Title: Mining Schools Enhancement Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Mining School Enhancement Act
This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to require the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) of the Department of the Interior to ensure that at least 50% of specified research funds	are expended to enhance and support programs at mining and mineral engineering schools in the United States.
In addition, OSMRE shall ensure that research activities relate to conventional fuel resource development and production, including enhancing technologies and practices related to the mitigation of acid mine drainage, reforestation, and revegetation in the reclamation of land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2053 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2053

  To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to 
  enhance and support mining and mineral engineering programs in the 
 United States by funding activities at mining schools, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 6, 2017

 Ms. McSally (for herself, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Amodei, Mrs. Noem, and 
Mr. Young of Alaska) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to 
  enhance and support mining and mineral engineering programs in the 
 United States by funding activities at mining schools, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Mining School Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR MINING SCHOOLS.

    Section 721 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 
1977 (30 U.S.C. 1309b) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation 
        and Enforcement'' and inserting the following:
    ``(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), the Office of Surface 
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Mining Program Support.--
            ``(1) Of the amounts made available under this Act for 
        activities authorized under this section, the Director of the 
        Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement shall 
        ensure that at least 50 percent is expended to enhance and 
        support mining and mineral engineering programs in the United 
        States by funding activities at mining schools.
            ``(2) In expending funds under this section, the Director 
        shall consult with relevant stakeholders and ensure a 
        significant opportunity for participation by undergraduate and 
        graduate students at mining schools.
            ``(3) The Director shall ensure that the activities 
        conducted under this section relate to resource development and 
        production, and include--
                    ``(A) studies of mining, mineral extraction 
                efficiency, and related processing technology;
                    ``(B) mineral economics, reclamation technology, 
                and practices for active mining operations;
                    ``(C) the development of remining systems and 
                technologies that facilitate reclamation that fosters 
                the recovery of resources at abandoned mine sites;
                    ``(D) investigations of mineral resource extraction 
                methods that reduce environmental and human impacts;
                    ``(E) reducing dependence on foreign energy 
                supplies;
                    ``(F) enhancing the competitiveness of United 
                States energy technology exports;
                    ``(G) the extraction or processing of coinciding 
                mineralization, including rare earth elements, within 
                coal, coal processing byproduct, overburden or coal 
                residue; and
                    ``(H) enhancing technologies and practices related 
                to mitigation of acid mine drainage, reforestation, and 
                revegetation in the reclamation of land and water 
                resources adversely affected by coal mining.
    ``(c) Mining School Defined.--In this section the term `mining 
school' means a mining, metallurgical, or mineral engineering program 
or department accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and 
Technology, Inc., that is located at an institution of higher education 
(as that term is defined in section 631(a) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1132(a))) in the United States.''.
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