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The article focuses on the goals of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in response to the challenges that the country faces that have major implications on the conduct and direction of natural science. The USGS proposes six integrated multiscale strategic directions that will help the U.S. address complex environmental problems. The difference of this effort from the previous ones is that the vision of integration across and among each of the science directions. The vision will be flourished by the USGS workforce of biologists, hydrologists, geologists and geographers. The six directions include understanding ecosystems and predicting changes, climate variability and change or energy and minerals for the country's future.

The article reports on the proposal of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to set up a permitting system and environmental regulations to help expand fish farming into offshore waters. NOAA also has suggested to require studies on how to make the farms more ecologically sustainable. It has been noted that a bill, containing similar provisions that was passed in 2005, had faced tough opposition on environmental issues in Congress. In addition, NOAA Fisheries Service Director William Hogarth says that this new proposal has included calls for monitoring of disease and fish escape and required an assessment of economic impact on fishing communities.