[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 497. Mr. RISCH (for himself and Mr. Crapo) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

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

     SEC. 359. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONSULTATION ON CERTAIN 
                   STRATEGIC MINERAL PROJECTS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall consult 
     with the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of the 
     Bureau of Land Management on covered projects to ensure that 
     NEPA reviews conducted by cooperating agencies of each such 
     covered project are conducted in an efficient manner.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Cooperating agency.--The term ``cooperating agency'' 
     means a Federal agency other than the Forest Service or the 
     Bureau of Land Management involved in a NEPA review of a 
     covered project.
       (2) Covered project.--The term ``covered project'' means a 
     project that would produce any strategic mineral where the 
     Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management is the lead 
     agency.
       (3) NEPA review.--The term ``NEPA review'' means an 
     environmental document required under section 102(2)(C) of 
     the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
     4332(2)(C)).
       (4) Strategic minerals.--The term ``strategic minerals'' 
     means materials designated as strategic and critical under 
     section 3(a) of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock 
     Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98b(a)).
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