The 102nd Congress recognized that the USGS and the State Geological Surveys needed a coordinated program to prioritize the geologic mapping requirements of the Nation, and to increase production of these geologic maps.
The National Geologic Mapping Act (Public Law 102-285) was signed into law
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in 1992 and created the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP).
The Act has been re-authorized three times since then, most recently by the 111th Congress in 2009 (Public Law 111-11, sec.
11001).
The Act recognizes that geologic maps are the primary database for virtually all applied and basic earth-science investigations.
To read copies of the original act and the two reauthorizations, visit:
http://ncgmp.usgs.gov/about/.