California Public Resources Code Section 2205

The State Geologist may: (a) Make, facilitate, and encourage special studies of the mineral resources, mineral industries, and geology of the state. (b) 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. (c) Conduct, with governmental and nongovernmental entities, geological investigations, studies, and other activities for purposes, including, but not limited to, the timely identification, delineation, and assessment of geological hazards and their potential consequences. (d) 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, which may provide for cost-sharing or cooperative funding. (e) Maintain a laboratory to provide support to the division staff and to conduct such 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 division under this chapter. (f) Issue from time to time reports and maps concerning the geology of this state and the statistics and technology of the mineral industries of this state, including 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. (g) 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. (h) 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. (i) Enter into, as the need arises, agreements, including contracts, grant agreements, and cooperative agreements, with cities, cities and counties, counties, federal agencies, nongovernmental entities, and universities, that may provide funding for activities of the California Geological Survey and for the activities of the department that are directly related to the activities of the California Geological Survey. For purposes of this subdivision and subdivision (c), nongovernmental entities include, but are not limited to, private academic institutions and nonprofit organizations.