| Description |
The purpose of this report is to review the research needed to support the regulatory and managerial role of the agencies in the development of tar sands resources. The material reviewed in preparation for this report was assembled and presented at the Workshop on Research Needs for the Management of Tar Sands Development, which was held on April 14-15, 1983, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The workshop was organized by the Committee's Tar Sands Subcommittee to provide a forum for experts from academe, industry, state and federal agencies, as well as environmental, native, and user groups, to exchange views on the wide range of research issues central to the development of these resources. (See Appendixes A and B for the workshop agenda and list of participants.) Copies of the transcripts of the workshop presentations are available at cost from the Archivist of the National Academy of Sciences. The Committee on Onshore Energy Minerals Management Research was organized by the National Research Council in response to a request from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Conservation Division of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In early 1982, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) was formed largely from the Conservation Division. In late 1982, the responsibility for onshore minerals management was transferred to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) . These agencies have been responsible for managing and coordinating mineral activities on public lands. These responsibilities include resource evaluation, approval of mineral development plans and regulatory duties during mineral operations, and postoperational plans for reclamation and monitoring. The primary objectives of the regulatory program are resource conservation, protecting life and property, and minimizing the risks of environmental and ecological damage or degradation. The Committee, at the request of these agencies, has conducted a series of four workshops to elicit technical guidance on research needs in support of their regulatory responsibilities for onshore mineral activities involving oil shale, arctic oil and gas, uranium, and tar sands. Socioeconomic research lies beyond the purview of this Committee.It is expected that the information and analysis presented herein will make a contribution toward that research needed to manage these valuable public resources. |
