Witnesses Tell House Subcommittee Earth MRI Needs Reauthorization as Funding Nears Expiration

Chairman Stauber opened the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hearing by framing the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) as central to domestic critical‑mineral security and said reauthorization should be considered before the current authorization expires at the end of the fiscal year. He told the panel that USGS partnerships and mapping underpin efforts to “secure America’s supply chains.”

Ranking Member Representative Ansari emphasized bipartisan support for the program and noted that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $320 million over five years for Earth MRI. She and witnesses warned that the supplemental funding is time‑limited and that a projected drop in annual funding could slow the program’s data collection and partner support.

Dr. Colin Williams, program coordinator for the USGS Mineral Resources Program, testified that Earth MRI has substantially expanded modern geophysical coverage and that the program partners with state geological surveys, tribes, universities and industry. He described program uses beyond exploration — including groundwater assessment, hazard mapping, geothermal prospecting and a new National Mine Waste Inventory — and said the initiative has accelerated interest in on‑federal lands exploration. Williams referenced USGS figures on land and subsurface stewardship and described resource‑coverage increases since Earth MRI’s 2019 launch.

Members questioned witnesses about technical and programmatic details. Chairman Stauber pressed on targeted, high‑resolution methods such as full‑tensor gravity and said higher‑resolution data can better characterize deposits in places like Minnesota’s Duluth Complex. Dr. Williams and other witnesses said those technologies can refine targets but noted that higher resolution requires additional resources and follow‑up field work.

Representatives from both parties raised funding concerns. Members cited current combined IIJA and appropriation levels (witnesses cited roughly $74 million per year during the supplemental period) and asked whether the program can sustain momentum when IIJA supplemental funding ends. Dr. Williams said Earth MRI is scalable but that a drop in annual funding (witnesses cited a projected fall to about $16 million) would constrain pace and could cause state surveys to retrench.

Witnesses from the second panel urged reauthorization and described how Earth MRI operates as a precompetitive, public data program. Dr. Nick Haman of the Association of American State Geologists urged continuity so state surveys can keep hiring and providing data; industry representatives highlighted private‑sector capacity to execute airborne surveys; academic witnesses urged expanded geochemistry and a national mill‑sampling campaign to identify byproduct recovery opportunities and to transform legacy mine waste into recoverable resources.

Multiple members pressed for clarity on environmental protections and tribal consultation. Representative Grijalva and others stressed that high‑quality geologic data should not predetermine where mining occurs and that community engagement, meaningful tribal consultation and environmental review must guide decisions about development. Dr. Williams said tribes decide whether USGS collects data on tribal lands and described ongoing coordination with other federal agencies on mine‑waste remediation and recovery.

Panelists and members discussed workforce needs and data processing. Witnesses described an aging geoscience workforce, the need to train more students in earth sciences and the role of Earth MRI grants in creating jobs and experiential training. Members and witnesses also noted lags between survey acquisition and public release caused by quality control and processing, and discussed contracting and derivative products as partial remedies.

Several members raised national‑security implications and supply‑chain competition. Industry witnesses warned that without a sustained U.S. mapping effort, adversaries could retain strategic advantages. Members cited examples such as graphite surveys in Alabama and other regional projects that have begun to attract industry interest and potential private‑sector follow‑on work.

The hearing concluded with repeated calls among witnesses for Congress to reauthorize Earth MRI and to consider targeted expansions — including more geochemical sampling, a national mill‑sampling campaign, investment in domestic sensor capabilities and sustained workforce programs. The subcommittee left the record open for follow‑up written questions and adjourned without a vote.

The next procedural step — whether and how the subcommittee drafts a reauthorization bill, funding level or specific program changes — was not decided at the hearing; members asked witnesses to submit additional information to the record.