Politics & Government

Cartographers Chart New Space

The Menlo Park-based U.S. Geological Survey makes a move to appropriate tax dollars for science rather than rent.

will be clearing about 90,000 square feet of space on the Menlo Park campus in a move that could save taxpayers millions of dollars.

"Americans everywhere are seriously examining their budgets and expenses, making decisions about what they can do without in order to maintain the essentials during these tough financial times," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "The is going through the same process: by consolidating our facilities we can preserve more funds for our primary science mission," McNutt said.

staff will be moving the map sales office, located in building three, upstairs and reducing the amount of items that it has for sale.  The goal is to vacate that space by September 30, 2012.  The reason for this is that the office is participating in a national initiative to reduce redundancies and lower carbon footprints.

In June, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum directing government officials to find more efficient ways to manage federally-funded agencies and the real estate they occupy.

“For decades, the Federal Government, the largest property owner and energy user in the United States, has managed more real estate than necessary to effectively support its programs and missions,” reads the memo.  “Both taxpayer dollars and energy resources are being wasted to maintain these excess assets,” Obama writes.

By coalescing offices, the USGS will save about $3.5 million by the end of the 2017 fiscal year, according to . 

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“There is not a plan to reduce staff, and the USGS will continue to maintain all operations currently housed in Menlo Park,” she said, noting that the extra office space will be rented out.

The UGGS will be holding a $1 map sale to reduce the amount of maps it has in stock on August 25.  The USGS is located at 345 Middlefield Road.

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