HR2969-119

What This Bill Does

The Finding ORE Act gives the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the USGS Director, authority to enter memoranda of understanding with partner foreign-country agencies for scientific and technical cooperation on critical mineral and rare earth element mapping. The MOU goals are supply-chain security and resilience: help partner countries map reserves, offer U.S. or allied-headquartered private companies a right of first refusal in further development, leverage DFC and Export-Import Bank preferential financing for projects that process minerals in the United States or allied countries, and protect mapping data from unauthorized access by nonparty or non-allied government or private entities. The cooperative work can include geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing data; prospectivity mapping; mineral resource assessments; derivative map products; geoscience collaboration; training; higher education partnerships; workplace and environmental standards training; and cooperation among partner-country entities, U.S. agencies, universities, research centers, and private companies. Congress gets 30 days notice before an MOU, and Interior must collaborate with State and consult private-sector actors.

Who Benefits and How

USGS mineral mapping teams benefit from explicit authority to cooperate internationally on critical minerals and rare earth elements. Partner foreign country agencies benefit from technical help mapping reserves and building geoscience capacity. U.S. mining companies benefit from right-of-first-refusal language and financing pathways for critical mineral development. Allied supply chains benefit if mapping and financing steer mineral processing toward the United States or allied countries.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Secretary of the Interior must negotiate MOUs, notify Congress 30 days before signing, and protect mapping data. The State Department must collaborate on partner-country selection, negotiation, and implementation. DFC and Export-Import Bank financing teams may need to prioritize mineral projects tied to U.S. or allied processing. Non-allied government entities face restricted access to mapping data created through cooperative activities.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes critical mineral and rare earth mapping MOUs with partner foreign-country agencies.
• Requires Interior to seek right-of-first-refusal opportunities for U.S. or allied private companies.
• Directs use of financing tools such as DFC and Export-Import Bank support for projects committed to U.S. or allied processing.
• Protects mapping data from unauthorized access by nonparty or non-allied entities and requires 30-day congressional notice.