117 HR 8187 IH: Mining Schools Act of 2022
U.S. House of Representatives
2022-06-22
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I
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8187
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 22, 2022
Mr. Owens (for himself, Mr. Costa, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Stauber, and Mr. Stewart) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
A BILL
To require technology grants to strengthen domestic mining education, and for other purposes.
1.

Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Mining Schools Act of 2022”.
2.

Technology grants to strengthen domestic mining education
(a)

Definitions
In this section:
(1)

Board
The term “Board” means the Mining Professional Development Advisory Board established by subsection (d)(1).
(2)

Mining industry
The term “mining industry” means the mining industry of the United States, consisting of the search for, extraction, beneficiation, refining, smelting, and processing of, naturally occurring metal and nonmetal minerals from the earth.
(3)

Mining profession
The term “mining profession” means the body of jobs directly relevant to—
(A)
the exploration, planning, execution, and remediation of metal and nonmetal mining sites; and
(B)
the extraction, including the separation, refining, alloying, smelting, concentration, and processing, of mineral ores.
(4)

Mining school
The term “mining school” means—
(A)
a mining, metallurgical, geological, or mineral engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., that is located at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); or
(B)
a geology or engineering program or department that is located at a 4-year public institution of higher education (as so defined) located in a qualified State.
(5)

Qualified State
The term “qualified State” means a State that, in the 5 years preceding the date of an application for a grant under this section, averaged not less than $2,000,000,000 in the combined categories of “Mining (except oil and gas)” and “Support activities for mining”, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
(6)

Secretary
The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Energy.
(b)

Domestic mining education strengthening program
The Secretary shall establish a program to strengthen domestic mining education under which the Secretary shall award competitive grants to mining schools for the purposes described in paragraph (4).
(c)

Grants
(1)

In general
In carrying out the grant program established under subsection (b), the Secretary shall award not more than 10 grants each year to mining schools.
(2)

Selection requirements
(A)

In general
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall select recipients for grants under paragraph (1) to ensure geographic diversity among grant recipients to ensure that region-specific specialties are developed for region-specific geology.
(B)

Timeline
(i)

In general
The Secretary shall award the first grant under paragraph (1) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.
(ii)

Subsequent grants
Each year following the first year in which grants are awarded pursuant to clause (i), the Secretary shall award subsequent grants by not later than 1 year after the date on which the grants were awarded the previous year.
(3)

Recommendations of the board
In selecting recipients for grants under paragraph (1) and determining the amount of each grant, the Secretary shall take into consideration the recommendations of the Board under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (d)(3).
(4)

Use of funds
A mining school shall use grant funds received under this section—
(A)
to recruit students to the mining school, including through awarding scholarships; and
(B)
to enhance and support programs related to, as applicable—
(i)
mining, mineral extraction efficiency, and related processing technology;
(ii)
emphasizing critical mineral and rare earth element exploration, extraction, and refining;
(iii)
reclamation technology and practices for active mining operations;
(iv)
the development of reprocessing systems and technologies that facilitate reclamation that fosters the recovery of resources at abandoned mine sites;
(v)
mineral extraction methods that reduce environmental and human impacts;
(vi)
technologies to extract, refine, separate, melt, or produce minerals, including rare earth elements;
(vii)
reducing dependence on foreign energy and mineral supplies through increased domestic critical mineral production;
(viii)
enhancing the competitiveness of United States energy and mineral technology exports;
(ix)
the extraction or processing of coinciding mineralization, including rare earth elements, within coal, coal processing byproduct, overburden, or coal residue;
(x)
enhancing technologies and practices relating to mitigation of acid mine drainage, reforestation, and revegetation in the reclamation of land and water resources adversely affected by mining;
(xi)
enhancing exploration and characterization of new or novel deposits, including rare earth elements and critical minerals within phosphate rocks, uranium-bearing deposits, and other nontraditional sources;
(xii)
meeting challenges of extreme mining conditions, such as deeper deposits or offshore or cold region mining; and
(xiii)
mineral economics, including analysis of supply chains, future mineral needs, and unconventional mining resources.
(d)

Mining professional development advisory board
(1)

In general
There is established an advisory board, to be known as the “Mining Professional Development Advisory Board”.
(2)

Composition
The Board shall be composed of 6 members, to be appointed by the Secretary not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, of whom—
(A)
3 shall be individuals who are actively working in the mining profession and for the mining industry; and
(B)
3 shall have experience in academia implementing and operating professional skills training and education programs in the mining sector.
(3)

Duties
The Board shall—
(A)
evaluate grant applications received under subsection (c) and make recommendations to the Secretary for selection of grant recipients under that subsection;
(B)
propose the amount of the grant for each applicant recommended to be selected under subparagraph (A); and
(C)
perform oversight to ensure that grant funds awarded under subsection (c) are used for the purposes described in paragraph (4) of that subsection.
(4)

Term
A member of the Board shall serve for a term of 4 years.
(5)

Vacancies
A vacancy on the Board—
(A)
shall not affect the powers of the Board; and
(B)
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made by not later than 180 days after the date on which the vacancy occurs.
(e)

Authorization of Appropriations
(1)

In general
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2030.
(2)

Requirement
At the end of each fiscal year, any amounts made available under paragraph (1) for that fiscal year that are not awarded as grants under subsection (c) shall be returned to the Treasury.