Press Releases

Johnson seeks geologic survey move
Sabrina Henderson - Golden News
12/18/03

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State Rep. Ramey Johnson, R-Lakewood, is planning to introduce a bill that would move the Colorado Geologic Survey to the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden.

Johnson said she believes the offices, which are currently located at the Department of Natural Resources in Denver, would better serve cities and counties if it were housed at the school.

She plans to introduce the bill when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.

“It would help stabilize CGS’s funding, give the Survey more independence and enable it to work more efficiently with the National Geologic Survey, which is already located at Mines,” she said.

Much of the Survey’s current $4.5 million budget is tied to the state’s oil and gas severance tax, which fluctuates from year to year. It does not receive any money from the state’s general fund. Johnson said her proposal to associate the Survey with an academic institution would make it eligible for more grant money, decreasing its reliance on the severance tax.

“Since the severance tax is so volatile, funding can be unpredictable,” Johnson said. “By increasing the amount of grant money, this will help cushion CGS against potential severance tax shortfalls.”

Johnson acknowledges that some in Gov. Bill Owens’ office and the Department of Natural Resources are concerned with the bill’s language requires the state geologist at the Survey to report to Mines President John Trefny, rather than the governor’s office.

Johnson said she is willing to consider changing the reporting structure if necessary to make the proposal fly. She has been in contact with state geologists in five other states who report to an academic structure, and she said they all believe it makes them more innovative, entrepreneurial and closer to the communities they work within. But she said Wyoming’s state geologist reports to the governor from an academic institution, so she said it is possible for it to be structured that way.

Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Greg Walcher said the proposal is more complicated than it sounds.

“What the Survey does is very important to the state government for regulators, where Mines is academic research,” Walcher said. “The whole question for us is whether or not those functions can still be carried out by the Colorado School of Mines. I’m not saying they can’t, but there are a series of questions that need to be asked.”

Johnson stressed that unlike other divisions within Department of Natural Resources, the Survey is not regulatory in nature. Moving it to Mines would make that distinction clearer and better enable it to provide unbiased, balanced, scientifically correct geologic information, which cities and counties utilize in preparing land use analyses, she said.

The Colorado Geologic Survey is responsible for mapping geologic properties within the state, including underground water supplies, landslide and mineral deposits, to name a few. The Survey has mapped about 20 to 25 percent of the state to date, and Johnson said they have a lot of work remaining. She said she is not being critical of the work currently performed by the Survey’s 37 employees, but wants to help it improve.

“They do a good job now,” she said. “I merely want to make it possible for them to do an excellent job.”

Johnson said that she thought of Mines and contacted Trefny because the U.S. Geologic Survey already has its national earthquake center at the school.

“There is an unbelievable amount of brain power at the Mines campus, and the synergy we can create is incredible,” Johnson said. “It’s a win-win situation.”

She envisions students being able to intern under professionals on real-life projects, and faculty helping to work on the Survey’s research.

She said the school would not benefit financially, but would be compensated 8.5 percent for administrative overhead. She said she thinks that’s less than the Department of Natural Resources receives now.

Mines’ Vice President of Finance and Operations Robert Moore said the current severance tax funding would “come with the Survey,” if it were moved to Mines. He said the school would help the Survey increase its grant funding. He said the school’s not in it for the money, but wants to do the right thing for the state.

“We want to be a good citizen here. If the decision-makers believe it would better serve the state, we would be happy to do that and try to make it work,” he said. “It’s not something we proposed. We would try to make it good for the Survey, and the school as well, ... so there’s a mutual benefit.”

Walcher echoed Moore’s cooperative attitude.

“The bottom line for us is ... if it makes more sense for it to be based at CSM, then we’ll work it out to do that,” Walcher said. “The school is a first class university, and we’re willing to support this if the legal questions can be resolved.”

Johnson and Moore said the school is primarily looking at the former Jeffco Hall of Justice county building on its campus to house the Survey if it’s relocated.

After working on the proposal since last February, Johnson said she’s raring to go.

“I don’t know what moving expenses would be involved, but I have said publicly, I would be willing to drive the moving van myself,” she said.