(a) The State Geologist may do all of the following:

(1) Make, facilitate, and encourage special studies of the mineral resources, mineral industries, and geology of the state.

(2) Collect statistics concerning the occurrence and production of the economically important minerals and the methods pursued in making their valuable constituents available for commercial use.

(3) Conduct, with governmental and nongovernmental entities, geological investigations, studies, and other activities for purposes that include, but are not limited to, the timely identification, delineation, and assessment of geological hazards and their potential consequences.

(4) Identify and delineate deposits of mineral raw materials in order to prevent their loss to urban encroachment and to assist in their ultimate utilization; and enter into, as the need arises, cooperative agreements, for geological or mineral industry investigations, with cities, cities and counties, counties, federal agencies, and universities that may provide for cost sharing or cooperative funding.

(5) Maintain a laboratory to provide support to the survey staff and to conduct other investigations in the line of physical and chemical testing and analysis and mineral identification as may be required in the execution of the plans and operations of the survey under this chapter.

(6) Issue from time to time reports and maps concerning the geology of the state and the statistics and technology of the mineral industries of the state, including the results of investigations in mineral resources conservation practices; the use and recycling of scrap mineral products; the control, disposal, reclamation, and utilization of mining and mineral processing waste products; and the reclamation of mined lands.

(7) Conduct, with cities or counties, other state agencies, universities, federal agencies, or private industry, investigations in mining and metallurgy, including the use and recycling of scrap mineral products and land use practices as these apply to mineral resources conservation, and enter into, as the need arises, cooperative or contractual agreements for those investigations that may provide for cost sharing or cooperative funding.

(8) Conduct, with cities and counties, other state agencies, universities, federal agencies, or private industry, investigations in the study and development of methods for the control, disposal, reclamation, and utilization of mining and mineral processing waste products and the reclamation of mined lands, and enter into, as the need arises, cooperative or contractual agreements for those investigations that may provide for cost sharing or cooperative funding.

(9) Enter into, as the need arises, agreements, including, but not limited to, contracts, grant agreements, and cooperative agreements, with governmental and nongovernmental entities that may provide funding for activities of the survey and for the activities of the department that are directly related to the activities of the survey. Activities that may be funded include, but are not limited to, technical, analytic, and research services related to geologic hazards and resources that the survey may provide directly to those entities.

(b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Governmental entities” include, but are not limited to, cities, counties, special districts, school districts, state agencies, federal agencies, public hospitals, colleges, and universities.

(2) “Nongovernmental entities” include, but are not limited to, private academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private hospitals.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 521, Sec. 19. (SB 809) Effective January 1, 2018.)