S. 1118 would authorize the appropriation of specific amounts each year from 2024 through 2028, totaling $56 million, for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to improve research and data collection on evapotranspiration. (Evapotranspiration is the process by which water moves into the atmosphere by evaporation from land and by transpiration from plants.) The USGS uses evapotranspiration data from large landscapes to inform its estimates of water availability and consumption. The bill also would require the USGS to establish an advisory committee on evapotranspiration data and report to the Congress within two years of enactment on the accuracy, limitations, and uses of the data.
Using information on historical spending patterns for similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1118 would cost $50 million over the 2024-2028 period and $5 million after 2028, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.
