Mining Schools Act of 2024

IB Union Calendar No. 705 118TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 2685 [Report No. 118–864] To require the Secretary of Energy to provide technology grants to strengthen domestic mining education, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 18, 2023 Mr. OWENS (for himself, Mr. COSTA, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Mr. BOST, Mr. STAUBER, Mr. ROSENDALE, and Mr. WITTMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources DECEMBER 12, 2024 Additional sponsors: Mr. ZINKE, Mr. STEWART, Mr. CURTIS, Mr. SWALWELL, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Mr. NEHLS, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Ms. HAGEMAN, Ms. MALOY, Mr. MEUSER, Mr. CISCOMANI, Ms. PETTERSEN, Ms. CARAVEO, and Mr. AMODEI DECEMBER 12, 2024 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 18, 2023] VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 2685 RH A BILL To require the Secretary of Energy to provide technology grants to strengthen domestic mining education, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 2685 RH Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Technology Grants to 4 Strengthen Domestic Mining Education Act of 2024’’ or the 5 ‘‘Mining Schools Act of 2024’’. 6 SEC. 2. TECHNOLOGY GRANTS TO STRENGTHEN DOMESTIC 7 MINING EDUCATION. 8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 9 (1) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the Min- 10 ing Professional Development Advisory Board estab- 11 lished by subsection (d)(1). 12 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 13 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the mean- 14 ing given the term in section 101 of the Higher Edu- 15 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 16 (3) MINING INDUSTRY.—The term ‘‘mining in- 17 dustry’’ means the mining industry of the United 18 States, consisting of the search for, and extraction, 19 beneficiation, refining, smelting, processing, reprocess- 20 ing, and recycling of, naturally occurring metal and 21 nonmetal minerals from the earth. 22 (4) MINING PROFESSION.—The term ‘‘mining 23 profession’’ means the body of jobs directly relevant 24 to— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 2685 RH (A) the exploration, planning, execution, 1 and remediation of metal and nonmetal mining 2 sites; and 3 (B) the extraction, including the separation, 4 refining, alloying, smelting, concentration, proc- 5 essing, reprocessing, and recycling of mineral 6 ores. 7 (5) MINING SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘mining school’’ 8 means— 9 (A) a mining, metallurgical, geological, or 10 mineral engineering program accredited by the 11 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Tech- 12 nology, Inc., that is located at an institution of 13 higher education, including a Tribal College or 14 University; or 15 (B) a geology or engineering program or de- 16 partment that is located at a 4-year public insti- 17 tution of higher education located in a State the 18 gross domestic product of which in 2021 was not 19 less than $2,000,000,000 in the combined cat- 20 egories of ‘‘Mining (except oil and gas)’’ and 21 ‘‘Support activities for mining’’, according to the 22 Bureau of Economic Analysis. 23 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 24 the Secretary of Energy. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 2685 RH (7) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The term 1 ‘‘Tribal College or University’’ has the meaning given 2 the term in section 316(b) of the Higher Education 3 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)). 4 (b) DOMESTIC MINING EDUCATION STRENGTHENING 5 PROGRAM.—The Secretary, in consultation with the Sec- 6 retary of the Interior (acting through the Director of the 7 United States Geological Survey), shall— 8 (1) establish a grant program to strengthen do- 9 mestic mining education; and 10 (2) under the program established under para- 11 graph (1), award competitive grants to mining 12 schools for the purpose of recruiting and educating the 13 next generation of mining engineers and other quali- 14 fied professionals to meet the future energy and min- 15 eral needs of the United States. 16 (c) GRANTS.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the grant 18 program established under subsection (b)(1), the Sec- 19 retary shall award not more than 10 grants each year 20 to mining schools. 21 (2) SELECTION REQUIREMENTS.— 22 (A) IN GENERAL.—To the maximum extent 23 practicable, the Secretary shall select recipients 24 for grants under paragraph (1) to ensure geo- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 2685 RH graphic diversity among grant recipients to en- 1 sure that region-specific specialties are developed 2 for region-specific geology. 3 (B) TIMELINE.—The Secretary shall award 4 the grants under paragraph (1) by not later than 5 the later of— 6 (i) the date that is 180 days after the 7 start of the applicable fiscal year; and 8 (ii) the date that is 180 days after the 9 date on which the Act making full-year ap- 10 propriations for the Department of Energy 11 for the applicable fiscal year is enacted. 12 (3) RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD.— 13 (A) IN GENERAL.—In selecting recipients 14 for grants under paragraph (1) and determining 15 the amount of each grant, the Secretary, to the 16 maximum extent practicable, shall take into con- 17 sideration the recommendations of the Board 18 under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection 19 (d)(3). 20 (B) SELECTION STATEMENT.—In selecting 21 recipients for grants under paragraph (1), the 22 Secretary shall— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 2685 RH (i) in response to a recommendation 1 from the Board, submit to the Board a 2 statement that describes— 3 (I) whether the Secretary accepts 4 or rejects, in whole or in part, the rec- 5 ommendation of the Board; and 6 (II) the justification and rationale 7 for any rejection, in whole or in part, 8 of the recommendation of the Board; 9 and 10 (ii) not later than 15 days after 11 awarding a grant for which the Board sub- 12 mitted a recommendation, publish the state- 13 ment submitted under clause (i) on the De- 14 partment of Energy website. 15 (4) USE OF FUNDS.—A mining school receiving 16 a grant under paragraph (1) shall use the grant 17 funds— 18 (A) to recruit students to the mining school; 19 and 20 (B) to enhance and support programs re- 21 lated to, as applicable— 22 (i) mining, mineral extraction effi- 23 ciency, and related processing technology; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 2685 RH (ii) emphasizing critical mineral and 1 rare earth element exploration, extraction, 2 and refining; 3 (iii) reclamation technology and prac- 4 tices for active mining operations; 5 (iv) the development of reprocessing 6 systems and technologies that facilitate rec- 7 lamation that fosters the recovery of re- 8 sources at abandoned mine sites; 9 (v) mineral extraction, refining, proc- 10 essing, reprocessing, and recycling methods 11 that reduce environmental and human im- 12 pacts; 13 (vi) technologies to extract, refine, sep- 14 arate, melt, produce, or recycle minerals, 15 including rare earth elements; 16 (vii) reducing dependence on foreign 17 energy and mineral supplies through in- 18 creased domestic critical mineral produc- 19 tion and recycling; 20 (viii) enhancing the competitiveness of 21 United States energy and mineral tech- 22 nology exports; 23 (ix) the extraction or processing of co- 24 inciding mineralization, including rare 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 9 •HR 2685 RH earth elements, within coal or other ores, 1 coal or mineral processing byproduct, over- 2 burden, or residue from coal, minerals, or 3 other ores; 4 (x) enhancing technologies and prac- 5 tices relating to mitigation of acid mine 6 drainage, reforestation, and revegetation in 7 the reclamation of land and water resources 8 adversely affected by mining; 9 (xi) enhancing exploration and charac- 10 terization of new or novel deposits, includ- 11 ing rare earth elements and critical min- 12 erals within phosphate rocks, uranium-bear- 13 ing deposits, and other nontraditional 14 sources; 15 (xii) meeting challenges of extreme 16 mining conditions, such as deeper deposits 17 or cold region mining; 18 (xiii) mineral economics, including 19 analysis of supply chains, future mineral 20 needs, and unconventional mining re- 21 sources; and 22 (xiv) mining practices that reduce en- 23 vironmental impact, including mining 24 practices that reduce water usage, mitigate 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 10 •HR 2685 RH surface disturbance, and promote overall re- 1 source efficiency. 2 (d) MINING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY 3 BOARD.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is established an advi- 5 sory board, to be known as the ‘‘Mining Professional 6 Development Advisory Board’’. 7 (2) COMPOSITION.—The Board shall be composed 8 of 6 members, to be appointed by the Secretary not 9 later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 10 Act, of whom— 11 (A) 3 shall be individuals who are actively 12 working in the mining profession and for the 13 mining industry; and 14 (B) 3 shall have experience in academia im- 15 plementing and operating professional skills 16 training and education programs in the mining 17 sector. 18 (3) DUTIES.—The Board shall— 19 (A) evaluate grant applications received 20 under subsection (c) and make recommendations 21 to the Secretary for selection of grant recipients 22 under that subsection; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 11 •HR 2685 RH (B) propose the amount of the grant for 1 each applicant recommended to be selected under 2 subparagraph (A); and 3 (C) perform oversight to ensure that grant 4 funds awarded under subsection (c) are used for 5 the purposes described in paragraph (4) of that 6 subsection. 7 (4) TERM.—A member of the Board shall serve 8 for a term of 4 years. 9 (5) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Board— 10 (A) shall not affect the powers of the Board; 11 and 12 (B) shall be filled in the same manner as 13 the original appointment was made by not later 14 than 180 days after the date on which the va- 15 cancy occurs. 16 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF THE MINING AND MINERAL RESOURCES 17 RESEARCH INSTITUTE ACT OF 1984. 18 Public Law 98–409 (30 U.S.C. 1221 et seq.) is re- 19 pealed. 20 SEC. 4. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 21 No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 22 requirements of this Act, and the activities authorized by 23 this Act are subject to the availability of appropriations 24 made in advance for such purposes. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB Union Calendar No. 705 118TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 2685 [Report No. 118–864] A BILL To require the Secretary of Energy to provide tech- nology grants to strengthen domestic mining edu- cation, and for other purposes. DECEMBER 12, 2024 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com- mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Dec 12, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H2685.RH H2685 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB