HR 900: Sinkhole Mapping Act of 2025

HR 900 in plain English: This bill directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to create a program that studies the causes of sinkholes and produces maps identifying high-risk sinkhole zones using three-dimensional elevation data. The USGS would also be required to build a public website displaying these maps and related information for use by community planners and emergency managers.

Stated purpose

The bill directs the U.S. Geological Survey to study what causes sinkholes and create publicly available maps showing areas at higher risk of sinkhole formation, for use by community planners and emergency managers.

Key points

• Requires USGS to study sinkhole causes, including extreme storms, droughts, and aquifer depletion
• Directs USGS to create 3D elevation-based maps showing zones at greater risk of sinkhole formation
• Mandates a public website displaying sinkhole risk maps and information for planners and emergency managers

Arguments supporters make

• Better sinkhole risk maps could help communities avoid building in dangerous areas and save lives and property.
• Making the maps public and free gives local planners and emergency managers tools they currently lack without charging them for access.
• Studying the causes of sinkholes — including drought and water use changes — could help predict and prevent future events as climate patterns shift.

Arguments opponents make

• The bill only moves forward 'subject to the availability of appropriations,' meaning it may never be funded and could remain an unfunded mandate on USGS.
• Federal sinkhole mapping may duplicate work already done by states like Florida, raising questions about whether this is the right level of government to take it on.
• Creating official government risk maps could trigger unintended consequences for property values or insurance costs in areas designated as high-risk, without providing any direct relief to affected residents.

Tradeoffs

The bill offers potential safety benefits for communities in sinkhole-prone regions, but doing so requires ongoing federal spending and places new responsibilities on USGS; areas identified as high-risk on public maps may also face economic impacts that the bill does not address.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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