Federal agencies would coordinate critical-mineral planning

A council in the Executive Office of the President would advise its co-chairs and a Chief Minerals Advisor. The council would include agency leaders or designees, with at least one representative from each of 18 named federal bodies. The co-chairs would designate the advisor within 180 days after enactment. The co-chairs would designate a Chief Minerals Advisor within 180 days after enactment.

The council would coordinate federal policies, funding priorities, and work with partner nations on critical-mineral projects. The duties cover federal policy and budgets, overseas investments, partnerships with allied and partner nations, domestic production, and workforce efforts. The council would track investments by China and other foreign entities of concern, as determined by the advisor. For agency decisions, it would seek to ensure that officials consider effects on mineral supplies when a decision could significantly affect them.

The advisor would send Congress a strategy and implementation plan, then provide progress briefings. The advisor would report to the congressional committees named in the bill, in consultation with the co-chairs for the initial report. The plan would describe how represented agencies intend to carry out the strategy and include benchmarks to measure progress. The first report would be due within one year after enactment. Briefings would begin within one year after that report and continue annually.