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GeoWorld July 2012

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Corps of Engineers Gets New Top General The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the military branch whose mission is intertwined heavily with geospatial and mapping activities, has a new commanding general. In a ceremony on May 22, 2012, at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C., Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick assumed the duties of USACE's commanding general and the Army's chief of engineers. Bostick serves as USACE's 53rd com- manding general. Bostick, who replaces the retiring Lt. Gen. Robert L. Van Antwerp Jr. (head of USACE since 2007), is a 1978 gradu- ate of West Point. He holds a master's degree in civil and mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and he's also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. "I absolutely believe Lt. Gen. Bostick is the right person to lead the Army Corps of Engineers," said Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, who hosted the assumption- of-command ceremony. "He is one of the smartest, most- gifted general officers of our time, with the ability to do well and thrive in any environment." In serving as the senior military officer for USACE, Bostick will oversee most of the nation's civil-works infra- structure and military construction, while holding respon- sibility for more than 37,000 civilian employees and 600 military personnel. USACE workers provide project man- agement and construction support to 250 Army and Air Force installations in more than 100 countries. USACE's mission covers hundreds of environmental- protection projects, a regulatory-permit program for thou- sands of acres of wetlands and an emergency-response In May 2012, Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick assumed command of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, becoming the Army's top topographer. role to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As the chief of engineers, Bostick will advise the Army on engineering matters and serve as the Army's head topographer as well as a proponent for real-estate and related engineering programs. "Now, more than ever, the nation needs a lean, agile, strong, capable, competent and trusted Corps of Engineers—one that serves the Army and nation, and one that truly teams with our military; federal, state and local governments; host-nation governments; and tribal, aca- demia, industry and nongovernment partners to solve the engineering and scientific challenges facing the joint force, the nation and the global community," noted Bostick. New Approach Helps ID Source of Seeping Oil Two sources typically are to blame for mystery oil seepages in the waters off Southern California: 1) offshore oil-and-gas production or 2) natural oil seep- age. A new approach—resulting from a collaboration involving the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), aca- demia and industry—should help resource managers do a better job of determining the sources of seeping sea oil and ultimately map those seepages in the context of other resources. The method is detailed in a report, "Biomarker Chemistry and Flux Quantification Methods for Natural Petroleum Seeps and Produced Oils, Offshore Southern California," available online through the USGS Web site (www.usgs.gov). The report covers a joint USGS and BOEM 10-year series of studies of natural oil seeps mainly from the Santa Barbara Channel west of Los Angeles. "This collaboration is such a terrific example of how collaboration between a science agency and a resource-management agency can yield results that further the missions of both," said Marcia McNutt, USGS director. "We can now reliably quan- tify the natural background rate of oil seepage into the California marine environment and the addi- tional contribution from chronic or acute releases into the ocean as a result of oil-production activities." JUL Y 2O12 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . COM 9 U.S. ARMY

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