IB 
Union Calendar No. 192 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1937 
[Report No. 114–253, Part I] 
To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
to more efficiently develop domestic sources of the minerals and mineral 
materials of strategic and critical importance to United States economic 
and national security and manufacturing competitiveness. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 22, 2015 
Mr. AMODEI (for himself, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. 
YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. FLO-
RES, Mr. STEWART, Mr. COOK, Mr. HECK of Nevada, Mr. KELLY of 
Pennsylvania, Mrs. LUMMIS, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. STIV-
ERS, Mr. LABRADOR, Mr. HARDY, Mr. GRAVES of Georgia, Mr. LUETKE-
MEYER, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. BENISHEK, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. 
GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. 
SALMON, Mr. LAMALFA, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. THOMPSON of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. LATTA, Mr. BARR, Mr. COLE, 
Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia, and Mr. NEWHOUSE) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Nat-
ural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 
Additional sponsors: Mr. ROUZER, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. WALDEN, Mr. JOHN-
SON of Ohio, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. OLSON, Mr. 
SESSIONS, Mr. RENACCI, Mr. ROTHFUS, and Mrs. HARTZLER 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 
Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 
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SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 
The Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed to the Committee of 
the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
of Agriculture to more efficiently develop domestic 
sources of the minerals and mineral materials of strategic 
and critical importance to United States economic and 
national security and manufacturing competitiveness. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Strategic and 
Critical Minerals Production Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The industrialization of developing nations 
has driven demand for nonfuel minerals necessary 
for 
telecommunications, 
military 
technologies, 
healthcare technologies, and conventional and renew-
able energy technologies. 
(2) The availability of minerals and mineral 
materials are essential for economic growth, national 
security, technological innovation, and the manufac-
turing and agricultural supply chain. 
(3) The exploration, production, processing, 
use, and recycling of minerals contribute signifi-
cantly to the economic well-being, security and gen-
eral welfare of the Nation. 
(4) The United States has vast mineral re-
sources, but is becoming increasingly dependent 
upon foreign sources of these mineral materials, as 
demonstrated by the following: 
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(A) Twenty-five years ago the United 
States was dependent on foreign sources for 45 
nonfuel mineral materials, 8 of which the 
United States imported 100 percent of the Na-
tion’s requirements, and for another 19 com-
modities the United States imported more than 
50 percent of the Nation’s needs. 
(B) By 2014 the United States import de-
pendence for nonfuel mineral materials in-
creased from 45 to 65 commodities, 19 of which 
the United States imported for 100 percent of 
the Nation’s requirements, and an additional 24 
of which the United States imported for more 
than 50 percent of the Nation’s needs. 
(C) The United States share of worldwide 
mineral exploration dollars was 7 percent in 
2014, down from 19 percent in the early 1990s. 
(D) In the 2014 Ranking of Countries for 
Mining Investment (out of 25 major mining 
countries), found that 7- to 10-year permitting 
delays are the most significant risk to mining 
projects in the United States. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MINERALS.—The 
term ‘‘strategic and critical minerals’’ means min-
erals that are necessary— 
(A) for national defense and national secu-
rity requirements; 
(B) for the Nation’s energy infrastructure, 
including pipelines, refining capacity, electrical 
power generation and transmission, and renew-
able energy production; 
(C) to support domestic manufacturing, 
agriculture, 
housing, 
telecommunications, 
healthcare, and transportation infrastructure; 
or 
(D) for the Nation’s economic security and 
balance of trade. 
(2) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means any 
agency, department, or other unit of Federal, State, 
local, or tribal government, or Alaska Native Cor-
poration. 
(3) MINERAL
EXPLORATION
OR
MINE
PER-
MIT.—The term ‘‘mineral exploration or mine per-
mit’’ includes— 
(A) Bureau of Land Management and For-
est Service authorizations for pre-mining activi-
ties that require environmental analyses pursu-
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