Congress funds coastal groundwater mapping to help communities prepare for climate-driven flooding
H.R. 4144 — Groundwater Rise and Infrastructure Preparedness Act of 2025 · Filed by Kevin Mullin (D-CA) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jun 25, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the U.S. Geological Survey to map groundwater rise in coastal areas through 2100, identify flooding hotspots, and commission a National Academies study on how rising groundwater threatens infrastructure (roads, buildings, water systems) and public health (drinking water contamination, saltwater intrusion). It authorizes $5 million over two years and requires a congressional report within three years.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to fund federal scientific assessment and mapping of a climate-driven coastal hazard (groundwater rise) and commission expert analysis of its infrastructure and health impacts. It is a straightforward public-health and adaptation-planning measure, not a regulatory change or industry carve-out.
What the text implies
- Groundwater rise maps and impact studies may inform future local zoning, building codes, and infrastructure investment decisions, potentially affecting property values and development patterns in coastal areas.
- The study's findings on saltwater intrusion and drinking-water contamination may trigger demand for water-system upgrades and resilience investments, creating downstream infrastructure spending.
- Identification of 'priority areas' at increased flooding risk may influence federal disaster preparedness, insurance pricing, and climate-adaptation funding allocation.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens in coastal areas gain actionable information about climate-driven groundwater threats to their homes, water supplies, and local infrastructure. The bill funds scientific assessment and planning tools that help communities prepare for a documented physical hazard, with no apparent private subsidy or regulatory carve-out.
Who stands to gain
- water infrastructure companies
- engineering and consulting firms
- construction and remediation contractors
- coastal real-estate and property-management sectors
Named in the bill
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, coastal states and local governments
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Jun 25, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 25, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $130,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 17 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Kevin Mullin, the sponsor, reported $505,911 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Santa Clara Valley Water District — $130,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jun 8, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 17, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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