‘‘NIST’’) shall establish a National Supply Chain Data-
base. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the National Supply 
Chain Database shall be to assist the Federal government 
and industry sectors in minimizing disruptions to the 
United States supply chain by having an assessment of 
United States manufacturers’ capabilities. 
(c) STUDY
ON NATIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN DATA-
BASE.—In establishing the National Supply Chain Data-
base, the Director of NIST shall take into consideration 
the findings and recommendations from the study author-
ized in section 9413 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283), including 
measures to secure and protect the National Supply Chain 
Database from adversarial attacks and vulnerabilities. 
(d) DATABASE AND MANUFACTURING EXTENSION 
PARTNERSHIP.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The National Supply Chain 
Database shall be carried out and managed through 
the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership 
program and the Director of NIST shall ensure that 
the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership 
Centers are connected to the National Supply Chain 
Database. 
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(2) CAPABILITIES.—The National Supply Chain 
Database shall be capable of providing a national 
view of the supply chain and enable authorized data-
base users to determine in near real-time the United 
States manufacturing capabilities for critical prod-
ucts, including defense supplies, food, and medical 
devices, including personal protective equipment. 
(3) INDIVIDUAL
STATE
DATABASES.—Each 
State’s supply chain database maintained by the 
NIST-recognized Manufacturing Extension Partner-
ship Center within the State shall be complementary 
in design to the National Supply Chain Database. 
(e) MAINTENANCE
OF NATIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN 
DATABASE.—The Director of NIST through the Hollings 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership program shall 
maintain the National Supply Chain Database as an inte-
gration of the State level databases from each State’s 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center and may be 
populated with information from past, current, or poten-
tial Center clients. 
(f) EXEMPT FROM PUBLIC DISCLOSURE.—The Na-
tional Supply Chain Database and any information related 
to it not publicly released by NIST shall be exempt from 
public disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United 
States Code, and access to non-public content shall be lim-
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ited to the contributing company and Manufacturing Ex-
tension Partnership Center staff who sign an appropriate 
non-disclosure agreement. 
SEC. 302. CRITICAL MINERALS MINING RESEARCH AND DE-
VELOPMENT AT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE 
FOUNDATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit orga-
nizations (or consortium of such institutions or organiza-
tions) to support basic research that will accelerate inno-
vation to advance critical minerals mining strategies and 
technologies for the purpose of making better use of do-
mestic resources and eliminating national reliance on min-
erals and mineral materials that are subject to supply dis-
ruptions. 
(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Activities funded by a grant 
under this section may include— 
(1) advancing mining research and development 
activities to develop new mapping and mining tech-
nologies and techniques, including advanced critical 
mineral extraction, production, separation, alloying, 
or processing techniques and technologies that can 
decrease energy intensity, potential environmental 
impact and costs of those activities; 
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(2) conducting long-term earth observatory of 
reclaimed mine sites, including the study of the evo-
lution of microbial diversity at such sites; 
(3) examining the application of artificial intel-
ligence for geological exploration of critical minerals, 
including what the size and diversity of data sets 
would be required; 
(4) examining the application of machine learn-
ing for detection and sorting of critical minerals, in-
cluding what the size and diversity of data sets 
would be required; 
(5) conducting detailed isotope studies of crit-
ical minerals and the development of more refined 
geologic models; or 
(6) providing training and researcher opportu-
nities to undergraduate and graduate students to 
prepare the next generation of mining engineers and 
researchers. 
SEC. 303. ADVANCED RECYCLING RESEARCH AND DEVEL-
OPMENT. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 
‘‘Advanced Recycling Research and Development Act of 
2021’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 
means the Department of Energy. 
(2) NATIONAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Na-
tional Laboratory’’ has the meaning given that term 
in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 15801). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
(4) RECYCLABLE PLASTIC.—The term ‘‘recycla-
ble plastic’’ means plastic that is designed to be 
readily, economically, and efficiently recyclable or 
otherwise recoverable for beneficial use. 
(5) CRITICAL
MATERIAL.—The term ‘‘critical 
material’’ means material that serves an essential 
function in the manufacturing of a product and has 
a high risk of a supply disruption, such that a short-
age of such material would have significant con-
sequences for the economic or national security of 
the United States. 
(6) COMPOSITE.—The term ‘‘composite’’ means 
plastic reinforced with fiber or particulate secondary 
material like bio-derived fibers, carbon fibers, glass 
or any other solid material. 
(c) OPTIMIZED PLASTICS RECYCLING RESEARCH 
AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a research, development, and demonstration pro-
gram to accelerate innovation in energy-efficient re-
cyclable plastics, next-generation plastics, and com-
posites recycling and upcycling strategies and tech-
nologies, in order to increase the economic value of 
plastics supply streams and to reduce the environ-
mental impact of global plastics consumption. 
(2) EXECUTION.—In carrying out the program 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall— 
(A) develop novel collection and sorting 
technologies to prevent plastics and composites, 
including waterborne plastics, from entering 
landfills and the marine environment; 
(B) develop biological, chemical, and hy-
brid bio-chemical technologies and methods for 
deconstructing plastic and composite waste, in-
cluding environmental waste, into useful chem-
ical and material streams; 
(C) develop technologies to upcycle waste, 
including chemical, material, and gaseous 
streams, into higher-value products; 
(D) develop new economically recyclable- 
by-design plastics and composites that can be 
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scaled for domestic manufacturability and re-
covery; 
(E) develop new energy-efficient advanced 
manufacturing techniques for reclaimed plastics 
and composites; and 
(F) develop new data collection methods 
and practices in collaboration with relevant 
Federal agencies. 
(3) LEVERAGING.—In carrying out the program 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall leverage 
resources and expertise from— 
(A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program 
and the Biological and Environmental Research 
Program of the Office of Science; and 
(B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy. 
(4) STANDARD
OF
REVIEW.—The Secretary 
shall periodically review activities carried out under 
the program under this subsection to determine the 
achievement of technical milestones as determined 
by the Secretary. 
(5) FUNDING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—From within funds au-
thorized to be appropriated— 
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(i) to the Department’s Office of 
Science, there shall be made available to 
the Secretary to carry out the program 
under this subsection $15,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2022 through 2026; and 
(ii) to the Department’s Office of En-
ergy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 
there shall be made available to the Sec-
retary to carry out the program under this 
subsection $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026. 
(B) PROHIBITION.—In carrying out the 
program under this subsection, the Secretary 
shall not use funds made available under para-
graph (1) for commercial application of energy 
technology. 
(d) LITHIUM-ION BATTERY RECYCLING RESEARCH 
AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a research, development, and demonstration pro-
gram to support the development of— 
(A) advanced materials for batteries with 
considerations given to resource availability and 
environmentally benign disposal and recycling; 
and 
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(B) innovative technologies to reclaim and 
recycle critical materials from advanced and 
lithium-ion based battery technologies used in 
consumer electronics, defense, stationary stor-
age, and transportation applications. 
(2) EXECUTION.—In carrying out the program 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall— 
(A) promote the discovery of new domesti-
cally sourced raw materials for batteries that 
can degrade without causing damage to the en-
vironment; 
(B) develop innovative and cost-effective 
technologies and processes for the collection, 
storage, and transportation of discarded lith-
ium-ion batteries that use domestic mining re-
sources and increase availability of domestically 
sourced raw materials for batteries; and 
(C) develop cost-effective recycling proc-
esses to recover critical materials from dis-
carded lithium-ion batteries and enable their re-
introduction in new lithium-ion cell technologies 
and for use in other relevant industries. 
(3) LEVERAGING.—In carrying out the program 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall leverage 
resources and expertise from— 
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(A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program of 
the Office of Science; 
(B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy, including current lithium- 
ion battery recycling activities supported by the 
Vehicle Technologies Office within the Office of 
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and 
(C) the Office of Technology Transitions. 
(4) STANDARD
OF
REVIEW.—The Secretary 
shall periodically review activities carried out under 
the program under this subsection to determine the 
achievement of technical milestones as determined 
by the Secretary. 
(5) FUNDING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—From within funds au-
thorized to be appropriated— 
(i) to the Department’s Office of 
Science, there shall be made available to 
the Secretary to carry out the activities 
under this subsection $10,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2022 through 2026; and 
(ii) to the Department’s Office of En-
ergy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 
there shall be made available to the Sec-
retary to carry out the activities under this 
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subsection $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026. 
(B) PROHIBITION.—In carrying out the 
program under this subsection, the Secretary 
shall not use funds made available under sub-
paragraph (A) for commercial application of en-
ergy technology. 
SEC. 
304. 
CRITICAL 
MINERALS 
INTERAGENCY 
SUB-
COMMITTEE. 
(a) IN
GENERAL.—The Critical Minerals Sub-
committee of the National Science and Technology Council 
(referred to in this section as ‘‘Subcommittee’’) shall co-
ordinate Federal science and technology efforts to ensure 
secure and reliable supplies of critical minerals to the 
United States. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Subcommittee 
shall be— 
(1) to advise and assist the Committee on 
Homeland and National Security and the National 
Science and Technology Council on United States 
policies, procedures, and plans as it relates to crit-
ical minerals, including— 
(A) Federal research, development, and de-
ployment efforts to optimize methods for ex-
tractions, concentration, separation and purifi-
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cation of conventional, secondary, and uncon-
ventional sources of critical minerals; 
(B) efficient use and reuse of critical min-
erals; 
(C) the critical minerals workforce of the 
United States; and 
(D) United States private industry invest-
ments in innovation and technology transfer 
from federally funded science and technology; 
(2) to identify emerging opportunities, stimu-
late international cooperation, and foster the devel-
opment of secure and reliable supply chains of crit-
ical minerals; 
(3) to ensure the transparency of information 
and data related to critical minerals; and 
(4) to provide recommendations on coordination 
and collaboration among the research, development, 
and deployment programs and activities of Federal 
agencies to promote a secure and reliable supply of 
critical minerals necessary to maintain national se-
curity, economic well-being, and industrial produc-
tion. 
(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—In carrying out paragraphs 
(1) and (2), the Subcommittee may, taking into account 
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the findings and recommendations of relevant advisory 
committees— 
(1) provide recommendations on how Federal 
agencies may improve the topographic, geologic, and 
geophysical mapping of the United States and im-
prove the discoverability, accessibility, and usability 
of the resulting and existing data, to the extent per-
mitted by law and subject to appropriate limitation 
for purposes of privacy and security; assess the 
progress towards developing critical minerals recy-
cling and reprocessing technologies, and techno-
logical alternatives to critical minerals; 
(2) examine options for accessing and devel-
oping critical minerals through investment and trade 
with our allies and partners and provide rec-
ommendations; 
(3) evaluate and provide recommendations to 
incentivize the development and use of advances in 
science and technology in the private industry; 
(4) assess the need for and make recommenda-
tions to address the challenges the United States 
critical minerals supply chain workforce faces, in-
cluding aging and retiring personnel and faculty; 
public perceptions about the nature of mining and 
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mineral processing; and foreign competition for 
United States talent; 
(5) develop, and update as necessary, a stra-
tegic plan to guide Federal programs and activities 
to enhance scientific and technical capabilities across 
critical mineral supply chains, including a roadmap 
that identifies key research and development needs 
and coordinates ongoing activities for source diver-
sification, more efficient use, recycling, and substi-
tution for critical minerals; as well as cross-cutting 
mining science, data science techniques, materials 
science, manufacturing science and engineering, 
computational modeling, and environmental health 
and safety research and development; and 
(6) report to the appropriate committees of 
Congress on activities and findings under this sec-
tion. 
SEC. 305. HEAVY FREIGHT AUTONOMOUS TRUCKING RE-
SEARCH CORRIDOR. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish a Heavy Freight Autonomous Truck-
ing Research Initiative to lay the foundation for the broad 
scale adoption of autonomous freight trucking. 
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(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—In carrying out the Initia-
tive established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 
(1) support and conduct research and develop-
ment on automated and connected freight trucking 
with private industry, and industry associations, 
other Federal agencies, State and local Transpor-
tation agencies, research universities, and a National 
Transportation 
center 
selected 
under 
section 
5505(c)(2) of title 49, United States Code; and 
(2) support or establish a heavy freight autono-
mous trucking research and development corridor 
and related pilot programs. 
(c) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA.—The 
Secretary, in consultation with interested parties, shall es-
tablish an agenda for research and development conducted 
under subsection (b)(1) and the programs described in 
subsection (b)(2) that at a minimum, include— 
(1) analyzing, modeling, and piloting the feasi-
bility and benefits of dedicated autonomous trucking 
corridors, including their impact on— 
(A) long distance freight movement; 
(B) supply chains that are critical to the 
United States economy; 
(C) fuel economy and emissions; 
(D) transportation infrastructure; 
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(E) vehicle miles traveled; 
(F) the freight trucking workforce; and 
(G) safety, accidents, and fatalities; and 
(2) providing deployment guidance, including 
for— 
(A) utilization costs models; 
(B) cyber-physical security; and 
(C) human factors, including training the 
next generation of the transportation workforce. 
(d) ELIGIBILITY.—An institution of higher education 
(as defined by section 102 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) or a consortium composed of 
nonprofits and institutions of higher education shall be eli-
gible to receive grants under this program. 
(e) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In awarding a grant, the 
Secretary shall— 
(1) give preference to the recipient’s past and 
current collaboration with local and state transpor-
tation agencies in activities related to section; 
(2) give preference to a recipient whose geo-
graphic location offer access to long haul tucking 
corridors; 
(3) consider the extent to which an applicant’s 
proposal would involve participation by local, re-
gional, and national stakeholders; and 
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