Critical Minerals List Legislation

House Natural Resources Committee
   Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee
1334 Longworth

04/06/2024 at 10:30AM

On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., in room 1334 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:

  • H.R. 6395 (Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah), “Recognizing the Importance of Critical Minerals in Healthcare Act of 2023”;
  • H.R. 8446 (Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.), To amend the Energy Act of 2020 to include critical materials in the definition of critical mineral;
  • H.R. 8450 (Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla.), “Phosphate and Potash Protection Act of 2024”.

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

  • Colin Williams, U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Resources Program, Program Coordinator [All bills]
  • Misael Cabrera, Director, School of Mining & Mineral Resources, The University of Arizona [H.R. 8446]
  • Sally Macaluso, Chief Procurement Officer, GE HealthCare [H.R. 6395]
  • Corey Rosenbusch, President & CEO, The Fertilizer Institute [H.R. 8450]
  • Dr. Roopali Phadke, Professor of Environmental Studies, Macalester College [Minority Witness] [H.R. 8446]

The Department of Energy’s 2023 Critical Materials List, unlike the USGS CML, contains copper, electrical steel, fluorine, silicon, and silicon carbide. H.R. 8446 would ensure that the materials on the DOE list would also appear on the USGS CML.

By requiring DOI to consult with HHS, H.R. 6395 will ensure that medical uses of minerals such as uranium (used in the production of molybdenum-99 and technetium-99m), copper, gold, lithium, titanium, silver, and platinum, and the ramifications that any supply disruption could have on the healthcare economy are considered when evaluating CML designations.

H.R. 8450 would direct the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to reevaluate potash, phosphate, and materials necessary for fertilizer for designation as critical minerals. This bill also requires DOI to publish a report to Congress explaining why these minerals do or do not meet the necessary CML requirements and to update the CML within 60 days should USGS find that any mineral meets the criteria.