U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Supplemental Appropriations

Updated January 9, 2023

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Supplemental Appropriations

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a science agency in

the Department of the Interior (DOI) that provides

information to describe and understand the geological

processes of the Earth, to mitigate risks of natural hazards,

and to support the management of water, energy, mineral,

and ecosystem resources. Congress typically appropriates

funds for the agency through annual Interior, Environment,

and Related Agencies appropriations acts. For example,

annual appropriations for the USGS in FY2023 totaled $1.5

billion. For more information about annual appropriations,

see CRS In Focus IF12097, The U.S. Geological Survey

(USGS): Background and FY2023 Appropriations.

This In Focus covers supplemental appropriations for the

USGS that are in addition to annual appropriations. Table 1

summarizes supplemental appropriations (including

advance appropriations) for the USGS for FY2018FY2026. Supplemental appropriations in six laws over the

nine-year period totaled $742.2 million. Some of the funds

are available until expended, while others are available for

specified time periods. (See Table 1.) Of the six laws, four

provided a total of $208.0 million for USGS natural hazard

response, recovery, and related projects. Two of the laws

provided $534.2 million for mapping, energy, and minerals

activities.

Table 1. USGS Supplemental Appropriations, FY2018-FY2026

Public Law

Total

Description

P.L. 117-328

(Div. N)

$41.0 M

(FY2023)

 For expenses related to the consequences of wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters in and

prior to 2023.

P.L. 117-169

(Title V)

$23.5 M

(FY2022)

 To produce, collect, disseminate, and use 3D elevation data (to remain available through FY2031).

P.L. 117-58

(Div. J)

$510.7 M

(FY2022FY2026)

 $64.0 M for each of FY2022, FY2023, FY2024, FY2025, and FY2026 (to remain available for the fiscal

year in which appropriated and two subsequent fiscal years) for the USGS Earth Mapping Resources

Initiative (§40201 of Division D of P.L. 117-58).

 $167.0 M for FY2022 for the design, construction, and build-out of an energy and minerals research

facility through a cooperative agreement with an academic partner (§40204 of Division D of P.L. 11758).

 $8.7 M for FY2022 and $5.0 M for each of FY2023-FY2025 (to remain available for the fiscal year in

which appropriated and two subsequent fiscal years) for the National Geological and Geophysical

Data Preservation Program (§41003(a) of Division D of P.L. 117-58; see also 42 U.S.C. §15908).

 0.5% of these appropriations must be transferred to DOI’s Office of Inspector General for funding

oversight.

P.L. 117-43

(Div. B)

$26.3 M

(FY2022)

 For expenses related to the consequences of wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters that

occurred in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

P.L. 116-20

(Title VII)

$98.5 M

(FY2019)

 For expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Florence and Michael, wildfires in 2018,

earthquake damage associated with emergency declaration EM–3410, and those areas impacted by a

major disaster declared pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§5121 et seq. for 2018 wildfires or volcanic eruptions.

 $72.3M of the total is designated for repair and replacement of equipment and facilities damaged by

disasters in 2018.

P.L. 115-123

(Div. B)

$42.2 M

(FY2018)

 For expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and those areas

impacted by a major disaster declared (pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§5121 et seq.) for 2017 wildfires.

Source: CRS, using referenced laws.

Notes: M = million. Nominal dollars. Appropriations are to remain available until expended unless otherwise stated. In addition to amounts

shown, P.L. 117-58 appropriated funding for DOI-wide activities, which may be used to provide additional funding for the USGS. (For instance,

DOI announced $6.6 million for USGS ecosystem restoration activities in 2022.)

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U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Supplemental Appropriations

Natural Hazards Funding

The USGS, with support from nonfederal partners, collects

scientific information for long-term data sets, such as

streamflow and flood records, and monitors, assesses, and

conducts research on natural hazards. For FY2018 through

FY2023, four supplemental appropriations laws have

included $208.0 million for the USGS to repair, replace, or

upgrade monitoring equipment and facilities impacted by

recent natural disasters and to improve natural hazard

science capabilities. The USGS has released its plans for

allocating funding provided by three of these laws. (See

https://www.usgs.gov/supplemental-appropriations-fordisaster-recovery-activities.) The following sections

highlight some of the activities supported by this funding.

However, information on expenditures under P.L. 117-328

is not yet available.

Hurricanes and Floods

The USGS continues to use supplemental appropriations to

conduct work in the following states and territories

impacted by hurricanes and severe storms: AR, FL, GA, HI,

LA, NC, NJ, NY, PA, PR, SC, TN, TX, and USVI. This

work includes spending about $10 million to replace or

harden (i.e., improve structures to withstand hazards)

hundreds of streamgages and to update information on

stream and river conditions post-storm. The USGS is

spending $15.5 million to update lidar surveys and conduct

coastal assessments and risk forecasts in affected areas.

Further, the agency is spending $8.1 million to upgrade the

Puerto Rico Seismic Network and the Puerto Rico Strong

Motion Program, which were impacted by Hurricane Maria.

Volcanoes and Earthquakes

The USGS is spending $73.4 million of FY2019

supplemental appropriations for activities related to the

intense eruptions at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii in 2018,

which damaged at least 724 structures. Of the total, the

USGS is using $10.8 million for rebuilding and hardening

the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring network,

$3.0 million for investigations, and $59.6 million for

constructing a new facility in Hilo to replace facilities at the

summit of Kilauea Volcano that were damaged beyond

repair. The USGS also is spending $4.3 million of FY2019

supplemental appropriations to harden and improve Alaska

Volcano Observatory facilities and monitor network

infrastructure after the 2018 magnitude 7.1 earthquake that

struck north of Anchorage, AK. Upgrades to facilities and

network infrastructure help ensure volcano monitoring

capabilities for research and hazard risk assessment. With

FY2022 supplemental appropriations, the USGS is

upgrading portable seismic equipment in CA, PR, and UT.

Wildfires and Landslides

The USGS is spending about $20 million provided in

FY2018, FY2019, and FY2022 supplemental

appropriations to assess post-wildfire landslide hazards and

to conduct lidar studies in California and Washington, and

to assess and update models of fire behavior and their

impacts on DOI land. The USGS also is spending about $5

million to repair, replace, or harden the seismic network in

California for earthquake monitoring after parts of the

network were damaged in wildfires. In response to

landslides associated with Hurricane Maria, the USGS is

spending $5.8 million for post-landslide assessments and

lidar studies to identify landslide hazards, which

contributed to a landslide susceptibility map for PR.

Mapping, Energy, and Minerals Funding

P.L. 117-169, commonly referred to as the Inflation

Reduction Act (IRA), provided $23.5 million in

supplemental funding for FY2022, to remain available

through FY2031, for USGS 3D elevation data activities.

The USGS carries out these activities via its 3D Elevation

Program (43 U.S.C. §3104). On December 31, 2022, the

White House released a guidebook for IRA funding that

included information on the 3DEP funding.

P.L. 117-58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

(IIJA), contained $510.7 million in supplemental funding

for activities authorized in Division D of the act that aim to

bolster supply chains for clean energy technologies. Of the

total, $320.0 million was for the USGS Earth Mapping

Resources Initiative (MRI), first funded with FY2019

annual appropriations, which aims to complete a national

surface and subsurface mapping and data integration effort

that prioritizes mapping (e.g., topographic, geologic,

geochemical, and geophysical mapping). The IIJA also

directed Earth MRI to research mine waste as a potential

source for critical minerals. Another $23.7 million of the

total was to augment existing efforts to characterize,

digitally document, and preserve physical geologic samples

that may relate to mineral exploration. The USGS released

a spend plan for its IIJA activities. (See

https://www.usgs.gov/media/files/usgs-bipartisaninfrastructure-law-spend-plan.)

The remaining $167.0 million was for a USGS Energy and

Minerals Research Facility in Golden, CO, to replace an

outdated facility. In May 2022, the USGS signed a

memorandum for a cooperative agreement with the

Colorado School of Mines for the design of the facility.

Issues for Congress

As previously noted, the USGS has released details on its

spending plans for most of its supplemental appropriations.

Specific issues for Congress may include how quickly these

funds are being spent, what activities have been funded, and

how the USGS is tracking output and performance data.

Congress also may consider broader questions, such as how

effective the funding is in accomplishing the purposes set

out by Congress (e.g., reducing hazard impacts and

identifying mineral resources). Another question may be

whether and how to adjust USGS funding in future years.

Congress may consider how to ensure reliable, robust

hazard monitoring for short-term hazardous events as well

as long-term observations, both of which contribute to

scientific understanding, risk assessment, hazard mitigation,

warnings, and hazard response. For example, hazardous

events may damage monitoring infrastructure. Congress

may consider the sufficiency of appropriations to maintain,

repair, or replace damaged infrastructure.

Anna E. Normand, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy

Linda R. Rowan, Analyst in Natural Resources and Earth

Sciences

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U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Supplemental Appropriations

IF12152

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