H.R. 2969 — Finding ORE Act

This section defines terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) "allied foreign country" as a country with which the United States has a mutual defense treaty or agreement; (2) "critical mineral" as defined in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)); (3) "institution of higher education" as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); (4) "partner foreign country" as a source of a critical mineral or rare earth element; (5) "rare earth element" as cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium, or yttrium; and (6) "Secretary" as the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

This section authorizes the Secretary to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with one or more heads of agencies of partner foreign countries for scientific and technical cooperation in mapping critical minerals and rare earth elements. In negotiating such an MOU, the Secretary shall seek to increase the security and resilience of international supply chains by (1) assisting the partner country in mapping reserves; (2) offering private companies headquartered in the United States or an allied foreign country right of first refusal for further development; (3) facilitating private-sector investment, including through preferential financing from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and Export-Import Bank that prioritizes U.S. or allied processing; and (4) protecting mapping data from unauthorized access or disclosure to governmental or private entities based in non-party or non-allied countries. The section specifies cooperative activities under the MOU—including data acquisition and analysis, prospectivity mapping, training, capacity building, and scientific collaboration—requires notification to Congress at least 30 days before entering an MOU, and directs collaboration with the Secretary of State on partner selection, negotiation, and implementation as well as consultation with the private sector.