H.R. 9640: Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026

This bill would extend and expand the federal Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, a U.S. Geological Survey program that collects and updates data about what is underground in the United States.

What changes the bill makes

• Reauthorizes the program for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
• Provides $84 million for that five-year period.
• Updates the program’s purpose to explicitly include newer types of data and tools, such as:
  • advanced geophysical data collection
  • digital geochemistry and other advanced geochemical methods
  • real-time or near real-time data systems
  • data-driven analytical methods
• Broadens the kinds of underground resources being studied to include not just critical minerals, but also geothermal resources, natural hydrogen, and other subsurface resource systems.
• Adds the USGS 3D Hydrography Program as a data source the initiative can integrate with, which could help combine underground mapping with water-related mapping data.

What that means in practice

The bill would continue federal efforts to improve maps and scientific data about the subsurface. In plain terms, it would help the government gather better information about where useful underground resources may be located and how they are arranged. The added data tools and newer technologies are intended to make the mapping more detailed, more current, and more useful for analysis.

The bill does not directly authorize mining, drilling, or development projects. Instead, it focuses on collecting and combining information that could be used by federal agencies, states, researchers, and industry to better understand underground resources.

Relevant Companies

• None found