S-1317 : Still Just a Bill

American Mineral Security Act

This bill addresses the availability, development, and production of domestic critical minerals.

The President must coordinate the appropriate agencies to implement U.S. policy regarding critical minerals, including to establish an analytical and forecasting capability for identifying critical mineral market factors so as to avoid supply shortages, mitigate price volatility, and prepare for demand growth and other market shifts.

Among other things, the bill

• provides statutory authority for the U.S. Geological Survey to designate and update every three years a list of critical minerals;
• requires a comprehensive national assessment of every critical mineral;
• directs the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service to complete federal permitting and review processes with maximum efficiency and effectiveness;
• requires the Department of Energy to conduct a program of research and development to promote the production, use, and recycling of critical minerals, and develop alternatives to critical minerals;
• directs the Department of Labor to assess the domestic availability of technically trained personnel with the necessary skill set for critical mineral activities;
• provides for a study to design an interdisciplinary program on critical minerals that will support the critical mineral supply chain and increase domestic critical mineral development;
• establishes a competitive grant program for institutions of higher education to implement integrated critical mineral education, training, and workforce development programs; and
• reauthorizes through FY2029 the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program.