Please contact your Representative and urge them to sign on to the Jim Gibbons

Contact your Representative by fax or e-mail to support "Dear Colleague" letter

Please contact your Representative and urge them to sign on to the Jim Gibbons Minerals Education and Research ("MERIT") letter. The deadline for signatures is April 22. If you are unsure who your Representative is, please visit http://www.house.gov and enter your zip code -- it is most effective to e-mail a particular staffer or send a fax. Gibbons has invited his colleagues in the House of Representatives to sign this "Dear Colleague" letter.

The number of representatives who sign this letter depends heavily on the efforts of constituents to express their support for this effort. With the federal budget once again austere and competitive, it is of utmost importance to garner signatures for the letter this year.

Representatives or Senators send letters of support or request to Congressional leaders, asking them to take a specific course of action in support of an issue. Often the author(s) of the letter sends a "Dear Colleague letter / e-mail asking other members of Congress to "sign on" to a proposed letter before it is sent to the rest of Congress. The number of signatories indicates the level of importance of and support for a particular issue. Constituents must take the time to alert their representatives to these letters and indicate their support for the effort.

Your Representative's e-mail addresses and fax numbers are available on their website at www.house.gov – it is most effective to contact key staff

Tips for an effective e-mail or fax message:

- Be sure that the subject line in your e-mail is clear: Please sign the Gibbons "MERIT" Dear Colleague, or request Rep. [name] support funding for the MERIT program. Mention the key contact staff member near the top:

Cory Kennedy (cory.kennedy@mail.house.gov)

Legislative Director

Congressman Jim Gibbons (NV-02)

(202) 225-6155

- Be sure that you include your contact information at the top of the e-mail/letter; this must include your name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address. NOTE: many offices will discard correspondence that does not include contact information, or that comes from outside of their district.

- In the opening paragraph of your message, clearly state that you are writing to ask that your Representative sign the Gibbons MERIT Dear Colleague letter. Tell them that the letter requests that Congress provide the USGS with $5 million in FY 2006 funding for this new, but long-recommended program.

-Briefly explain why focused funding for applied research related to mineral resources is important to you and/or your institution (e.g., only source of funding for your area of research, helps support undergraduate/graduate student research experience, leads to innovation, relates to jobs and/or other challenges in your community or region etc).

(these suggestion modified from AGU site for support of NSF funding: http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis109/nsfdearcolletter_alert.html)

The following is the Dear Colleague letter requesting support (what we need to have our Representatives support):

April 20, 2005

Mineral resource education and research in the United States is collapsing!

Support Mineral Education and Research Initiative (MERIT)

Dear Colleague,

Mineral resource education and research in the United States is declining. This is happening in spite of the increasingly fundamental role mineral resources play in our economy. University positions in Economic Geology and Mining Engineering have steadily disappeared with requirements or transfer into other fields. As a result, expertise on mineral issues is limited throughout the entire industry. As the chart above illustrates, this trend will only continue unless Congress acts soon.

Please join me in sending a letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior Chairman Taylor and Ranking Member Dicks to ask for the creation of an external grants program in mineral resources and material flows called Mineral Education and Research Initiative (MERIT). MERIT would be a peer-reviewed external grants program through the USGS that would support applied research and education broadly related to mineral deposits. Such a program is critical for the survival and health of mineral resources activities in US institutions.

If you would like to sign onto the letter, or have questions, please contact Cory Kennedy at 5-6155 or cory.kennedy@mail.house.gov. The deadline for signatures is COB on April 22, 2005.

Sincerely,

Congressman Jim Gibbons (NV-02)

*Chart provided by Mark Barton, Director of the Center for Mineral Resources and Professor at University of Arizona, and John Dilles, Professor at Oregon State University.

The following is the letter that would be sent to appropriations by Representative Gibbons and others:

Honorable Charles Taylor The Honorable Norman D. Dicks

Chairman Ranking Member

Appropriations Subcommittee On Interior Appropriations Subcommittee On Interior

United States House of Representatives United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Taylor:

We are writing to ask for your support for the creation of an external grants program in mineral resources and material flows called the Mineral Education and Research Initiative (MERIT) in the FY 2006 Interior Appropriations bill. This program will be in the US Geological Survey (USGS) and is within their existing authority to offer external grants.

Each year nearly 25 tons of non-fuel mineral materials are mined for each person in the United States. According to the USGS in 2004, these commodities - ranging from metals to fertilizers to construction materials - directly contribute roughly $418 billion to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These resources are fundamental to sustaining a competitive and modern economy. The U.S. is the global leader in mineral consumption and must be able to produce or acquire minerals in a sustainable and responsible manner.

The USGS provides scientific information and research on minerals but is increasingly unable to address national needs due to budgetary constraints and a reduction in workforce during the last 15 years. The numbers of faculty, degrees granted, and research grants funded in mineral resource programs in U.S. universities have also declined, and unfortunately, this decline is anticipated to continue. Consequently, we believe there is a need for increased federal investment in sustained scientific expertise to expand this critical part of our economy.

MERIT would be a peer-reviewed external grants program through the USGS that would support applied research and education broadly related to mineral deposits. Such a program is critical for the survival and health of mineral resources activities in U.S. institutions.

This new program was recommended by the National Academies' National Research Council (NRC). The NRC has published three reports that highlight the need for federal funding of mineral-resource and related research. In 2004, the NRC recommended funding a program in Material Flows, the tracking of supplies, use, and paths of minerals within the global economy, which has tremendous implications for national security. A small investment into this important program will strengthen our nation's research capabilities by building external scientific expertise, and it will maintain strong educational and training programs so that we remain the world leaders in these fields.

Given the current constraints on funding of federal programs, and without a Budget Resolution, we understand the challenges you face during the FY 2006 appropriations process. However, we feel that funding for this important program is crucial for the strategic development of domestic sources of minerals. Thank you for your careful consideration of our request and for your continued leadership.

Sincerely,

Cory Kennedy

Legislative Director

Congressman Jim Gibbons (NV-02)

(202) 225-6155