CBO Estimates CORE Act Cost at $14 Million
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that implementing the CORE Act of 2025 would cost $14 million from 2026 to 2031.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that implementing H.R. 2556, the CORE Act of 2025, would cost $14 million over the 2026-2031 period. The bill, ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on June 25, 2025, would require new federal assessments of offshore energy resources. For context on how detailed reporting and analysis is applied in other fields, you can see our detailed stats on performance metrics.
According to the CBO's cost estimate dated August 31, 2026, the spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. The legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues.
Key Provisions and Estimated Costs
The CORE Act would mandate several new reporting requirements for federal departments. A primary component is a joint report from the Departments of Energy, Interior, and State on transboundary hydrocarbon reservoirs. These are offshore oil and gas reservoirs that cross the maritime boundary between the United States and other countries.
The CBO attributes most of the bill's cost-about $12 million-to this joint assessment. The agency estimates that $9 million of that would be needed to acquire and analyze new geological and geophysical data, based on the cost of previous data purchases. The remaining $3 million would cover economic, environmental, legal, and geopolitical analyses, including personnel and contracting costs.
In addition to the transboundary report, the bill would expand the Department of the Interior's existing five-year inventory of oil and gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf. The expansion would include analyses of the economic effects of developing undiscovered resources, the impacts of withdrawing areas from leasing, and the location of offshore non-energy minerals. The CBO estimates these additional activities would cost about $2 million over the 2026-2031 period.
Budgetary Breakdown
The CBO provided a detailed table of the estimated budgetary effects. The $14 million in total estimated outlays would occur primarily in fiscal years 2027 and 2028. This structured financial projection is similar to how we track financial standings in other sectors.
| By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2026-2031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated Authorization | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Estimated Outlays | 0 | 10 | 4 | \* | 0 | 0 | 14 |
\* = between zero and $500,000.
Uncertainty in Cost Estimates
The CBO notes that its estimates are subject to uncertainty because the bill does not specify precisely how the agencies must conduct the required assessments. For its estimate, the CBO assumed the agencies would rely mainly on existing data, targeted new data purchases, and existing federal capabilities.
Costs could be lower if the agencies used only data and analyses they already possess. Conversely, costs "could be substantially higher" if the departments conducted new field studies or dedicated seismic surveys. The CBO staff contact for the estimate is David Hughes, and it was reviewed by Chad Chirico, Director of Budget Analysis.
The legislation would also direct the Department of the Interior to periodically evaluate the models used for its resource inventory and to report to Congress on offshore oil and gas practices among other major producing countries. The CBO states that the costs of the bill fall primarily within the federal budget function for natural resources and environment.
Phillip L. Swagel, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, signed the estimate.
