[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2793-S2794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1535. Mr. BARRASSO (for himself, Mr. Daines, Ms. Murkowski, and 
Ms. Lummis) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment 
SA 1502 proposed by Mr. Schumer to the bill S. 1260, to establish a new 
Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the National Science 
Foundation, to establish a regional technology hub program, to require 
a strategy and report on economic security, science, research, 
innovation, manufacturing, and job creation, to establish a critical 
supply chain resiliency program, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of title III of division F, add the following:

     SEC. 63__. TECHNOLOGY GRANTS TO STRENGTHEN DOMESTIC MINING 
                   WORKFORCE.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Byproduct.--The term ``byproduct'' has the meaning 
     given the term in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 
     (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).
       (2) Critical mineral.--The term ``critical mineral'' has 
     the meaning given the term in section 7002(a) of the Energy 
     Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)), except that the term shall 
     not exclude materials described in paragraph (3)(B)(iii) of 
     that section.
       (3) Mining school.--The term ``mining school'' means--

[[Page S2794]]

       (A) a mining, metallurgical, or mineral engineering program 
     or department 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)); and
       (B) a geology or engineering program or department that is 
     located at an institution of higher education (as so defined) 
     located in a State the gross domestic product of which in 
     2020 was not less than $1,000,000,000 in the category 
     ``Mining, quarrying, and oil & gas extraction'', according to 
     the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
       (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Energy.
       (5) State.--The term ``State'' means--
       (A) a State;
       (B) the District of Columbia;
       (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
       (D) Guam;
       (E) American Samoa;
       (F) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and
       (G) the United States Virgin Islands.
       (b) Grant Program.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the 
     Secretary of the Interior, shall establish a competitive 
     grant program under which the Secretary shall award grants to 
     mining schools.
       (2) Use of funds.--A mining school receiving a grant under 
     paragraph (1) shall use the grant funds to carry out a study, 
     research project, or demonstration project relating to the 
     production of critical minerals, including relating to--
       (A) enhancing and supporting mining and mineral engineering 
     programs at mining schools;
       (B) mining, mineral extraction efficiency, and related 
     processing technology;
       (C) reclamation technology and practices for active mining 
     operations;
       (D) the development of remining systems and technologies 
     that facilitate reclamation that fosters the recovery of 
     resources at abandoned mine sites;
       (E) critical mineral extraction methods that reduce 
     environmental and human impacts;
       (F) technologies to extract, refine, separate, melt, or 
     produce rare earth elements;
       (G) reducing dependence on foreign energy and mineral 
     supplies through increased domestic critical mineral 
     production;
       (H) enhancing the competitiveness of United States energy 
     and mineral technology exports;
       (I) the extraction or processing of coinciding 
     mineralization, including rare earth elements, within coal, 
     coal processing byproduct, overburden or coal residue;
       (J) 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;
       (K) enhancing exploration and characterization of new or 
     novel deposits, including rare earth elements and critical 
     minerals within phosphate rocks, uranium bearing deposits, 
     and other non-traditional sources;
       (L) meeting challenges of extreme mining conditions, such 
     as deeper deposits or offshore or cold region mining; and
       (M) mineral economics, including analysis of supply chains, 
     future mineral needs, and unconventional mining resources.
       (c) Public Participation.--In carrying out this section, 
     the Secretary shall--
       (1) consult with relevant stakeholders; and
       (2) provide to undergraduate and graduate students at 
     mining schools significant opportunities for participation.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for 
     each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
                                 ______