July 22, 2014

On July 22, the House failed to achieve the two-thirds majority vote required to pass the Securing Energy Critical Elements and American Jobs Act of 2013 (H.R. 1022), which supported federal investment in research and development for energy critical materials. Despite bipartisan support for the bill, many Republicans withdrew their support after the conservative group Heritage Action voiced opposition, saying a vote in favor of the legislation would count against legislators in the group’s annual vote scorecard.

The legislation would have called on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to coordinate actions across federal agencies to secure the domestic supply of critical minerals, and the Department of Energy (DOE) to improve methods for the exploration, processing, and recycling of energy critical elements.  The bill would have also created a Research and Development Information Center within DOE to “collect, catalogue, disseminate, and archive information on energy critical elements.” The bipartisan bill, introduced by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and supported by House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX), would have authorized $25 million in spending between 2015 and 2019 using previously appropriated funds.

Sources: E&E News, U.S. Geological Survey