H.R. 2969

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2969 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2969

To allow the Secretary of the Interior to enter into memoranda of 
understanding for the purpose of scientific and technical cooperation 
in the mapping of critical minerals and rare earth elements, and for 
other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 17, 2025

Mr. Wittman (for himself, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. 
Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Lawler, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Gimenez, Ms. Stevens, and 
Mr. Torres of New York) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To allow the Secretary of the Interior to enter into memoranda of 
understanding for the purpose of scientific and technical cooperation 
in the mapping of critical minerals and rare earth elements, 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 ``Finding Opportunities for Resource 
Exploration Act'' or the ``Finding ORE Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Allied foreign country.--The term ``allied foreign 
country'' means a country with which the United States has 
entered into a mutual defense treaty or other mutual defense 
agreement.
(2) Critical mineral.--The term ``critical mineral'' has 
the meaning given the term in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act 
of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).
(3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001).
(4) Partner foreign country.--The term ``partner foreign 
country'' means a country that is a source of a critical 
mineral or rare earth element.
(5) Rare earth element.--The term ``rare earth element'' 
means cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, 
holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, 
promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium, or 
yttrium.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
States Geological Survey.

SEC. 3. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH RESPECT TO THE MAPPING OF 
CRITICAL MINERALS AND RARE EARTH ELEMENTS.

(a) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretary may enter into a 
memorandum of understanding with 1 or more heads of agencies of partner 
foreign countries with respect to scientific and technical cooperation 
in the mapping of critical minerals and rare earth elements.
(b) Objectives.--In negotiating a memorandum of understanding under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall seek to increase the security and 
resilience of international supply chains for critical minerals and 
rare earth elements by--
(1) committing to assisting the partner foreign country 
through cooperative activities described in subsection (c) that 
help the partner foreign country map reserves of critical 
minerals and rare earth elements;
(2) ensuring that private companies headquartered in the 
United States or an allied foreign country are offered the 
right of first refusal in the further development of critical 
minerals and rare earth elements in the partner foreign 
country;
(3) facilitating private-sector investment in the 
exploration and development of critical minerals and rare earth 
elements, including by leveraging preferential financing from 
entities such as the United States International Development 
Finance Corporation and the Export-Import Bank of the United 
States that prioritizes projects committed to processing 
minerals in the United States or an allied foreign country; and
(4) ensuring that mapping data created through the 
cooperative activities described in subsection (c) is protected 
against unauthorized access by, or disclosure to, governmental 
or private entities based in countries that are not--
(A) a party to the memorandum of understanding; or
(B) an allied foreign country.
(c) Cooperative Activities.--The cooperative activities referred to 
in subsection (b) include--
(1) acquisition, compilation, analysis, and interpretation 
of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and spectroscopic remote 
sensing data;
(2) prospectivity mapping and mineral resource assessment;
(3) analysis of geoscience data, including developing 
derivative map products that can help more effectively evaluate 
the mineral resources of the partner foreign country;
(4) scientific collaboration to enhance the understanding 
and management of the natural resources of the partner foreign 
country to contribute to the sustainable development of the 
mineral resources sector of that partner foreign country;
(5) training and capacity building in each area described 
in paragraphs (1) through (4);
(6) facilitation of education and specialized training in 
geoscience and mineral resource management at institutions of 
higher education;
(7) training in environmental and workplace standards for 
relevant officials of the government and private companies of 
the partner foreign country; and
(8) cooperation among entities of the partner foreign 
country that are a party to the memorandum of understanding and 
entities in the United States, including Federal departments 
and agencies, institutions of higher education, research 
centers, and private companies.
(d) Notification to Congress.--The Secretary shall notify Congress 
not later than 30 days before the Secretary intends to enter into a 
memorandum of understanding under subsection (a).
(e) Collaboration With Secretary of State.--The Secretary shall 
collaborate with the Secretary of State in--
(1) prioritizing and selecting partner foreign countries 
with which to enter into a memorandum of understanding under 
subsection (a);
(2) negotiating a memorandum of understanding under 
subsection (a); and
(3) implementing a memorandum of understanding entered into 
under subsection (a).
(f) Consultation With Private Sector.--The Secretary shall consult 
with relevant private sector actors, as the Secretary determines to be 
appropriate, in--
(1) prioritizing and selecting partner foreign countries 
with which to enter into a memorandum of understanding under 
subsection (a); and
(2) assessing how a memorandum of understanding can best 
facilitate private sector interest in pursuing the further 
development of critical minerals and rare earth elements in 
accordance with the objectives described in subsection (b).
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