USGS Coalition Honors Representatives Dicks and Regula at Congressional Reception

Left to right: Craig Schiffries, Director for Geoscience Policy at the Geological Society of America; Lori Rowley, Chief of Staff for Congressman Ralph Regula; Congressman Norm Dicks of Washington; Mark Myers, Director of the US Geological Survey; and Robert Gropp, Director of Public Policy at the American Institute of Biological Sciences.

Representatives Norman Dicks (D-WA) and Ralph Regula (R-OH) were presented with the first USGS Coalition Leadership Award at a congressional reception on Monday, September 15, 2008. They were honored for their enduring support for the United States Geological Survey (USGS).  Representative Dicks is Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies and Representative Ralph Regula is former Chairman of the Subcommittee. IRIS is a member of the USGS Coalition, and has advised Representative Dicks over the past several years about benefits from funding to the USGS Hazards Program, including its operation of many stations of the Global Seismographic Network and archiving data from the Advanced National Seismic System.

The reception highlighted the research, information sharing, and services provided by the USGS and its partners, including IRIS and other members of the USGS Coalition. USGS scientists, IRIS staff, and other USGS collaborators were at the reception to discuss the vital work the USGS conducts in the biological, geographical, geological and hydrological sciences. The reception was held the Rayburn House Office Building.

The USGS Coalition is an alliance of 70 organizations united by a commitment to the continued vitality of the unique combination of biological, geological, hydrological and mapping programs of the USGS. The USGS provides independent, high-quality data, information, research support and assessments needed by federal, state, local and tribal policymakers, resource and emergency managers, engineers and planners, researchers and educators and the public. The Coalition supports increased federal investment in USGS programs that underpin responsible natural resource stewardship, improve resilience to natural and human-induced hazards, and contribute to the long-term health, security and prosperity of the nation.

Left to right: Pete Modoff, on the staff of Congressman Norm Dicks, with Ray Willemann, IRIS Director of Planning, during the USGS Coalition Reception.