To allow the Secretary of the Interior to enter into memoranda of understanding for the purpose of scientific and technical cooperation in the mapping of critical minerals and rare earth elements, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Young, Mr. Hickenlooper, and Mr. …
Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Young, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Cornyn, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Finding Opportunities for Resource Exploration Act ("Finding ORE Act") authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with foreign countries to map their critical mineral and rare earth element reserves. The bill aims to strengthen U.S. access to these strategically important materials by using American geological expertise as leverage to secure preferential access for U.S. and allied companies.
Who Benefits and How
U.S. and Allied Mining Companies are the primary beneficiaries. They receive "right of first refusal" to develop any critical mineral deposits discovered through these mapping partnerships - meaning they get priority access before companies from non-allied countries can bid. This creates a significant competitive advantage in securing new mineral sources.
U.S. Government Agencies also benefit from expanded mandates:
- The U.S. Geological Survey gains authority for international mapping partnerships
- The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and Export-Import Bank gain new opportunities to finance mineral development projects that process minerals in the U.S. or allied countries
U.S. Universities and Research Institutions can participate in training programs and capacity building activities with partner countries.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Non-Allied Mining Companies (particularly Chinese, Russian, and other competitors) are explicitly disadvantaged. They are excluded from the "right of first refusal" and cannot access the mapping data generated through these agreements.
Partner Foreign Countries must accept conditions that give preferential treatment to U.S. and allied companies in exchange for receiving mapping assistance. They also must protect mapping data from disclosure to non-allied countries.
Countries Not Party to Agreements are locked out from accessing valuable geological data about global mineral reserves.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes the Secretary of Interior (through USGS) to sign MOUs with countries that have critical mineral resources
- Requires partner countries to offer U.S. and allied companies "right of first refusal" on mineral development
- Directs preferential U.S. government financing (DFC, Ex-Im Bank) toward projects that process minerals domestically or in allied countries
- Mandates data protection to prevent mapping information from reaching non-allied countries
- Requires 30-day congressional notification before signing any new agreement
- Requires collaboration with the Secretary of State on country selection and negotiations
- Expresses Congressional preference for "onshoring" (bringing back to the U.S.) critical mineral processing
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with foreign countries to map critical mineral and rare earth element reserves, with priority access for U.S. and allied companies.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Secure U.S. access to critical minerals through international partnerships while ensuring U.S. and allied companies get preferential treatment in development"
Likely Beneficiaries
- U.S. mining companies (right of first refusal for development)
- Allied country mining companies (right of first refusal)
- U.S. Geological Survey (expanded international mandate)
- U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (new project opportunities)
- Export-Import Bank of the United States (new financing opportunities)
- U.S. institutions of higher education (training and capacity building opportunities)
Likely Burden Bearers
- Non-U.S., non-allied mining companies (excluded from right of first refusal)
- Partner foreign countries (must grant priority access to U.S./allied companies)
- Countries not party to agreements (excluded from accessing mapping data)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey)
- "secretary_of_state"
- → Secretary of State
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or a country that has been designated as a major non-NATO ally under section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
Has the meaning given in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a))
Has the meaning given in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)
A country that is a source of a critical mineral or rare earth element
Cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium, or yttrium
Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology