Rainey Linz, interim state geologist and director of the Wyoming State Geological Survey, told the Joint Appropriations Committee that the agency’s core role is to provide “unbiased foundational data on Wyoming’s mineral resources and geologic hazards” and to make that information publicly available. Linz said the survey maintains a publications warehouse of 1,730 items, averaged about 400 downloads per day in 2025 and is modernizing its geologic data to become digital, findable and searchable.

“We currently have 1,730 publications freely available for download on our website,” Linz said. “By making clear maps and data universally accessible, we eliminate the need for every private entity, county, and municipality to spend millions on proprietary studies.”

Linz outlined an active program of airborne geophysical surveys that include completed magnetic and radiometric flights, partially flown sectors that will be finished next summer, and planned electromagnetic surveys. She said the U.S. Geological Survey has provided the bulk of funding through the Earth MRI mapping initiative and that occasional private industry participation has expanded footprints where companies contributed data under time‑limited confidentiality (company data remain proprietary for one year before public release).

Linz told lawmakers the U.S. Geological Survey often matches or expands on state contributions: when Wyoming provided an initial $50,000 for a Medicine Bow Mountains survey in 2021, the USGS redirected additional resources into Wyoming projects. Once the program's visible polygons are complete, Linz said, the datasets will cover roughly 20% of the state with high‑rank geophysical data.

Committee members pressed about the potential for more federal funds after Earth MRI funding phases down; Linz said large USGS investments over the past five years are set to expire and the state expects smaller, more targeted USGS surveys going forward. She also described a private‑industry arrangement in 2024 where a company funded survey work with a one‑year exclusivity window before the data are made public.

Why it matters: higher‑resolution geologic mapping supports safer infrastructure siting, more informed land‑use decisions and lowers exploration costs for private industry and local governments. Linz said mapping improvements will reduce risk and increase economic certainty by giving a common, public source of geologic information.

What's next: Linz asked the committee to continue support for the survey’s modernization effort and noted that two of the survey polygons cross state lines—projects fully funded by the USGS—underscoring the interstate and federal partnerships that underpin the program.