SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
Pikes Peak Regional Building, 2880 International Circle, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Thursday, May 3, 2012
9:00 a.m. Mountain Time

• Press Release - Experts Say Streamlining Government Bureaucracy in Federal Land Inventories Can Create Thousands of Jobs, Improve Public Lands Access (5/3/2012)

OVERSIGHT FIELD HEARING ON:

• "Federal Geospatial Spending, Duplication and Land Inventory Management"

AND LEGISLATIVE FIELD HEARING ON:

• H.R. 4233 (Lamborn), To establish the National Geospatial Technology Administration within the United States Geological Survey to enhance the use of geospatial data, products, technology, and services, to increase the economy and efficiency of Federal geospatial activities, and for other purposes. "Map It Once, Use It Many Times Act"
• H.R. 1620 (Kind), To improve Federal land management, resource conservation, environmental protection, and use of Federal real property, by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to develop a multipurpose cadastre of Federal real property and identifying inaccurate, duplicate, and out-of-date Federal land inventories, and for other purposes. "Federal Land Asset Inventory Reform Act of 2011"

OPENING STATEMENT:

The Honorable Doug Lamborn
Chairman

WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY:

Panel I

Anu Mittal (H.R. 1620)
Director, Natural Resources and Environment Division
U.S. Government Accountability Office

Brian R. Raber
Vice President
Merrick & Company
(Truth in Testimony Form)

John M. Palatiello
Executive Director
MAPPS
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Leonard Gilroy (H.R. 1620)
Director of Government Reform
Reason Foundation
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Brian Myers (H.R. 4233)
Licensed Land Surveyor
National Society of Professional Surveyors
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Dr. Steve Jennings (H.R. 1620 and H.R. 4233)
Assoc. Prof. & Acting Chair, Dept. of Geography and Enviro. Studies
University of Colorado
(Truth in Testimony Form)

BACKGROUND:

The hearing will focus on the federal government’s mapping and geospatial management programs. The Oversight portion of the hearing will focus on federal data reliability and management. Advances in mapping technology and demands for mapping products have created greater demand in the federal government for geospatial services. However, the coordination between agencies often fails to produce the best information for the best price. Frequently, multiple federal agencies will request mapping of the same area at the same time, wasting federal resources, and taxpayer dollars.