S.Amdt. 2922

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Coons, aims to add a new section called Finding Opportunities for Resource Exploration to the bill. The purpose is to prioritize the onshoring of critical mineral processing and to increase the security and resilience of international supply chains for rare earth elements and critical minerals.

To achieve this, the amendment proposes the following:

• International Cooperation: It allows the Secretary of the Interior (through the Director of the United States Geological Survey) to create memorandums of understanding with partner foreign countries. These agreements would focus on scientific and technical cooperation to map critical minerals and rare earth elements.

• Strategic Objectives: The goals of these agreements include assisting partner countries with mapping reserves, facilitating private-sector investment, and ensuring private companies from the United States or allied foreign countries are offered the right of first refusal for further development.

• Data Protection: The amendment requires that mapping data created through these activities be protected from unauthorized access or disclosure to entities in countries that are not allied foreign countries or parties to the agreement.

• Cooperative Activities: These activities include the analysis of geoscience data, mineral resource assessment, training and capacity building, and collaboration between the United States and partner countries involving research centers, private companies, and institutions of higher education.

• Oversight and Coordination: The Secretary must notify and report to appropriate committees of Congress at least 30 days before entering into an agreement. Additionally, the Secretary must obtain concurrence from the Secretary of State and consult with relevant private sector actors.