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Congressional Daily Record
This section is about changes proposed to a bill or resolution. It mentions committees such as Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, members such as Martin Heinrich.
Issued
June 24, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSA 6411. Mr. HEINRICH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1094. SEABED MINING.
(a) Regulations.—Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior
(referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) shall,
subject to subsection (b)—
(1) update section 581.13(a) of title 30, Code of Federal
Regulations, to ensure that the invitation of adjacent State
and Territory Governors described in that section for
activities described in that section is mandatory; and
(2) promulgate new regulations to establish and maintain a
seabed mining leasing program substantially similar to the
oil and gas leasing program described in section 18 of the
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344), subject
to the conditions that—
(A) all references to State Governors and States in that
section shall include Territory Governors and Territories;
and
(B) in the event of a significant natural or other
similarly impactful local disaster that would impact the
ability of a State or Territory government to participate to
the fullest extent possible in a leasing program comment
period—
(i) the lease process shall be delayed at the request of
the affected State or Territory Governor; and
(ii) the lease process may only recommence upon agreement
between the Secretary and the affected State or Territory
Governor.
(b) Moratorium and Study on Seabed Mining.—
(1) Temporary moratorium.—Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, beginning on the date of enactment of this
Act and ending on the date that the report described in
paragraph (2)(C) is submitted to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives, the Secretary
shall not review, issue, grant, or approve any new license,
permit, lease, or other instrument for the exploration,
commercial recovery, or mining of minerals in the exclusive
economic zone or the outer Continental Shelf pursuant to the
Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (30 U.S.C. 1401 et
seq.) or the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C.
1331 et seq.).
(2) Study.—
(A) In general.—The Secretary shall seek to enter into an
agreement with the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on seabed mining
for critical minerals.
(B) Requirements.—The study described in subparagraph (A)
shall include—
(i) an overview of the technological feasibility and
economic potential of extracting seabed minerals;
(ii) identification of information needed to establish
baselines in habitats found at proposed mining sites and
surrounding areas; and
(iii) the potential social, cultural, environmental, and
economic impacts of seabed mining, including cumulative
effects and possible methods to mitigate negative impacts.
(C) Report.—Not later than 3 years after the date on which
the Secretary enters into an agreement with the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under
subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives a report that includes the findings of the
study described in that subparagraph.