on water, energy, and mineral resources to produce resource assessments vital to understanding the natural wealth of the Nation. These analyses inform decision makers about the Nation’s resource assets as well as those outside our borders that may impact our economy and security. Private industry and government alike utilize USGS data to make informed decisions about energy and mineral resource management.

The USGS Energy Resources Program (ERP) therefore provides impartial, scientifically robust Information to advance the understanding of geologically based energy resources, to contribute to plans for a secure energy future, and to facilitate the evaluation and responsible use of resources. As the sole provider of unbiased, publicly available estimates of geological energy resources for the United States (exclusive of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf), the ERP maintains core functions related to energy resource assessments, including the underlying geological, geophysical and geochemical research and mapping capability that underpins accurate assessment results while yielding valuable information on the impacts of energy development. As demand for energy resources continues to increase, understanding the Nation’s supply and recoverability of energy resources is important for sustaining a strong national economy.

The ERP provides the publicly available data and tools to inform energy policy discussions and to support science-based decisions that facilitate an all-of-the-above approach to energy development and responsible use of resources. Among the geologically based energy resources that the ERP studies are oil, natural gas, coal, gas hydrates, geothermal resources, carbon, uranium and wind (each is discussed separately in this document). ERP science informs decision making related to domestic and foreign energy resources as well as the management of energy resources on Federal lands.

The ERP carries out its mission by providing funding worth about $26 million annually to 19 energy-related projects housed in various USGS Science Centers across the U.S. Three Science Centers receive the majority of ERP funding; they include the Eastern Energy Science Center located in Reston, Virginia, the Central Energy Science Center located in Lakewood, Colorado (suburban Denver), and the Geology, Minerals, Energy and Geophysics Science Center in Menlo Park, California, which receives funding to carry out geothermal research.

The ERP participates in scientific collaboration with a number of external partners. For example, we work with Federal government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on the Federal Multiagency Collaboration on Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) Research. The ERP also partners with BLM on a variety of energy resource projects including our work on geothermal energy on Federal lands. We work with State geological surveys, industry, academia, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Energy Resources Program
U.S. Geological Survey

National Academies Review–September 2017

BUDGETARY OVERVIEW

The 2018 budget request for the Energy Resources Program (ERR) is $26,125,000 and 137 FTE, a program change of -$290,000 and -0 FTE from the 2017 Annualized Continuing Resolution (CR) level. The 2018 President’s budget focuses on the following:

  • Conducting assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable energy resources to understand the distribution, quantity, and quality of various types of domestic energy resources, such as oil, gas, coal, uranium, and geothermal
  • Initiating long-term production testing of gas hydrate potential on the Alaska North Slope
  • Conducting additional geologic mapping and interpretation of Arctic petroleum systems
  • Furthering our understanding of Enhanced Geothermal Systems and the potential impact they may have on the Nation’s energy supply

This funding level includes an internal transfer from the Land Resources Mission Area, Carbon Sequestration Program, of +$1,477,000 and +7 FTE. The transferred funds from the Land Resources Mission Area’s geologic carbon sequestration project would be used for ERP work on Coal and C02 Sequestration/Utilization.

The figure below illustrates Energy and Mineral Resources budget history from Fiscal Year 2001 to present (i.e., the Fiscal year 2018 Presidential Budget Request) as reflected in 2017 Consumer Price Index-adjusted dollars. While ERP has fared better than the Minerals Resources has during this time, it is worth noting that appropriated funding for ERP has still declined 21 percent since Fiscal year 2001.

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Energy Resources Program
U.S. Geological Survey

National Academies Review–September 2017

PROJECT OVERVIEW

ERP strategic actions planned through 2018 include the following:

  • Release assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in U.S. and non-U.S. basins. Continue the underlying geological, geophysical and geochemical research that underpins the assessments.
  • Expand unconventional oil and gas research efforts, begun in 2016, on the geologic causes of variability in the recovery of petroleum and water, and studies of baseline water quality.
  • Continue research into geothermal resources aimed at improving the viability of Enhanced Geothermal Systems and studying environmental impacts of geothermal energy development on Federal lands.
  • Support USGS gas hydrate studies with the USGS Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program, and contribute to DOE- and industry-sponsored cooperative gas hydrate projects, aiming for initiating a multi-year gas hydrate production test on the Alaska North Slope in 2018.
  • Continue efforts to assess domestic coal resources in the remaining basins of the United States that have yet to be evaluated.
  • Submit for external peer review the USGS-reviewed assessment methodology of the potential environmental impacts associated with uranium resource development. The assessment methodology, a collaborative effort between the Energy Resources Program and the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, will be reviewed by a panel of external technical experts.

Brief descriptions of each project focus area within the ERP are provided below along with funding levels in the Fiscal Year 2018 Presidential Budget Request plus the associated FTE of each project.

Alaska Petroleum Systems ($1.426 million and 6.2 FTE): The primary objectives of this project are to conduct research that increases our understanding of Alaska petroleum systems, to conduct assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources, and to deliver energy resource information to land and resource managers, policy makers and the public. This project collaborates with ERP’s NAGA of Oil and Gas Resources Project in the development, evaluation and refinement of assessment methodologies. In addition, the USGS (through ERP) has been tasked with leading a multi-agency effort with BLM and BOEM to complete a series of resource assessments on the North Slope of Alaska per a Secretarial Executive Order issued in July 2017. This new priority, consisting of assessments in areas on and adjacent to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, will require ERP to redirect assessment efforts within its overall assessment schedule (discussed further in this document under ‘National and Global Assessments of Oil and Gas Resources.’

Geoinformatics for Eastern Energy Resources Science Center (EERSC; $0.573 million and 3.4 FTE): The primary objectives of this project are to assist EERSC research scientists with the synthesis, modeling, distribution and preservation of data by providing computer science expertise and information technology infrastructure. While housed in EERSC, this group supports scientists throughout the ERP, who produce a wide variety of data that require close collaboration with computer science professionals in the application of information technology. The project meets the informational technology needs of

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Science Center staff while sharing lessons learned and finding areas where collaboration can meet the overall needs of ERP. This project yields value through its support with Web mapping, the National Coal Resources Data System (NCRDS) and ERP’s Produced Waters Database. The project works well with the CERSC Data Management Services Project to maintain the database website. As with many other projects in ERP, people resources will be a key to future success - we need to begin thinking about how succession planning will play out for this project in the future.

Wind Energy Impacts ($0.519 million and 3.0 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to develop a quantitative methodology for assessing the impacts associated with the widespread development of wind energy. The results are used to inform policymakers with respect to domestic and foreign energy resources and to manage energy resources on Federal lands. Consumers of the project’s products are land and resource management bureaus of DOI, Federal environment and national security agencies, state geological surveys, the energy industry and the environmental community. A CRADA was put in place with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the American Wind Energy Association to compile a wind turbine database for the U.S. In order for it to remain relevant it will need to be kept updated and served. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWL) also asked USGS to compile a pilot study on raptors and tree roosting bats, two groups of species that are of high concern to FWS Region 3; this study should be completed this October. The project’s web tool is a huge success and is one of ERP’s most popular sites. The minimal costs are worth the outreach visibility we get and ERP strongly supports this. However, this project is at a crossroads - we question what the next steps should be if it’s continued into the future.

Economics, Energy Resources, and Future Supply ($0.416 million and 2.0 FTE): The primary objectives of this project are to provide economic components to selected geologic assessments of energy resources. Economic analysis provides valuable insights that volumetric resource estimates alone cannot provide. This project is aligned with the USGS Energy and Minerals Science Strategy goals of providing inventories and assessments of energy resources and extending the components of economic and environmental analysis to broaden assessments of technically recoverable resources. While industry has their own methodology we still believe that economic analysis is valuable to other customers such as Congress and the Administration, hence our strong support for this project. This project plays a critical role in our Carbon Sequestration project but the ERP could benefit from more involvement of this project in our ongoing assessments and, by extension, the NAGA Oil and Gas Assessments and Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Projects. A major concern on this project, like many others in ERP, is succession planning as the current project chief will leave big shoes to fill when he retires.

State Co-Ops ($0.470 million and 0.6 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to initiate and fund cooperative agreements with State geological agencies. State agency geologists collect, evaluate, and correlate drill hole, mine and outcrop data that are stored in a USGS stratigraphic database (National Coal Resources Data System (NCRDS) and USTRATigraphy), which is used for coal resource assessments. Cooperators also collect samples for geochemical, petrographic, and other analyses, including coalbed methane (CBM), conventional and unconventional oil and gas and geothermal. The stratigraphic and analytical data submitted by States through the cooperative projects support numerous USGS and State coal resource and related energy investigations. While continued support for the States to help the NCRDS databases evolve to meet the future needs of energy assessment projects in other areas, the ERP has recently reduced the financial support to this project in light of recent budgetary pressure–we will continue to support activity in Alaska in the current Fiscal Year but all other support will be eliminated.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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We will revisit funding for this project in future Fiscal Years although there is no guarantee of continued support,

Investigations of Waters Injected or Produced for Energy Development ($1.273 million and 5.9 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to provide information on the volume, quality, impacts and possible uses of water produced during the generation and development of energy resources (particularly hydrocarbons) as well as related fluids injected into reservoirs for energy development and associated waste disposal. This information is shared with existing and future contacts at EPA, BOR, BLM, DOE, FWLS, state environmental agencies and energy producers for use in regulatory and policy decisions. Researchers on this project also collaborate with other USGS ERP-funded studies including the National Oil and Gas Assessment (NOGA) and the National Coal Resource Assessment (NCRA). Additionally, findings are coordinated with similarly aligned research being conducted by the National Research Program’s Unconventional Oil and Gas Waste Water Project and related work being carried out by other USGS science centers. The Project Chief of this project invests considerable time on nurturing relationships with Industry, which has led to our acquiring a rich sample dataset related to unconventional oil and gas production.

Geologic Carbon Sequestration ($ 1.430 million and 7 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to build on geologic models and regional assessment results developed during the recently completed national carbon sequestration assessment reports. The project conducts relevant research that focuses on improving the geologic and technical foundation and economic feasibility of CO2 storage in various geologic basins, rock types, and regions of the country. Environmental and geologic risks associated with CO2 sequestration are also investigated and include those associated with the geochemistry of produced groundwater and induced seismicity related to C02 injection and storage. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 that authorized the USGS to conduct a national assessment of geologic storage resources also requested the USGS to conduct an independent evaluation of national technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources resulting from CO2 injection and storage (through CO2 -enhanced oil recovery). This planned assessment builds upon previous technical/economic evaluations conducted by industry, government and academic organizations; however these assessments comprise the total technically recoverable hydrocarbon (oil) resources and do not include a minimum economic cutoff. The geologic portion of the prior Carbon project (i.e., nonBiological) was recently transferred into the ERP from the Land Resources Mission Area along with 7 associated FTE.

Geochemistry of Energy Fuels ($1.276 million and 6.9 FTE): The primary objectives of this project are to identify and quantify the relationships between geology and the composition of energy fuels; to use these relationships to enhance our understanding of energy resources and to improve energy resource assessments; and to predict the impacts of fuel use and the possible uses of combustion products generated. All results are provided to land managers and decision makers for use in policy decisions. This project cooperates with other USGS projects to help ensure that research is relevant to future resource assessments and available to other USGS projects, other Federal and State agencies, industry and the public. Research results from this project will greatly enhance our understanding of energy resources and will be used to improve energy resource assessments. A major piece of this project is a microbial task, which involves developing methods to enhance microbial gas generation. A patent in the works and the project is preparing a test site, working with EPA, BLM and Montana State University on permits. Additional support for this may be supplied by the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. Possible future project opportunities may include methanogenesis on higher rank coals as well as the use of coal byproducts (specifically fly ash).

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems ($2.037 million and 11.8 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to conduct geologic assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the U.S. Gulf Coast, particularly unconventional gas. This objective is aligned with ERP’s mission statement, which includes advancing the understanding of processes affecting the formulation, accumulation, occurrence and alteration of geologically based energy resources while also conducting scientifically robust assessments. This project is co-managed by Project Chiefs housed in EERSC and CERSC, which seems to be working well. However, the project is challenged with respect to people resources, having lost six people over the past two years. Those concerns are partially addressed by which basins that ERP deems a priority given the three-year rolling basin schedule in place for assessments and that this research feeds and underpins the assessments. This project frequently interacts with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and shares data that are beneficial to both agencies’ missions (for example, matching units across the State and Federal water boundary). Future guidance will be needed on the type of research and skill sets needed for this project in the future in order to complete our assessments, and longer term succession planning and potential sharing across projects may be necessary to ensure future project success.

Geophysical Analysis of Energy Resources ($0.319 million and 1.6 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to conduct advanced theoretical and applied research in reflection seismology with an emphasis on improving the delineation and characterization of both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources and making the results and any associated non-proprietary data available to the public. This project supports goals outlined in the National Energy Policy on increasing energy supplies while protecting the environment as well as increasing and diversifying the nation’s sources of traditional and alternative fuels. This project has been involved in the recent past with the State Department’s Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative (EGCI), which is a U.S. interagency effort to provide a wide range of technical and capacity building assistance to the host governments of select countries on the verge of becoming the world’s next generation of oil and gas producers. However, involvement in this initiative has now been passed to the NAGA Oil and Gas Resources Project. Options to grow this program could include expanding our data collection efforts to include data besides seismic (e.g., well log data, oil samples, etc.) so that we become the recognized repository of that data. However, this raises other issues - how would we handle the data, how much of it do we collect (i.e., where are the boundaries of what we seek) and do we pursue all of it or only selected bits? Doing so would also likely require legislative changes in order to progress; this is a longer term initiative.

New Petroleum Processes Research ($1.505 million and 7.1 FTE): The primary objectives of this project are to conduct and apply cutting-edge research to critical issues concerning the recognition and assessment of undiscovered petroleum resources with an emphasis on unconventional resources. A thorough understanding of processes that control petroleum generation, migration, entrapment and preservation in the Earth’s crust is critical to making accurate, scientifically sound assessments of the type quantity, quality and location of undiscovered petroleum resources on a national and global basis. Communication and cooperation with our assessments group is important in order to help underpin our assessments with the most rigorous science possible. A key issue for this project is available resources - a new research chemist joined the project in the past year but another has retired. Staffing needs to be evaluate - how should the project look in the future? What’s the plan for Raman Spectroscopy analyses given recent staffing changes? Who will do this work? These are all issues worth that will need to be addressed sooner or later.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Energy Geochemistry Laboratories ($1.783 million and 11.4 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to maintain a cost-effective, functional research laboratory that provides organic geochemical data and mineralogy with associated interpretations for domestic and global energy resource studies, petroleum systems, coal and environment studies of ERP and allied collaborators. A secondary objective is to provide organic geochemical data, expertise, training and analytical support to Federal and State agencies, universities, foreign governments and research organizations, and the public. Regarding the ongoing data manipulation incident that occurred in the now-closed Inorganic Section of the lab, ERP is in the process of planning and implementing a revised Quality Management System (QMS) in our laboratories, which we must complete by June 2018 per our commitment to the Inspector General. A QMS Manager, who reports to the ERP Program Coordinator, and two Quality Assurance Specialists housed in EERSC and CERSC, have either been hired or have been detailed to duty. Buy-in of our laboratory staff to the new QMS system will be critical - our staff now seem more committed to it, which is needed if QMS will be successful. Considerable time has been spent on implementation; we need to do everything we can to ensure this doesn’t happen again

Integrated Uranium Resources and Environmental Impacts ($0.478 million and 2.6 FTE); The primary objective of this project is to estimate the U.S. potential uranium resource endowment and environmental health sensitivity of mining these resources. Currently there is no sanctioned national estimate of reserves or undiscovered resources. Estimates from the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) completed in 1980, and updated until the mid-1990s, were withdrawn from national reporting because they were no longer supportable. This project will expand upon previous assessments by estimating not only uranium resources, but certain environmental health vulnerabilities associated with mining these resources. Experts from both the Energy and Mineral Resources and Environmental Health USGS Mission Areas will contribute to the assessments. However, the current project ends soon and the ERP needs to consider next steps. One idea to consider is the issue of nuclear reactor decommissioning - what geological studies could be performed in support of issues such as dealing with spent nuclear fuel storage and reactor parts from decommissioned reactors as well as legacy mines? This may be heavily dependent on the status of Yucca Mountain but the subject may be worth exploring more fully.

Gas Hydrates ($0.875 million and 3.6 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to understand the occurrences of and geological processes that control methane hydrate in the natural environment. This includes investigating topics such as identifying and quantifying gas hydrate from remote sensing techniques, determining its concentration into possibly extractable accumulations, studying how it changes the strength of sediments and generates overpressures, understanding processes of seafloor mobilization, and determining processes that sequester methane in the sediments and allow its transfer into the oceans and the atmosphere, possibly affecting global change. Collaborations with academia and industry further explore the role of bacteria in methanogenesis in sediments and the hazards posed by gas hydrate for the offshore drilling industry. This project is co-managed between CERSC and staff at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. The project is moving into different phases, including longer term production testing (i.e., 12-18 months), which is set for the Alaska North Slope. A strong international component is embedded in this project as evidenced by cooperation and joint work with the Indian government, with the Japanese (primarily around production work) and with South Korea.

National and Global Assessments of Oil and Gas Resources ($3.430 million, 15.9 FTE); Accurate oil and gas resource assessments underpin our understanding of U.S. and global energy supply and enable better policy decisions for future energy development. The primary objective of this project is to assess

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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potential volumes of undiscovered conventional and continuous oil and gas resources of the onshore and State waters portion of the United States (Federal waters are assessed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) and in priority basins of the world. Continuous resources have been the focus of resource exploitation in the U.S. for a decade or more, and these resources comprise the primary domestic assessment objective of this project. This project assesses priority U.S. continuous resource plays, including shale oil, shale gas, tight oil, tight gas, coalbed gas; conventional resources of the Arctic provinces; conventional oil and gas resources in priority provinces of the world; and priority continuous resources of the world. Assessments of the potential volumes of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources of the U.S, and world are performed using a consistent approach and quantitative methodology. These assessments are in turn used by policy makers, industry and other Federal agencies. As discussed previously, the ERP has been tasked to lead a multi-agency effort to complete a series of resource assessments on the North Slope of Alaska per a Secretarial Executive Order. This work, which will take multiple years to complete, will require ERP to redirect assessment efforts within its overall assessment schedule.

U.S. Coal Resources ($0.897 million and 4.5 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to improve the reliability and accuracy of the National coal reserve base estimates. To reach that goal, regional scale coal resource and reserve assessments of significant coal beds are being carried out in the remaining unassessed, major U.S. coal basins including the Colorado Plateau (CO, NM, UT, AZ, WY), the Appalachian Basin (PA, MD, OH, KY, WV, VA TN, AL), the Northern Great Plains (MT, ND), Illinois Basin (IL, IN, KY), and the Gulf Coast Basin (TX, LA, AR, MS, AL). Results from regional assessments of the significant coal beds in all remaining major U.S. coal basins will ultimately provide a more comprehensive, reliable national coal reserve base estimate. In addition to the need to more adequately determine the national coal reserve base, this project seeks to characterize coal quality parameters, especially those such as mercury, selenium, and others that are potentially hazardous above threshold amounts. A major concern of the ERP with this project Is that of staffing - while the team is doing great work they are nearing or past retirement age, and the project also relies on an Emeritus (Jim Luppens). Although the Emeritus member is active, the sustainability of people resources and succession planning are legitimate concerns that must be addressed. The project is also at a crossroads - most of the remaining basins will have soon been assessed and the issue of next steps needs to be addressed.

Data Management Services, Central Energy Resources Science Center (CERSC; $0.503 million and 3.4 FTE): Developing, preserving, and maintaining the data assets (both published and unpublished) of the CERSC and ERP and providing long-term stewardship to ensure future access are critical in meeting USGS science mission goals. Therefore, the objectives of this project are to provide support services and assistance to research projects; deploy tools, methods and best practices to help resolve science and Information management issues; and provide comprehensive management and web development expertise to improve access to the portfolio of the ERP’s data assets and research products. These efforts will also help CERSC and ERP meet federal Information mandates, align with the USGS strategic science goals for interoperability and interdisciplinary research, and more efficiently and effectively utilize public investment dollars to resolve resource-based societal issues. While housed in CERSC, this project provides support to the entirety of the ERP. A huge issue presently being managed by project staff Include ERP’s subscription to the IHS database - this Is a relatively large expense to the ERP and we therefore are investigating ways of ensuring fair, equitable pricing relative to the value and utility provided by the database.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Geothermal Resources ($1.550 million and 9.0 FTE): The primary objective of this project is to advance geothermal research through a better understanding of geothermal resources and the impacts of geothermal development. This is achieved by applying a wide range of research methods to characterize resource occurrences, monitor geothermal developments, and conduct resource assessments. The results of these assessment and research studies will provide State and Federal government policymakers with the information they need to estimate the potential contribution of geothermal energy to the nation’s energy mix. This project spans a wide range of research involving over 30 personnel from all Mission Areas, most of whom are only funded for a few pay periods. DOE provides support through two large initiatives, the Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) and Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), that touch on multiple tasks. The project is developing methods for evaluating conventional and unconventional (Enhanced Geothermal Systems; EGS) geothermal resources. EGS is a disruptive technology that could unlock larger potential in the future. The project is evaluating temporally and spatially induced seismology related to both EGS and conventional resources as well as their associated environmental and seismic effects. The project is also evaluating the impact to ground water, looking at "working fluids," and their components and effects (e.g., the draw-down of nearby water levels).

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Energy Resources Program
U.S. Geological Survey

National Academies Review - September 2017

ADDITIONAL PROJECTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

In addition to these project focus areas, the ERP contributes to the following, either through collaboration or through direct funding:

Science and Decisions Center (SDC; $0.977 million and 5.1 FTE): The SDC conducts research and applications to make scientific information more useful and useable for land and resource management decisions so that the societal and economic consequences of alternatives, including tradeoffs, can be assessed. SDC collaborates with other Federal agencies, universities, and nongovernmental organizations in its efforts to increase the use and value of scientific information in decision making. For example, the SDC’s Multi-Resource Analysis proof-of-concept studies to integrate energy, mineral, water, and biologic assessments have included participation by Sandia National Laboratory, the University of Mexico, and Brigham Young University - Idaho. Additionally, the SDC’s work on developing accounts for natural capital in the United States includes collaboration with scientists from Federal agencies such as the Department of the Interior (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of State, as well as other academic, non-profit and for-profit organizations, such as the University of Minnesota, the University of Hawaii, Australian National University, Statistics Canada, and Ernst and Young. The SDC’s work on innovation, citizen science, and crowd sourcing has included collaborations across the Federal government.

Unconventional Energy Resource Assessments: The USGS works with Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy and other agencies, on a scientific research collaboration project designed to better understand our Nation’s unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources and their impacts. Through the Federal Multiagency Collaboration on Unconventional Oil and Gas, the USGS provides research to understand the availability and recoverability of unconventional oil and gas resources across the Nation, and works with its Federal partners to leverage the scientific expertise of each agency toward the goal of a holistic understanding of UOG development so that decision makers will have thorough and accurate scientific data upon which to base their domestic energy policy decisions.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Energy Resources Program
U.S. Geological Survey

National Academies Review–September 2017

RELEVANT LINKS

GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

USGS Energy Resources Program home page:
https://energy.usss.gov

‘About’ the Energy Resources Program
https://energy.usgs.gov/Generallnfo/AbouttheEnerevProgram.aspx

ERP Newsletter:
https://energy.usgs.gov/Generallnfo/Newsletter.aspx

Eastern Energy Resources Science Center home page:
https://energy.usgs.gov/Generallnfo/ScienceCenters/Eastern.aspx

Central Energy Resources Science Center home page:
https://energy.usgs.gov/Generallnfo/SdenceCenters/Central.aspx

Energy data:
https://energy.usgs.gov/Generallnfo/HelpfuiResources/EnergvData.aspx

National Academies Study of the Energy Resources Program (1999):
https://www.nap.edu/catalog/6297/meeting-us-energy-resource-needs-the-energy-resources-program-of

Contact us:
https://energy.usgs.gov/Generallnfo/AbouttheEnergvProaram/tabid/560/Agg2433_SelectTab/2/Default.aspx#4544400-contact-us

PROJECTS

ERP National Oil and Gas Assessments home page:
https://energy.usgs.gov/OilGas/AssessmentsData/NationalOilGasAssessment.aspx

Regional Studies:

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×

ERP World Petroleum Assessment home page:
https://energv.usgs.gov/QilGas/AssessmentsData/WorldPetroleumAssessment.aspx

ERP Gas Hydrates home page:
https://energy.usgs.gov/QilGas/UnconvsntionalOiiGas/GasMvdrates.3SPX

ERP Geothermal home page:
https://energy.usgs.gov/OtherEnergy/Geothermal.aspx

ERP Uranium home page:
https://energy.usgs.gov/OtherEnergy/Uraniuin.aspx

ERP Wind Energy home page:
https://energy.usgs.gov/OtherEnergy/WindEnergy.aspx

Environmental Aspects of Energy Production and Use:

Energy Geochemistry Laboratories home page:
https://energy.usgs.gov/GeochemistryGeophvsics/GeochemistryLaboratories.aspx

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×

ERP PRODUCT EXAMPLES

Image
FIGURE B.1 ERP Product Example: first page of Fact Sheet 2017-3050 (Tennyson et al., 2017).
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Image
FIGURE B.2 ERP Product Example: USGS Input-Data Forms for the Assessment of the Spraberry Formation of the Midland Basin, Permian Basin Province, Texas, 2017 (Marra, 2017).
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 133
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 134
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 135
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 136
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 137
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 138
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 139
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 140
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 141
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Page 142
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 143
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 144
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 145
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 146
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
×
Page 147
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B Information Packet from the Energy Resources Program and ERP Product Examples." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25141.
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Page 148
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Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program Get This Book
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Reliable, affordable, and technically recoverable energy is central to the nation's economic and social vitality. The United States is both a major consumer of geologically based energy resources from around the world and - increasingly of late - a developer of its own energy resources. Understanding the national and global availability of those resources as well as the environmental impacts of their development is essential for strategic decision making related to the nation's energy mix. The U.S. Geological Survey Energy Resources Program is charged with providing unbiased and publicly available national- and regional-scale assessments of the location, quantity, and quality of geologically based energy resources and with undertaking research related to their development.

At the request of the Energy Resources Program (ERP), this publication considers the nation's geologically based energy resource challenges in the context of current national and international energy outlooks. Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey's Energy Resources Program examines how ERP activities and products address those challenges and align with the needs federal and nonfederal consumers of ERP products. This study contains recommendations to develop ERP products over the next 10-15 years that will most effectively inform both USGS energy research priorities and the energy needs and priorities of the U.S. government.

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