[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9646 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9646
To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a quantum-
enhanced critical minerals survey, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 13, 2026
Mr. Hurd of Colorado (for himself and Mr. Carbajal) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a quantum-
enhanced critical minerals survey, 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 ``Quantum-Enhanced Critical Minerals
Mapping Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Critical mineral.--The term ``critical mineral'' has
the meaning given to that term in section 7002(a) of the Energy
Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).
(2) Earth mri.--The term ``Earth MRI'' means the Earth
Mapping Resources Initiative of the United States Geological
Survey.
(3) Quantum gravity gradiometry.--The term ``quantum
gravity gradiometry'' means the use of quantum mechanical
systems, including cold-atom interferometry, to measure spatial
gradients of gravitational fields for the purpose of detecting
subsurface density variations.
(4) Rare earth element.--The term ``rare earth element''
means any of the 17 metallic elements consisting of the 15
lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium, which are a special
subset of critical minerals.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United
States Geological Survey.
SEC. 3. QUANTUM-ENHANCED CRITICAL MINERALS SURVEY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and carry out a
program to conduct original quantum-enhanced geophysical surveys to
improve upon existing United States Geological Survey data for the
discovery and characterization of critical mineral and rare earth
element deposits on or adjacent to Federal lands.
(b) Survey Requirements.--In carrying out the program under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
(1) conduct mobile quantum gravity gradiometry surveys over
not fewer than 3 priority critical minerals focus areas
identified under the Earth MRI program, with priority given to
focus areas in the western rare earth element zones;
(2) compare quantum gravity gradiometry data with existing
classical geophysical survey data from the same focus areas to
quantify detection improvements in resolution, depth
penetration, and mineral deposit characterization;
(3) integrate all survey data into the Earth MRI national
minerals database and make such data publicly accessible in a
format compatible with existing Earth MRI data platforms;
(4) coordinate with the Secretary of Energy, acting through
the directors of relevant Department of Energy national
laboratories, including the National Laboratory of the Rockies;
and
(5) to the maximum extent practicable, carry out surveys
under cooperative research and development agreements with
private quantum sensing firms to leverage private sector
investment and reduce Federal costs.
(c) State Coordination.--The Secretary shall consult and coordinate
with the State Geological Surveys of affected States in selecting
survey focus areas and interpreting survey results.
(d) Industry Access.--Survey data made publicly available under
subsection (b)(3) shall be provided to mining and mineral exploration
companies to facilitate private-sector investment in domestic critical
mineral development.
SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 24 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the quantum-
enhanced geophysical survey program established under section 3.
(b) Contents.--The report required under subsection (a) shall
include--
(1) a description of each survey area, the quantum gravity
gradiometry instruments deployed, and the survey methodologies
used;
(2) a summary of critical minerals and rare earth elements
identified or characterized in each survey area, including
estimated deposit locations, depths, and potential economic
significance;
(3) a quantitative comparison of quantum gravity
gradiometry results against classical geophysical survey
results from the same areas, including metrics for detection
resolution, subsurface depth penetration, and cost per unit
area surveyed;
(4) an assessment of the potential for quantum gravity
gradiometry to reduce speculative drilling requirements in
domestic critical minerals exploration;
(5) an analysis of private sector interest in and
investment resulting from publicly released survey data;
(6) recommendations for scaling quantum-enhanced
geophysical survey capabilities across the Earth MRI program
nationally;
(7) any legislative or regulatory changes the Secretary
recommends to accelerate domestic critical mineral permitting
in areas identified by the surveys; and
(8) a cost-benefit analysis comparing the Federal
investment under this Act with the estimated economic value of
critical mineral deposits identified.
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