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H. Rept. 117-677 1 (2022-12-30)

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.GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION .
117TH CONGRESS                                        REPORT
2d Session     HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES            117-677
SINKHOLE MAPPING ACT OF 2021
DECEMBER 30, 2022.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State
of the Union and ordered to be printed
Mr. GRIJALVA, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3681]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the
bill (H.R. 3681) to direct the Director of the United States Geologi-
cal Survey to establish a program to map zones that are at greater
risk of sinkhole formation, and for other purposes, having consid-
ered the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 3681 is to direct the Director of the United
States Geological Survey to establish a program to map zones that
are at greater risk of sinkhole formation.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
H.R. 3681 would direct the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to es-
tablish a program to study the short and long-term causes of sink-
holes, including extreme weather events, prolonged droughts, shifts
in water management practices, aquifer depletion, and other
changes in water use. This legislation also directs USGS to develop
maps depicting geographic zones at greater risk of forming sink-
holes and establish a public website that displays maps and other
relevant information for use by community planners and emer-
gency managers. The Sinkhole Mapping Act does not include any
additional funding for USGS to establish the program. Last Con-
gress, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the cost of
this legislation to be $4 million over five years.1
1Congressional Budget Office, Cost Estimate, H.R. 496, Sinkhole Mapping Act of 2019, March
10, 2020, https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2020-03/hr496.pdf.
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