IB 
Union Calendar No. 164 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2011 
[Report No. 112–248] 
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 competitiveness 
and economic and national security in a time of expanding resource 
nationalism, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 26, 2011 
Mr. LAMBORN (for himself, Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. 
BISHOP of Utah, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. THOMPSON of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. RIVERA, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. 
FLEISCHMANN, Mr. BENISHEK, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. BOREN, Mr. 
SIMPSON, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mrs. LUMMIS, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. 
MATHESON, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, and Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources 
OCTOBER 14, 2011 
Additional sponsors: Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. 
CALVERT, Mr. REHBERG, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. HECK, 
Mr. DUFFY, Mr. NUNES, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. SOUTHERLAND, Mr. 
DENHAM, Mr. MANZULLO, and Mr. QUAYLE 
OCTOBER 14, 2011 
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 
on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 26, 2011] 
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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 competitiveness and economic and 
national security in a time of expanding resource nation-
alism, and for other purposes. 
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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 Policy Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) the availability of minerals and metals is es-
sential for economic growth, national security, techno-
logical innovation, and the manufacturing and agri-
cultural supply chain; 
(2) the exploration, production, processing, use, 
and recycling of minerals contribute significantly to 
the economic well-being, security, and general welfare 
of the Nation; 
(3) the industrialization of China and India has 
driven demand for nonfuel mineral commodities, 
sparking a period of resource nationalism exemplified 
by China’s reduction and stoppage of exports of rare- 
earth mineral elements necessary for telecommuni-
cations, military technologies, medical devices, agri-
cultural production, and renewable energy tech-
nologies; 
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(4) the United States has vast mineral resources 
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 
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 an-
other 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 economic 
competitiveness; and 
(8) the Nation’s ability to compete and innovate 
requires proper planning and preparation today to 
meet tomorrow’s mineral needs. 
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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 Government 
coordinate the Federal departments and agencies respon-
sible for ensuring that supply, to— 
(1) facilitate the availability, development, and 
production of domestic mineral resources to meet na-
tional needs, including the demands of the Nation’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 identi-
fying 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 
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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 Interior, 
through the Bureau of Land Management and the United 
States Geological Survey, and in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Agriculture (through the Forest Service Mineral 
and Geology Management Division), the Secretary of De-
fense, the Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other 
appropriate Federal agencies, shall prepare, submit to Con-
gress, and make available to the public a report that in-
cludes— 
(1) an inventory of the nonfossil-fuel mineral po-
tential of lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau 
of Land Management and the Forest Service and an 
identification of all such lands that have been with-
drawn, segregated, or otherwise restricted from min-
eral exploration and development; 
(2) an assessment of— 
(A) the mineral requirements to meet cur-
rent and emerging national security, economic, 
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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 authorizations for 
mineral-related activities on lands under the jurisdic-
tion of the Bureau of Land Management and the For-
est Service, and identification of measures that would 
streamline the processing of such applications, such as 
elimination of overlapping requirements or set dead-
lines; 
(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 
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Federal Government, including for payments of attor-
ney 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, metal-
lurgy, metallurgical engineering, and mining engi-
neering, including— 
(A) retirement eligibility and agency plans 
for retention, recruitment, and succession plan-
ning; 
(B) comparison of the existing Federal sala-
ries and recruitment and retention bonuses with 
the salaries, recruitment incentives, and reten-
tion packages normally offered in the mineral 
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 restrictions 
on the exploration or development of those rare earth 
elements, and recommendations to lift the impedi-
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ments 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 there-
after for the following two years, the Secretary of the Inte-
rior 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), including— 
(1) efforts to increase access to domestic supplies 
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 
Minerals Strategy I and II; and 
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(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 Fis-
cal 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 
Geological Survey shall include mineral assessments for 
those mineral commodities important to the Nation’s energy 
infrastructure, manufacturing and agricultural industries, 
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 ex-
pand the current Global Mineral Assessment to include 
mineral assessments for rare earth elements and other min-
erals that are critical based on the impact of a potential 
supply restriction and the likelihood of a supply restriction. 
Assessments conducted under this section shall include an 
analysis, developed with participation by the National 
Minerals Information Center and in consultation with ap-
propriate agencies, of the rare earth elements or other crit-
ical minerals supply chain and associated processes and 
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