[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5039 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5039
To establish a mineral and mining innovation program within the
Department of Energy to advance domestic mineral resources, economic
growth, and national security, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 12, 2024
Mr. Hickenlooper introduced the following bill; which was read twice
and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a mineral and mining innovation program within the
Department of Energy to advance domestic mineral resources, economic
growth, and national security, 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 ``Unearth Innovation Act''.
SEC. 2. MINERAL AND MINING INNOVATION INITIATIVE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) 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).
(2) Initiative.--The term ``initiative'' means the mineral
and mining innovation initiative established under subsection
(b).
(3) Mining university.--The term ``mining university''
means an institution of higher education (as defined in section
101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)))
with a mining, metallurgical, geological, or mineral
engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology, Inc.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(b) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an initiative
within the Department of Energy, the purposes of which are--
(1) to support the research, development, deployment, and
commercialization of emerging technologies and practices
suitable for responsibly identifying, characterizing, mining,
extracting, processing, and reprocessing the minerals required
across multiple industries in the United States to advance
domestic mineral resources, economic growth, national security,
and other goals, as determined by the Secretary;
(2) to accelerate the research, development, and
integration of advanced technologies, data analytics,
responsible mining and mineral recovery practices, advanced
techniques for separation or processing facilities to minimize
human impacts, and extractive processes intended to minimize
environmental impact, increase per-unit productivity, optimize
resource utilization, and promote technology adaptation,
community engagement, and social acceptance of mining; and
(3) to coordinate with the National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Mine Safety and Health
Administration of the Department of Labor on safety and mining
innovation.
(c) Duties.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the initiative, the
Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior,
shall identify, study, evaluate, test, and demonstrate hard
rock mineral mining, unconventional mineral recovery, and
processing technologies and practices to improve--
(A) identification of new potential domestic
mineral resources and trends;
(B) characterization and mapping of domestic
mineral resources;
(C) statistical capabilities of the United States,
with respect to domestic and global mineral resources;
(D) environmental performance of mining and mineral
recovery, including--
(i) reducing air emissions and improving
water management;
(ii) improving energy efficiency; and
(iii) minimizing tailings and other waste,
mining footprint, and environmental impact;
(E) efficiency and productivity of mining, mineral
processing, and resource utilization;
(F) data collection, analytics, and sharing;
(G) mine safety;
(H) mine reclamation, remediation, and reuse;
(I) community engagement, consultation with Indian
Tribes, and social perception of mining;
(J) emerging and new technologies for mineral
recovery from unconventional sources; and
(K) training and education for the mining
workforce.
(2) Research and development areas of focus.--In carrying
out the initiative, the Secretary, in coordination with the
Secretary of the Interior, shall focus research, development,
deployment, and commercialization activities in areas related
to--
(A) mineral exploration, discovery, and
characterization science and technology, including--
(i) geophysical surveys;
(ii) geochemical surveys;
(iii) uncrewed survey platforms, including
uncrewed aerial vehicles;
(iv) proximal sensing, including automatic
spectroscopic scanning of drilling cores;
(v) characterizing mine waste, including
mine-influenced water; and
(vi) other advanced technologies;
(B) mineral production and mine remediation and
closure, including--
(i) advanced drilling, sampling, and
extraction technologies;
(ii) mine design, including innovations
that maximize resource use, environmental
benefit, and end uses of land;
(iii) digital mining solutions;
(iv) in-situ mineral recovery and other
advanced extraction techniques;
(v) processing techniques, including--
(I) geometallurgy;
(II) beneficiation;
(III) extraction from increasingly
low-grade ores and deeper mines;
(IV) co-mineral and byproduct
recovery;
(V) multimineral refining;
(VI) whole rock processing; and
(VII) greenhouse gas reduction and
sequestration; and
(vi) remediation techniques, including--
(I) reclamation;
(II) tailings and waste management;
and
(III) extraction and reprocessing
of valued materials from waste on
abandoned mine land and at active and
inactive mine sites;
(C) critical mineral recycling technologies,
including battery recycling;
(D) social acceptance of mining and mineral
processes, technologies, and projects, including--
(i) research to identify perspectives and
priorities of communities local to prospective
mining sites;
(ii) research to identify strategies for
community engagement and potential short-term
and long-term benefits of mining for local
communities;
(iii) research to provide socially-informed
technology research, design, and development
priorities;
(iv) best practices for developing
community benefit agreements and plans that
address community priorities and mitigate
potential environmental and economic harm that
may result from mining; and
(v) consultation and engagement with Indian
Tribes; and
(E) other research areas, as determined by the
Secretary, to support the program.
(3) Areas of focus for reevaluation.--Not less frequently
than once every 5 years, the Secretary, in carrying out the
initiative in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior,
shall consult with representatives from academic institutions
(including mining universities), National Laboratories, and the
mining industry--
(A) to reevaluate the status of, and opportunities
for, mineral and mining research and development; and
(B) to revise the list of areas described in
paragraph (2)(E).
(d) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary
shall coordinate with the Secretary of the Interior through, at a
minimum--
(1) interagency activities associated with the research,
development, deployment, and commercialization of hard rock
mining and unconventional mineral recovery technologies;
(2) leveraging existing mineral research within Federal
agencies;
(3) engagement with industry, academia, and nongovernmental
entities to identify innovation gaps and opportunities related
to minerals and mining;
(4) alignment of applied academic and Federal mineral and
mining research and development with economic, energy, and
national security needs; and
(5) certification or validation of emerging technologies or
best practices that demonstrate significant economic,
environmental, and security benefits, including resource
optimization, environmental sustainability, community
engagement, and workforce development.
(e) Collaboration.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out this section, the
Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior may enter into
cooperative agreements, contracts, or other arrangements,
including partnerships, with academic, public, private, and
nongovernmental entities located in the United States, any
territory or possession of the United States, or a country
described in subparagraph (B) or (C) of section 12(3) of the
Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C.
98h-3(3)).
(2) Prioritization.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the
Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, prioritize entering into
cooperative agreements, contracts, or other arrangements with
academic institutions, including mining universities.
(f) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior shall submit
to Congress a report describing the results of the duties carried out
under subsection (c).
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $100,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2034, to remain available until
expended.
<all>