I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1063 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an assessment of the 
capability of the Nation to meet our current and future demands for 
the minerals critical to United States manufacturing and agricultural 
competitiveness and economic and national security in a time of expand-
ing resource nationalism, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 12, 2013 
Mr. LAMBORN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an assess-
ment of the capability of the Nation to meet our current 
and future demands for the minerals critical to United 
States manufacturing and agricultural competitiveness 
and economic and national security in a time of expand-
ing resource nationalism, and for other purposes. 
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 Policy Act of 2013’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) the availability of minerals and metals is es-
sential for economic growth, national security, tech-
nological innovation, and the manufacturing and ag-
ricultural supply chain; 
(2) the exploration, production, processing, use, 
and recycling of minerals contribute significantly to 
the economic well-being, security, and general wel-
fare of the Nation; 
(3) the industrialization of China and India has 
driven demand for nonfuel mineral commodities, 
sparking a period of resource nationalism exempli-
fied by China’s reduction and stoppage of exports of 
rare-earth mineral elements necessary for tele-
communications, military technologies, medical de-
vices, agricultural production, and renewable energy 
technologies; 
(4) the United States has vast mineral re-
sources but is becoming increasingly dependent upon 
foreign sources; 
(5) 25 years ago the United States was depend-
ent on foreign sources for 30 nonfuel mineral mate-
rials, 6 of which were entirely imported to meet the 
Nation’s requirements and another 16 of which were 
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imported to meet more than 60 percent of the Na-
tion’s needs; 
(6) by 2010, United States import dependence 
for nonfuel mineral materials more than doubled 
from 30 to 67 commodities, 18 commodities were 
imported entirely to meet the Nation’s requirements, 
and another 25 commodities required imports of 
more than 50 percent; 
(7) the United States lacks a coherent national 
policy to assure the availability of minerals essential 
to manufacturing, national economic well-being and 
security, agricultural production, and global eco-
nomic competitiveness; and 
(8) the Nation’s ability to compete and innovate 
requires proper planning and preparation today to 
meet tomorrow’s mineral needs. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION OF POLICY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—It is the continuing policy of the 
United States to promote an adequate and stable supply 
of minerals to maintain our Nation’s economic well-being, 
security, and manufacturing, industrial, energy, agricul-
tural, and technological capabilities. 
(b) POLICY GOALS.—Implementation of the policy set 
forth in subsection (a) requires that the Federal Govern-
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ment coordinate the Federal departments and agencies re-
sponsible for ensuring that supply, to— 
(1) facilitate the availability, development, and 
production of domestic mineral resources to meet 
national needs, including the demands of the Na-
tion’s manufacturing and agricultural industries; 
(2) promote and encourage the development of 
economically and environmentally sound, safe, and 
stable domestic mining, minerals, metals, processing, 
and minerals recycling industries; 
(3) establish an assessment capability for iden-
tifying the mineral demands, supply, and needs of 
our Nation; and 
(4) minimize duplication, needless paperwork, 
and delays in the administration of Federal and 
State laws and regulations, and issuance of permits 
and authorizations necessary to explore, develop, and 
produce minerals and construct and operate mineral- 
related facilities. 
SEC. 4. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR REPORT ON ACCESS 
AND AUTHORIZATIONS FOR MINERAL DEVEL-
OPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Inte-
rior, through the Bureau of Land Management and the 
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United States Geological Survey, and in consultation with 
the Secretary of Agriculture (through the Forest Service 
Mineral and Geology Management Division), the Secretary 
of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of 
other appropriate Federal agencies, shall prepare, submit 
to Congress, and make available to the public a report that 
includes— 
(1) an inventory of the nonfossil-fuel mineral 
potential of lands under the jurisdiction of the Bu-
reau of Land Management and the Forest Service 
and an identification of all such lands that have 
been withdrawn, segregated, or otherwise restricted 
from mineral exploration and development; 
(2) an assessment of— 
(A) the mineral requirements to meet cur-
rent and emerging national security, economic, 
industrial manufacturing, technological, agricul-
tural, and social needs; 
(B) the Nation’s reliance on foreign 
sources to meet those needs; and 
(C) the implications of mineral supply 
shortages or disruptions; 
(3) a detailed description of the time required 
to process mineral applications, operating plans, 
leases, licenses, permits, and other use authoriza-
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tions for mineral-related activities on lands under 
the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management 
and the Forest Service, and identification of meas-
ures that would streamline the processing of such 
applications, such as elimination of overlapping re-
quirements or set deadlines; 
(4) an itemized list of all use authorizations re-
ferred to in paragraph (3) for which applications are 
pending before the Bureau of Land Management 
and the Forest Service, and the length of time each 
of those applications has been pending; 
(5) an assessment of the impact of litigation on 
processing or issuing mineral exploration and mine 
permits, identification of the statutes the litigation 
was brought under, and the cost to the agency or 
the Federal Government, including for payments of 
attorney fees; 
(6) an update of the 2009 Economic Impact of 
the Department of the Interior’s Programs and Ac-
tivities report to include locatable minerals; 
(7) an assessment of the Federal workforce 
with educational degrees and expertise in economic 
geology, geochemistry, mining, industrial minerals, 
metallurgy, metallurgical engineering, and mining 
engineering, including— 
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(A) retirement eligibility and agency plans 
for retention, recruitment, and succession plan-
ning; 
(B) comparison of the existing Federal sal-
aries and recruitment and retention bonuses 
with the salaries, recruitment incentives, and 
retention packages normally offered in the min-
eral industry; and 
(C) examination of the differences between 
Federal and private financial packages for 
early-, mid-, and late-career workers; and 
(8) an inventory of rare earth element potential 
on the Federal lands, and impediments or restric-
tions on the exploration or development of those rare 
earth elements, and recommendations to lift the im-
pediments or restrictions while maintaining environ-
mental safeguards. 
(b) PROGRESS REPORTS.—Not later than one year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and each year 
thereafter for the following two years, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall submit to Congress and make available to 
the public a report that describes the progress made in 
reaching the policy goals described in section 3(b), includ-
ing— 
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(1) efforts to increase access to domestic sup-
plies of minerals, and facilitation of their production; 
and 
(2) implementation of recommendations con-
tained in— 
(A) the National Research Council re-
ports— 
(i) Minerals, Critical Minerals, and 
the U.S. Economy; 
(ii) Managing Minerals for a Twenty- 
First Century Military; and 
(iii) the current workforce study au-
thorized in sections 385 and 1830 of the 
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (119 Stat. 744, 
1137); 
(B) the Department of Energy Critical 
Materials Strategy I and II; and 
(C) the Department of Defense assessment 
and plan for critical rare earth elements in de-
fense applications required under section 843 of 
the National Defense Appropriations Act for 
Fiscal Year 2011. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL MINERAL ASSESSMENT. 
For the first National Mineral Assessment conducted 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the United States 
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Geological Survey shall include mineral assessments for 
those mineral commodities important to the Nation’s en-
ergy infrastructure, manufacturing and agricultural in-
dustries, and to the national defense. Priority should be 
given to minerals that are critical based on the impact of 
a potential supply restriction and the likelihood of a supply 
restriction. 
SEC. 6. GLOBAL MINERAL ASSESSMENT. 
The United States Geological Survey is directed to 
expand the current Global Mineral Assessment to include 
mineral assessments for rare earth elements and other 
minerals that are critical based on the impact of a poten-
tial supply restriction and the likelihood of a supply re-
striction. Assessments conducted under this section shall 
include an analysis, developed with participation by the 
National Minerals Information Center and in consultation 
with appropriate agencies, of the rare earth elements or 
other critical minerals supply chain and associated proc-
esses and products, including mining, processing, recy-
cling, separation, metal production, alloy production, and 
manufacturing of products sold to end users. In con-
ducting the assessment, the United States Geological Sur-
vey should coordinate with the heads of foreign geologic 
surveys when possible. 
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SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) INVENTORY.—The term ‘‘inventory’’ means 
an accounting of known mineral occurrences and 
mineral deposits, including documentation of identi-
fied resources. 
(2) MINERAL ASSESSMENT.—The term ‘‘min-
eral assessment’’ means an assessment of undis-
covered mineral resources that includes a qualitative 
assessment and a quantitative assessment of such 
resources. 
(3) QUALITATIVE
ASSESSMENT.—The term 
‘‘qualitative assessment’’ means a geologic-based de-
lineation (mapping) of areas permissive for the oc-
currence of undiscovered mineral resources, based on 
all available geotechnical data including geology, 
geophysics, geochemistry, remote sensing, and min-
eral localities data. 
(4) QUANTITATIVE
ASSESSMENT.—The term 
‘‘quantitative assessment’’ means a probabilistic esti-
mate of the quantity and quality by tonnage and 
grade of undiscovered mineral resources in areas de-
lineated as permissive for occurrence in a qualitative 
assessment. 
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SEC. 8. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER STATUTORY MINING 
POLICIES. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting 
any provision of or requirement under the Mining and 
Minerals Policy Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 21a). 
Æ 
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