119-hr3198

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3198 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3198

To create intergovernmental coordination between State, local, Tribal, 
 and territorial jurisdictions, and the Federal Government to combat 
 United States reliance on the People's Republic of China and other 
covered countries for critical minerals and rare Earth metals, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 May 5, 2025

 Mr. Obernolte (for himself and Ms. Lee of Nevada) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
 Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To create intergovernmental coordination between State, local, Tribal, 
 and territorial jurisdictions, and the Federal Government to combat 
 United States reliance on the People's Republic of China and other 
covered countries for critical minerals and rare Earth metals, and for 
 other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Intergovernmental Critical Minerals 
Task Force Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds that--

    (1) current supply chains of critical minerals pose a great 
 risk to the national security of the United States;

    (2) critical minerals are necessary for transportation, 
 technology, renewable energy, military equipment and machinery, 
 and other relevant sectors crucial for the homeland and 
 national security of the United States;

    (3) in 2022, the United States was 100 percent import 
 reliant for 12 out of 50 critical minerals and more than 50 
 percent import reliant for an additional 31 critical mineral 
 commodities classified as ``critical'' by the United States 
 Geological Survey, and the People's Republic of China was the 
 top producing nation for 30 of those 50 critical minerals;

    (4) as of July 2023, companies based in the People's 
 Republic of China that extract critical minerals around the 
 world have received hundreds of charges of human rights 
 violations; and

    (5) on August 29, 2014, the World Trade Organization 
 Dispute Settlement Body adopted findings that the export 
 restraints by the People's Republic of China on rare Earth 
 metals, which harmed manufacturers and workers in the United 
 States, violated obligations under the General Agreement on 
 Tariffs and Trade 1994 and China's Protocol of Accession to the 
 World Trade Organization.

SEC. 3. INTERGOVERNMENTAL CRITICAL MINERALS TASK FORCE.

    (a) In General.--

Section 5 of the National Materials and Minerals 
Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 (30 U.S.C. 1604) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (g) Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force.--
 ``

    (1) === Purposes ===
-The purposes of the task force established 
 under paragraph

    (3)
        (B) are--
 ``
        (A) to assess the reliance of the United States 
 on the People's Republic of China, and other covered 
 countries, for critical minerals, and the resulting 
 national security risks associated with that reliance;
 ``
        (B) to make recommendations to the President for 
 the implementation of this Act with regard to critical 
 minerals, including--
 ``
            (i) the congressional declarations of 
 policies in 

section 3; and
 ``
            (ii) revisions to the program plan of the 
 President and the initiatives required under 
 this section;
 ``
            (C) to make recommendations to secure United 
 States supply chains for critical minerals;
 ``
            (D) to make recommendations to reduce the 
 reliance of the United States, and partners and allies 
 of the United States, on critical mineral supply chains 
 involving covered countries; and
 ``
        (E) consistent with ongoing efforts of other 
 Federal departments, agencies, and other entities, to 
 facilitate cooperation, coordination, and mutual 
 accountability among each level of the Federal 
 Government, Indian Tribes, and State, local, and 
 territorial governments, on a holistic response to the 
 dependence on covered countries for critical minerals 
 across the United States.
 ``

    (2) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
 ``
        (A) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
 `appropriate committees of Congress' means--
 ``
            (i) the Committees on Homeland Security 
 and Governmental Affairs, Energy and Natural 
 Resources, Armed Services, Environment and 
 Public Works, Commerce, Science, and 
 Transportation, Finance, and Foreign Relations 
 of the Senate; and
 ``
            (ii) the Committees on Oversight and 
 Government Reform, Natural Resources, Armed 
 Services, Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs, and 
 Energy and Commerce of the House of 
 Representatives.
 ``
        (B) Chairperson; co-chairperson.--The terms 
 `Chairperson' and `Co-Chairperson', respectively, mean 
 the Chairperson or Co-Chairperson of the task force 
 designated by the President pursuant to paragraph

    (3)
        (A) .
 ``
            (C) Covered country.--The term `covered country' 
 means--
 ``
            (i) a covered nation (as defined in 
 

section 4872
            (d) of title 10, United States 
 Code); and
 ``
            (ii) any other country determined by the 
 task force to be a geostrategic competitor or 
 adversary of the United States with respect to 
 critical minerals.
 ``
            (D) Critical mineral.--The term `critical 
 mineral' has the meaning given the term `critical 
 material' in 

section 7002

    (a) of the Energy Act of 2020 
 (30 U.S.C. 1606

    (a) ).
 ``
        (E) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian Tribe' has 
 the meaning given the term in 

section 4 of the Indian 
 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
 U.S.C. 5304).
 ``
        (F) Task force.--The term `task force' means the 
 task force established under paragraph

    (3)
        (B) .
 ``

    (3) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
 of enactment of this subsection, the President shall--
 ``
        (A) designate a Chairperson, or 2 individuals as 
 Co-Chairpersons, for the task force, who shall be--
 ``
            (i) the Assistant to the President for 
 National Security Affairs;
 ``
            (ii) the Assistant to the President for 
 Economic Policy; or
 ``
            (iii) another relevant member of the 
 Executive Office of the President; and
 ``
        (B) acting through the Executive Office of the 
 President, establish a task force.
 ``

    (4) Composition; meetings.--
 ``
        (A) Appointment.--The Chairperson or Co-
 Chairpersons, in consultation with key 
 intergovernmental, private, and public sector 
 stakeholders, shall appoint to the task force 
 representatives with expertise in critical mineral 
 supply chains from Federal agencies, including not less 
 than 1 representative from each of--
 ``
            (i) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
 ``
            (ii) the Bureau of Land Management;
 ``
            (iii) the Critical Minerals Subcommittee 
 of the National Science and Technology Council;
 ``
            (iv) the Department of Agriculture;
 ``
            (v) the Department of Commerce;
 ``
            (vi) the Department of Defense;
 ``
            (vii) the Department of Energy;
 ``
            (viii) the Department of Homeland 
 Security;
 ``
            (ix) the Department of the Interior;
 ``
            (x) the Department of Labor;
 ``
            (xi) the Department of State;
 ``
            (xii) the Department of Transportation;
 ``
            (xiii) the Environmental Protection 
 Agency;
 ``
            (xiv) the Export-Import Bank of the 
 United States;
 ``
            (xv) the Forest Service;
 ``
            (xvi) the General Services 
 Administration;
 ``
            (xvii) the National Economic Council;
 ``
            (xviii) the National Science Foundation;
 ``
            (xix) the National Security Council;
 ``
            (xx) the Office of Management and Budget;
 ``
            (xxi) the Office of the United States 
 Trade Representative;
 ``
            (xxii) the United States International 
 Development Finance Corporation;
 ``
            (xxiii) the United States Geological 
 Survey; and
 ``
            (xxiv) any other relevant Federal entity, 
 as determined by the Chairperson or Co-
 Chairpersons.
 ``
        (B) Consultation.--The task force shall consult 
 individuals with expertise in critical mineral supply 
 chains, individuals from States whose communities, 
 businesses, and industries are involved in aspects of 
 critical mineral supply chains, including mining and 
 processing operations, and individuals from a diverse 
 and balanced cross-section of--
 ``
            (i) intergovernmental consultees, 
 including--
 ``
            (I) State governments;
 ``
            (II) local governments;
 ``
            (III) territorial governments; 
 and
 ``
            (IV) Indian Tribes; and
 ``
            (ii) other stakeholders, including--
 ``
            (I) academic research 
 institutions;
 ``
            (II) corporations;
 ``
            (III) nonprofit organizations;
 ``
            (IV) private sector stakeholders;
 ``
            (V) trade associations;
 ``
            (VI) mining industry 
 stakeholders; and
 ``
            (VII) labor representatives.
 ``
            (C) Meetings.--
 ``
            (i) Initial meeting.--Not later than 90 
 days after the date on which all 
 representatives of the task force have been 
 appointed, the task force shall hold the first 
 meeting of the task force.
 ``
            (ii) Frequency.--The task force shall 
 meet not less than once every 90 days.
 ``

    (5) Duties.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--The duties of the task force 
 shall include--
 ``
            (i) facilitating cooperation, 
 coordination, and mutual accountability for the 
 Federal Government, Indian Tribes, and State, 
 local, and territorial governments to enhance 
 data sharing and transparency to build more 
 robust and secure domestic supply chains for 
 critical minerals in support of the purposes 
 described in paragraph

    (1) ;
 ``
            (ii) providing recommendations with 
 respect to--
 ``
            (I) increasing capacities for 
 mining, exploration, beneficiation, 
 processing, refinement, reuse, and 
 recycling of critical minerals in the 
 United States to facilitate the 
 environmentally responsible production 
 of domestic resources to meet national 
 critical mineral needs, in consultation 
 with Tribal and local communities;
 ``
            (II) identifying how statutes, 
 regulations, and policies related to 
 the critical mineral supply chain, such 
 as stockpiling and development finance, 
 could be modified to accelerate 
 environmentally responsible domestic 
 and international production of 
 critical minerals, in consultation with 
 Indian Tribes and local communities;
 ``
            (III) strengthening the domestic 
 workforce to support growing critical 
 mineral supply chains with good-paying, 
 safe jobs in the United States;
 ``
            (IV) identifying alternative 
 domestic sources to critical minerals 
 that the United States currently relies 
 on the People's Republic of China or 
 other covered countries for mining, 
 processing, refining, and recycling, 
 including the availability, capacity, 
 cost, and quality of those domestic 
 alternatives;
 ``
            (V) identifying critical minerals 
 and critical mineral supply chains that 
 the United States can onshore, in whole 
 or in part, at a competitive value and 
 quality, for those minerals and supply 
 chains that the United States relies on 
 the People's Republic of China or other 
 covered countries to provide;
 ``
            (VI) opportunities for the 
 Federal Government, Indian Tribes, and 
 State, local, and territorial 
 governments to mitigate risks to the 
 national security of the United States 
 with respect to supply chains for 
 critical minerals that the United 
 States currently relies on the People's 
 Republic of China or other covered 
 countries for mining, processing, 
 refining, and recycling; and
 ``
            (VII) evaluating and integrating 
 the recommendations of the Critical 
 Minerals Subcommittee of the National 
 Science and Technology Council into the 
 recommendations of the task force;
 ``
            (iii) prioritizing the recommendations in 
 clause
            (ii) , taking into consideration economic 
 costs and focusing on the critical mineral 
 supply chains with vulnerabilities posing the 
 most significant risks to the national security 
 of the United States;
 ``
            (iv) recommending specific strategies, to 
 be carried out in coordination with the 
 Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
 Commerce, to strengthen international 
 partnerships in furtherance of critical 
 minerals supply chain security with 
 international allies and partners, including a 
 strategy to collaborate with governments of the 
 allies and partners described in subparagraph
        (B) to develop advanced mining, refining, 
 separation and processing technologies; and
 ``
            (v) other duties, as determined by the 
 Chairperson or Co-Chairpersons.
 ``
        (B) Allies and partners.--The allies and partners 
 referred to in subparagraph
        (A) include--
 ``
            (i) countries participating in the 
 Quadrilateral Security Dialogue;
 ``
            (ii) countries that are signatories to 
 the Abraham Accords; and
 ``
            (iii) countries that are members of the 
 North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
 ``
            (C) Report.--The Chairperson or Co-Chairpersons 
 shall--
 ``
            (i) not later than 60 days after the date 
 of enactment of this subsection, and every 60 
 days thereafter until the requirements under 
 subsection

    (a) are satisfied, brief the 
 appropriate committees of Congress on the 
 status of the compliance of the President with 
 completing the requirements under that 
 subsection;
 ``
            (ii) not later than 2 years after the 
 date of enactment of this subsection, submit to 
 the appropriate committees of Congress a 
 report, which shall be submitted in 
 unclassified form, but may include a classified 
 annex, that describes any findings, guidelines, 
 and recommendations created in performing the 
 duties under subparagraph
        (A) ;
 ``
            (iii) not later than 120 days after the 
 date on which the Chairperson or Co-
 Chairpersons submits the report under clause
            (ii) , publish that report in the Federal 
 Register, except that the Chairperson or Co-
 Chairpersons shall redact information from the 
 report that the Chairperson or Co-Chairpersons 
 determines could pose a risk to the national 
 security of the United States by being publicly 
 available; and
 ``
            (iv) brief the appropriate committees of 
 Congress twice per year.
 ``

    (6) Duplication of effort.--The Chairperson or Co-
 Chairpersons, to the maximum extent practicable, shall carry 
 out the task force in a manner that does not duplicate the 
 efforts of other Federal departments, agencies, or other 
 entities.
 ``

    (7) Sunset.--The task force shall terminate on the date 
 that is 90 days after the date on which the task force 
 completes the requirements under paragraph

    (5)
            (C) .
 ``

    (8) No additional funds.--No additional funds are 
 authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of carrying out 
 this subsection.''.

    (b) GAO Study.--

    (1) Study required.--The Comptroller General of the United 
 States shall conduct a study examining the Federal and State 
 regulatory landscape related to improving domestic supply 
 chains for critical minerals in the United States.

    (2) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
 enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
 States shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
 report that describes the results of the study under paragraph

    (1) .

    (3) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
        (A) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
 ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
            (i) the Committees on Homeland Security and 
 Governmental Affairs, Energy and Natural 
 Resources, Armed Services, Environment and 
 Public Works, Commerce, Science, and 
 Transportation, Finance, and Foreign Relations 
 of the Senate; and
            (ii) the Committees on Oversight and 
 Government Reform, Natural Resources, Armed 
 Services, Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs, and 
 Energy and Commerce of the House of 
 Representatives.
        (B) Critical mineral.--The term ``critical 
 mineral'' has the meaning given the term ``critical 
 material'' in 

section 7002

    (a) of the Energy Act of 2020 
 (30 U.S.C. 1606

    (a) ).
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