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![handle is hein.congrecreports/crptxaddw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: AUTHENTICATEO
U.S. GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
Op
116TH CONGRESS REPORT
2d Session HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 116-427
SINKHOLE MAPPING ACT OF 2019
JUNE 4, 2020 -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
REPORT
[To accompany H.R. 496]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the
bill (H.R. 496) 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, 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. 496 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, and for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Sinkholes are a natural hazard common in areas underlain by
limestone, a type of rock easily dissolved by water, and frequently
occur in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee,
and Pennsylvania.1 The United States Geological Survey (USGS)
estimates that sinkhole damages cost on average at least $300 mil-
lion annually.2 However, because there is no comprehensive data-
base for sinkholes in the United States, there is no reliable data
on how many occur each year.
'See generally Compiled by James Hercher, Sinkhole Science Is Actually Quite Simple, PBS
NEWSHOUR: EXTRA (Apr. 8, 2013), https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/2013/04/sinkhole-science-
is-actually-quite-simple/.
2How Much Does Sinkhole Damage Cost Each Year in the United States?, U.S.G.S., https://
www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-much-does-sinkhole-damage-cost-each-year-united-states (last visited
May 7, 2020).
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