Critical Mineral Access Act
Bill: H.R.3896 | Sponsor: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" (R-GA)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Critical Mineral Access Act
This bill authorizes the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to provide support to high-income economy countries for developing and processing specified critical materials if such support furthers U.S. national security interests. Critical materials include, for example, rare earth elements, aluminum, and uranium.
A high-income economy country is one with a per capita gross national income (GNI) that exceeds $12,695 for 2021. Current law limits the corporation's activities to facilitating the economic development of countries with a per capita GNI below that amount.


To amend the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development 
 Act of 2018 to authorize support in high-income economy countries for 
   projects involving development or processing of covered critical 
 materials if such support furthers the national security interests of 
                           the United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Critical Mineral Access Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO BETTER UTILIZATION OF INVESTMENTS LEADING TO 
              DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2018.

    Section 1412(b) of the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to 
Development Act of 2018 (22 U.S.C. 9612(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The purpose'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) In general.--The purpose'';
            (2) by striking ``shall be to'' and inserting the 
        following: ``shall be--
                    ``(A) to'';
            (3) by striking ``the United States.'' and inserting the 
        following: ``the United States; and
                    ``(B) to provide support under title II in high-
                income economy countries for projects involving 
                development or processing of covered critical materials 
                if such support furthers the national security 
                interests of the United States.'';
            (4) by striking ``In carrying out'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(2) Consideration of certain criteria.--In carrying 
        out''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Definitions.--In paragraph (1)(B):
                    ``(A) Covered critical materials.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The term `covered 
                        critical materials' means aluminum (bauxite), 
                        antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, 
                        cesium, chromium, cobalt, fluorspar, gallium, 
                        germanium, graphite (natural), hafnium, helium, 
                        indium, lithium, magnesium, manganese, niobium, 
                        platinum group metals, potash, the rare earth 
                        elements group, rhenium, rubidium, scandium, 
                        strontium, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, 
                        tungsten, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium.
                            ``(ii) Rare earth elements group.--In 
                        clause (i), the term `rare earth elements 
                        group' means lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, 
                        neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, 
                        gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, 
                        erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, 
                        yttrium.
                    ``(B) High-income economy country.--The term `high-
                income economy country' means a country with a high-
                income economy, as defined by the International Bank 
                for Reconstruction and Development and the 
                International Development Association (collectively 
                referred to as the `World Bank').''.
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