Sponsors (2)
The bill sustains and expands federal earth- and coastal-mapping programs—boosting resource discovery and hazard planning benefits for researchers, utilities, and communities—while increasing federal spending and raising environmental, land-use, and data-privacy risks for local and private stakeholders.
Researchers, state agencies, and program partners keep funded mapping activities and coordination through 2031, ensuring continuity of federal earth-mapping efforts.
Researchers and geoscientists gain access to modern sensing and real-time data, improving subsurface mapping accuracy for critical minerals and geothermal resources.
Utilities, energy companies, and coastal communities benefit from integrating the 3D Hydrography Program into mapping data, which improves coastal and subsurface water mapping for resource assessment and hazard planning.
Rural and indigenous/tribal communities could face accelerated permitting and development pressures as improved mapping highlights critical-mineral and subsurface resources, increasing local land‑use and environmental risks.
Taxpayers may face higher federal spending and opportunity costs because the bill extends and broadens data collection and program activities.
Private companies and small businesses that contribute geochemical or commercial data may face increased risks to data privacy or loss of proprietary information as real-time and integrated datasets are expanded.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Broadens permitted mapping data and resource targets (including critical minerals, geothermal, natural hydrogen), adds 3D Hydrography Program data, and extends authorization through 2027–2031.
Official title: Amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to reauthorize the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 23, 2026 by Lisa Murkowski · Last progress June 23, 2026
Updates and extends the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative by broadening the kinds of subsurface mapping data the program may collect and use, explicitly adding modern sensing and data‑driven methods and naming critical minerals, geothermal, and natural hydrogen among targeted resource systems. It also adds the 3D Hydrography Program as an enumerated data source for integration and extends the program authorization period five years, from 2027 through 2031.