Pending Legislation

H.R. 900, Sinkhole Mapping Act of 2025
S. 4023, America’s Living Library Act of 2026
S. 4846, TAAP Act
S. 4870, Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026

Testimony of Sarah Ryker
Associate Director for Geology, Energy and Minerals 
United States Geological Survey
Department of the Interior

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
Legislative Hearing on

H.R. 900, Sinkhole Mapping Act of 2025
S. 4023, America’s Living Library Act of 2026
S. 4846, TAAP Act
S. 4870, Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026

September 16, 2026

Thank you, Senator Lee and Senator Heinrich, and members of the committee. I am Dr. Sarah Ryker and I am the Associate Director for the Geology, Energy, and Minerals Mission Area at the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It is a pleasure to be with you today to discuss various pieces of legislation impacting the Department of the Interior (Department) and the USGS.

H.R. 900, Sinkhole Mapping Act of 2025

H.R. 900 directs the USGS to establish a program to study the short- and long-term mechanisms that cause sinkholes and develop maps that depict zones that are at greater risk of sinkhole formation. The bill further requires USGS to establish and maintain a public website displaying the maps developed under the program and to assess the maps and revise as needed at least once every five years, or more often if needed.

The USGS recognizes the Sponsor’s interest in evaluating and mapping sinkhole risk, but cannot support H.R. 900, as it would require an expanded and sustained effort using resources that are already committed to other priorities, such as post-wildfire debris flow hazard assessments, flood and drought monitoring networks, and critical mineral mapping. Sinkholes are highly localized geologic processes that are dependent on local geology, and state geological surveys already provide local expertise in states.

S. 4023, the America’s Living Library Act of 2026

S. 4023 would create a 10-year pilot program led by the USGS to collect, preserve, and sequence the genomes of plants, animals, fungi, and microbes found in units of the National Park System. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to select five National Park System units for the initial operation of the program, which is to be expanded to 20 additional units within two years of enactment. S. 4023 also requires the Secretary to consult with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director or the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution on the management and long-term storage of samples collected under the program, subject to requirements specified by the bill. The bill would authorize approximately $300 million over five years for implementation of the program, including $177 million for USGS activities associated with program oversight, genomic sampling, and sequencing, while also establishing new responsibilities for genomic data management and long-term biological sample storage.

The Department cannot support S. 4023, as it would establish a new, significant biological research and data infrastructure mission within the USGS while the bureau is focused on core mission requirements.

S. 4846, Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) Act

S. 4846 would reauthorize the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) through 2036 and expand the program to include additional priority aquifers underlying Arizona, as evaluated and designated by the Secretary. The bill further authorizes $50 million in appropriations for fiscal years 2026 through 2036 for the program.

Authorized by Congress in 2006, TAAP is a binational agreement between the United States and Mexico under which the two countries jointly study shared aquifers to improve the understanding of critical groundwater resources. Ongoing projects under TAAP represent a collaboration among the USGS; water resources institutes in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas; universities; and agencies and entities in Mexico, such as the Comisión Nacional del Agua and Universidad de Sonora. Priority transboundary aquifers currently identified under TAAP include the Hueco Bolson and Mesilla Basin in Texas and New Mexico, and the Santa Cruz and San Pedro aquifers in Arizona.

The Department does not support reauthorization of TAAP as the USGS is focusing its efforts on higher priority operational responsibilities.

S. 4870, Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026

S. 4870 would reauthorize the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s Earth Mapping Resource Initiative, or Earth MRI, through 2031. The bill also specifies that mapping provided by Earth MRI may include data derived from modern sensing technologies to improve the characterization of critical mineral, geothermal, natural hydrogen, and other subsurface resource systems. In addition, S. 4870 would require the integration of data from the 3D Hydrography Program of the USGS into Earth MRI data.

The USGS launched Earth MRI in 2019 in response to President Trump’s issuance of Executive Order 13817, A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals, which called for modernizing geological, geophysical, and topographic mapping in areas with potential deposits of critical mineral resources. The USGS conceived Earth MRI as a partnership with state geological surveys, other Federal agencies, and the private sector. This partnering led directly to the first national map of areas with critical mineral potential, which helps USGS prioritize new data collection efforts needed to quantify mineral resource potential, and provides land managers, industry, and other stakeholders with a shared understanding of the potential distribution of critical mineral resources.

Through partnerships with state geological surveys, other Federal agencies, and the private sector, Earth MRI has covered by nearly 30 percent of the nation with magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys at a resolution suited to characterizing mineral resource potential. Earth MRI has collected other essential geoscience data, is accelerating the Nation’s mineral economy, and has had broader applications in resources, hazards, and infrastructure. Earth MRI is also incorporating innovative geophysical techniques and tools and, as the List of Critical Minerals has expanded, is evaluating additional areas of the country for ore deposit research and discovery. However, much of the country still lacks the geological data necessary to locate and quantify critical mineral resources at large.

Recognizing that mineral development is a national security priority, the Department is committed to ensuring the United States is the leading producer and processor of critical minerals, including rare earth elements, in order to create jobs and prosperity at home, strengthen domestic supply chains, and reduce the global influence of adversarial states. The Department supports S. 4870 and the reauthorization of Earth MRI, which would further the Administration’s priorities of unleashing American energy and minerals.