[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S3110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1578. Mr. MANCHIN (for himself, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Grassley, and Ms. 
Ernst) 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:

       On page 188, strike lines 2 through 25 and insert the 
     following:
       (a) Critical Minerals Mining Research and Development.--
       (1) In general.--In order to support supply chain 
     resiliency, the Secretary of Energy, acting through the 
     National Laboratories (as defined in section 2 of the Energy 
     Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)), in coordination with 
     the Director, shall issue awards, on a competitive basis, to 
     institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations 
     (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to 
     support basic research that will accelerate innovation to 
     advance critical minerals mining strategies and technologies 
     for the purpose of making better use of domestic resources 
     and eliminating national reliance on minerals and mineral 
     materials that are subject to supply disruptions.
       (2) Use of funds.--Activities funded by an award under this 
     section may include--
       (A) advancing mining research and development activities to 
     develop new mapping and mining technologies and techniques, 
     including advanced critical mineral extraction and 
     production, to improve existing or to develop new supply 
     chains of critical minerals, and to yield more efficient, 
     economical, and environmentally benign mining practices;
       (B) advancing critical mineral processing and geochemical
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