[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 88 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S3249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1797. Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself, Mr. Manchin, Ms. Murkowski, 
and Ms. Hassan) 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:

        Strike subsections (c) and (d) of section 2214 (relating 
     to critical minerals mining research) of division B and 
     insert the following:
       (c) Grant Program for Processing of Critical Minerals and 
     Development of Critical Minerals and Metals.--
       (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Energy, in 
     consultation with the Director, the Secretary of the 
     Interior, and the Secretary of Commerce, shall establish a 
     grant program to finance pilot projects for--
       (A) the processing of critical minerals in the United 
     States; or
       (B) the development of critical minerals and metals in the 
     United States.
       (2) Limitation on grant awards.--A grant awarded under 
     paragraph (1) may not exceed $10,000,000.
       (3) Economic viability.--In awarding grants under paragraph 
     (1), the Secretary of Energy shall give priority to projects 
     that the Secretary of Energy determines are likely to be 
     economically viable over the long term.
       (4) Secondary recovery.--In awarding grants under paragraph 
     (1), the Secretary of Energy shall seek to award not less 
     than 30 percent of the total amount of grants awarded during 
     the fiscal year for projects relating to secondary recovery 
     of critical minerals and metals.
       (5) Domestic priority.--In awarding grants for the 
     development of critical minerals and metals under paragraph 
     (1)(B), the Secretary of Energy shall prioritize pilot 
     projects that will process the critical minerals and metals 
     domestically.
       (6) Prohibition on processing by foreign entity of 
     concern.--In awarding grants under paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary of Energy shall ensure that pilot projects do not 
     export for processing any critical minerals and metals to a 
     foreign entity of concern (as defined in section 2307(a)).
       (7) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy $100,000,000 
     for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2024 to carry out the 
     grant program established under paragraph (1).
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) 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)).
       (2) Critical mineral and metal.--The term ``critical 
     mineral and metal'' includes any host mineral of a critical 
     mineral.
       (3) Secondary recovery.--The term ``secondary recovery'' 
     means the recovery of critical minerals and metals from 
     discarded end-use products or from waste products produced 
     during the metal refining and manufacturing process, 
     including from mine waste piles, acid mine drainage sludge, 
     or byproducts produced through legacy mining and metallurgy 
     activities.
                                 ______