HR8450-118

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Phosphate and Potash Protection Act of 2024.

2. Evaluation of certain minerals for designation as critical minerals Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall evaluate potash, phosphates, and other minerals necessary for the production of fertilizer and other agricultural products used to promote crop development for designation as critical minerals under section 7002(c)(4) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(c)(4)). Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall— evaluate policies in place as of the date of the enactment of this section related to the permitting and leasing of projects for the exploration, development, and production of the minerals described in subsection (a); and submit to the appropriate congressional committees recommendations to support the domestic production of such minerals. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report regarding the evaluation carried out under subsection (a), including a description of how each mineral described in subsection (a) does or does not meet each requirement of the designation methodology to determine the eligibility of each such mineral for inclusion on the critical minerals list. If, pursuant to the evaluation carried out under subsection (a), the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, determines that a mineral described in subsection (a) meets each requirement of the designation methodology, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and not later than 60 days after the date on which the report required under subsection (c) is submitted, shall designate such mineral as a critical mineral under section 7002(c)(4) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(c)(4)) and update the critical minerals list accordingly. In this section: The term appropriate congressional committees means— the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. The term critical mineral has the meaning given the term in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)). The term critical minerals list means the list of critical minerals published under section 7002(c)(3) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(c)(3)). The term designation methodology means the methodology published under section 7002(c)(3) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(c)(3)) as of the date of the enactment of this section. The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.