Hill Heat

On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., in Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold an oversight hearing titled “Examining the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request for the United States Geological Survey and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.”

Pete Stauber, Chairman

The President’s budget request for USGS appropriations in FY2025 is $1.578 billion (full justification). The Ecosystems mission area conducts biological and ecological science to inform natural resource management decisions through five programs and cooperative research units. The FY2025 budget requests a 9% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for this mission area. The largest program increase for the mission area is for the Land Management Research Program, requested at $60.6 million for FY2025 compared with $52.0 million enacted for FY2024. The increase includes supporting science for mapping corridors of big game hunting populations and for drought response. The budget request proposes decreases for some activities in the mission area, including a decrease of $1.0 million for the Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program. It proposes to separate the land change science component of the Climate Adaptation Science Centers and Land Change Science Program into a stand-alone program named the Ecosystems Change Research Program to ensure “program and budget clarity.”

The Energy and Mineral Resources mission area includes scientific research and assessments related to energy and minerals. The FY2025 budget requests a 19% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. For the Energy Resources Program, the budget requests an increase of $7.1 million above the FY2024 enacted level of $32.6 million, which includes supporting activities related to geologic carbon sequestration and geothermal energy. For the Mineral Resources Program, the budget requests an increase of $12.1 million above the FY2023 enacted level of $68.7 million, which includes supporting critical minerals supply chain analysis and forecasting. The request also proposes to restructure the Mineral Resources Program into two components: the National Minerals Information Center and Mineral Resources Research, Surveys, and Assessments. The USGS asserts that the restructuring would increase budget transparency for the National Minerals Information Center. The agency anticipates requesting that the U.S. Chief Statistician within the Office of Management and Budget designate the center as a Recognized Statistical Unit (see 44 U.S.C. §3563).

The Natural Hazards mission area provides scientific information to reduce losses from natural hazards. The FY2025 budget requests a 6% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. This increase includes a $7.3 million increase for the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program to support research to inform climate-related risk assessments, among other activities. It also includes a $2.2 million increase for both the Earthquake Hazards Program and the Volcano Hazards Program. The budget requests decreased funding for some activities in the mission area, including a decrease of $0.4 million for the Landslide Hazards Program.

The Water Resources mission area monitors water resources and researches water processes. The FY2025 budget requests a 7% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. This includes increased funding for Integrated Water Availability Assessments, federal priority streamgages, and the National Groundwater Quality Network. Similar to past budget requests, the Administration requests eliminating the Water Resources Research Act Program, a federal-state partnership that conducts regional water research. The budget also requests decreases for some activities in the mission area.

The Core Science Systems mission area generally focuses on the USGS’s mapping activities and supports science across the agency. The mission area includes the National Land Imaging Program, which operates Landsat satellites, among other activities. The FY2025 budget requests a 15% increase above the FY2024 enacted level for the mission area. This includes an increase of $28.7 million for the National Land Imaging Program, which would support Landsat activities, including Landsat Next development, and a commercial data pilot program. The FY2025 budget also requests increases for a high performance computing initiative to advance USGS science data delivery, particularly for drought and fire science, and for an American conservation and stewardship atlas. The budget request also proposes decreases for some activities in the mission area, including a decrease of $3.4 million for the National Geospatial Program.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement FY2025 budget request is $304.7 million in current appropriations.