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THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                       (Raleigh, North Carolina)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                      July 30, 1998

              PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES CHARLES G. GROAT AS 
            DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
                   AT THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

The President today announced his intent to nominate Charles G. Groat to serve as Director of the United States Geological Survey at the Department of the Interior.

Dr. Charles G. Groat, of El Paso, Texas, has more than 25 years of experience in the geological field. Dr. Groat is currently Associate Vice President for Research and Sponsored Projects at the University of Texas at El Paso. Since 1995, he has been Professor of Geological Sciences, Director of the Center for Environmental Resource Management, and Director of the Environmental Science and Engineering Ph.D. Program at the University of Texas at El Paso. From 1991 to 1995, Dr. Groat was Executive Director of the Center for Coastal, Energy, and Environmental Resources at the Louisiana State University. Immediately prior, Dr. Groat served as Executive Director of the American Geological Institute. From 1978 to 1990, Dr. Groat served as a Professor at the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Louisiana State University and Director and State Geologist of the Louisiana Geological Survey at the Department of Natural Resources and Louisiana State University. From 1983 to 1988, he also served as Assistant to the Secretary at the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. Dr. Groat is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of America. He is also a member of the National Research Council Board on Earth Science and Resources and the Joint U.S.-Mexico Advisory Committee on Air Quality Improvement.

Dr. Groat received his A.B. in geology at the University of Rochester, an M.S. in geology from the University of Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Texas at Austin.

The Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) at the Department of the Interior is responsible for all activities of the USGS including field offices located throughout the United States. The USGS encompasses the disciplines of biology, geology, hydrology and mapping and is the nation's primary source of information on geologic hazards, energy and mineral resources, geologic framework, and coastal and marine processes. In addition, USGS coordinates closely with Federal, State and local agencies as well as other public and private sector entities to ensure all information needs are met.

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