Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply Act

This bill tells the Department of Energy (DOE) to protect the supply of “critical energy resources,” like important minerals and materials used in energy tech. It defines these as resources that are essential to our energy systems and have supply chains that could be easily disrupted. The DOE would add new duties to keep these supplies steady and reliable, aiming to reduce risks from shortages, a single point of failure, or market manipulation.

The DOE must work with other federal agencies, energy companies, states, and other groups to constantly study these supply chains, find weak spots, and plan fixes. This includes diversifying where materials come from, boosting U.S. production and processing, developing substitutes, and improving recycling and reuse. The DOE must also review how rules affect supply, how much we rely on imports, and how adversarial nations may try to manipulate these markets. A report to Congress is due within two years on what they found and actions taken.

• Who is affected: DOE, other federal agencies, the energy sector, states, and other stakeholders involved in energy supply chains.
• What changes: New DOE responsibilities to assess risks, diversify supplies, increase domestic production and processing, develop substitutes, and improve recycling; ongoing monitoring; a required report within two years.
• When: The report is due within two years after the bill becomes law.