Why a U.S. Mapping Program Is Gaining Bipartisan Support Amid Research Funding Cuts

With all the drastic cuts in scientific research funding in the U.S. lately, I was surprised to learn about one program that’s actually getting support.

The Earth Mapping Resource Initiative (Earth MRI), a United States Geological Survey (USGS) project, has found bipartisan support in expanding its work efforts to map critical mineral deposits across the U.S, according to an article in Grist, a climate-focused nonprofit.

Created in 2019 during the first Trump Administration, Earth MRI should be viewed as the United States’ response to a lack of strategic critical minerals. In a 2020 report, the Department of Commerce found that out of 35 minerals deemed critical, 31 of them were either largely or entirely imported from foreign nations. This may help to explain why a 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) pumped US$320 million over a five-year period into the nascent program.

No wonder it has not only survived both the Biden and Trump administrations but also gained increasing support across the political spectrum.

‘Safe’ Science and Research

What stands out is how Earth MRI connects science and mapping with national security and economic needs. Critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements are not only important for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure, but they also have military and national security significance as they are vital for advanced military applications.

These resources are vital to U.S. strategy, and Earth MRI aims to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign imports by identifying domestic deposits. Already, Earth MRI has produced high quality mapping data for around 10% of the United States’ landmass.

In this background, the current Trump Administration’s support for the Earth MRI project makes sense, even when it is drastically reducing support for environmental and science initiatives in the country.

In an era when science appears to be increasingly under attack in America, it is worth noting the type of research that is considered “safe”. While money has always been a concern for researchers, it seems likely that government support for science and other types of research in the U.S. will be increasingly channelled into areas of financial and military interest. This isn’t to say that critical minerals will not improve our lives, but there is a clear financial and military component to their application.

Canada and Greenland in the Mineral Race

From a Canadian perspective, these developments are both interesting and concerning. The U.S. is clearly looking for critical mineral supplies, and it is increasingly looking northward – both Canada and Greenland are sitting on huge reserves.

President Trump has made clear his interest in the critical mineral supplies of both Greenland and Canada, and has repeatedly talked about buying Greenland and suggested that Canada should become their 51^st state. While the chance of a hostile takeover or any previously unimaginable scenario remains extremely unlikely, these are undoubtedly strange times.

As demand for these minerals keeps growing, Earth MRI is becoming a really important piece of U.S. strategy. While the project will help reduced the U.S. dependence on foreign sources, it will also help support America’s competitiveness in the global markets for these increasingly valuable resources.

At the same time, it really highlights how important Canada and Greenland are becoming in this global competition, which could have significant implications – look no further than the impact on Canada’s economy and its relationship with the U.S.