[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3915 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3915
To require the Secretary of Energy to provide technology grants to
strengthen domestic mining education, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 24, 2022
Mr. Barrasso (for himself and Mr. Manchin) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Energy to provide technology grants to
strengthen domestic mining education, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Technology Grants to Strengthen
Domestic Mining Education Act of 2022'' or the ``Mining Schools Act of
2022''.
SEC. 2. TECHNOLOGY GRANTS TO STRENGTHEN DOMESTIC MINING EDUCATION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Board.--The term ``Board'' means the Mining
Professional Development Advisory Board established by
subsection (d)(1).
(2) Mining industry.--The term ``mining industry'' means
the mining industry of the United States, consisting of the
search for, and extraction, beneficiation, refining, smelting,
and processing of, naturally occurring metal and nonmetal
minerals from the earth.
(3) Mining profession.--The term ``mining profession''
means the body of jobs directly relevant to--
(A) the exploration, planning, execution, and
remediation of metal and nonmetal mining sites; and
(B) the extraction, including the separation,
refining, alloying, smelting, concentration, and
processing, of mineral ores.
(4) Mining school.--The term ``mining school'' means--
(A) a mining, metallurgical, geological, or mineral
engineering program accredited by the Accreditation
Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., that is
located at an institution of higher education (as
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); and
(B) a geology or engineering program or department
that is located at a 4-year public institution of
higher education (as so defined) located in a State the
gross domestic product of which in 2020 was not less
than $2,000,000,000 in the combined categories of
``Mining (except oil and gas)'' and ``Support
activities for mining'', according to the Bureau of
Economic Analysis.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(b) Domestic Mining Education Strengthening Program.--The Secretary
shall establish a program to strengthen domestic mining education under
which the Secretary shall award competitive grants to mining schools
for the purpose of recruiting and educating the next generation of
mining engineers and other qualified professionals to meet the future
energy and mineral needs of the United States.
(c) Grants.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the grant program
established under subsection (b), the Secretary shall award not
more than 10 grants each year to mining schools.
(2) Selection requirements.--
(A) In general.--To the maximum extent practicable,
the Secretary shall select recipients for grants under
paragraph (1) to ensure geographic diversity among
grant recipients to ensure that region-specific
specialties are developed for region-specific geology.
(B) Timeline.--
(i) In general.--The Secretary shall award
the first grants under paragraph (1) by not
later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(ii) Subsequent grants.--Each year
following the first year in which grants are
awarded pursuant to clause (i), the Secretary
shall award subsequent grants by not later than
1 year after the date on which the grants were
awarded the previous year.
(3) Recommendations of the board.--In selecting recipients
for grants under paragraph (1) and determining the amount of
each grant, the Secretary shall take into consideration the
recommendations of the Board under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of
subsection (d)(3).
(4) Use of funds.--A mining school receiving a grant under
paragraph (1) shall use the grant funds--
(A) to recruit students to the mining school; and
(B) to enhance and support programs related to, as
applicable--
(i) mining, mineral extraction efficiency,
and related processing technology;
(ii) emphasizing critical mineral and rare
earth element exploration, extraction, and
refining;
(iii) reclamation technology and practices
for active mining operations;
(iv) the development of reprocessing
systems and technologies that facilitate
reclamation that fosters the recovery of
resources at abandoned mine sites;
(v) mineral extraction methods that reduce
environmental and human impacts;
(vi) technologies to extract, refine,
separate, melt, or produce minerals, including
rare earth elements;
(vii) reducing dependence on foreign energy
and mineral supplies through increased domestic
critical mineral production;
(viii) enhancing the competitiveness of
United States energy and mineral technology
exports;
(ix) the extraction or processing of
coinciding mineralization, including rare earth
elements, within coal, coal processing
byproduct, overburden, or coal residue;
(x) enhancing technologies and practices
relating to mitigation of acid mine drainage,
reforestation, and revegetation in the
reclamation of land and water resources
adversely affected by mining;
(xi) enhancing exploration and
characterization of new or novel deposits,
including rare earth elements and critical
minerals within phosphate rocks, uranium-
bearing deposits, and other nontraditional
sources;
(xii) meeting challenges of extreme mining
conditions, such as deeper deposits or offshore
or cold region mining; and
(xiii) mineral economics, including
analysis of supply chains, future mineral
needs, and unconventional mining resources.
(d) Mining Professional Development Advisory Board.--
(1) In general.--There is established an advisory board, to
be known as the ``Mining Professional Development Advisory
Board''.
(2) Composition.--The Board shall be composed of 6 members,
to be appointed by the Secretary not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, of whom--
(A) 3 shall be individuals who are actively working
in the mining profession and for the mining industry;
and
(B) 3 shall have experience in academia
implementing and operating professional skills training
and education programs in the mining sector.
(3) Duties.--The Board shall--
(A) evaluate grant applications received under
subsection (c) and make recommendations to the
Secretary for selection of grant recipients under that
subsection;
(B) propose the amount of the grant for each
applicant recommended to be selected under subparagraph
(A); and
(C) perform oversight to ensure that grant funds
awarded under subsection (c) are used for the purposes
described in paragraph (4) of that subsection.
(4) Term.--A member of the Board shall serve for a term of
4 years.
(5) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Board--
(A) shall not affect the powers of the Board; and
(B) shall be filled in the same manner as the
original appointment was made by not later than 180
days after the date on which the vacancy occurs.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2023 through 2030.
(2) Requirement.--At the end of each fiscal year, any
amounts made available under paragraph (1) for that fiscal year
that are not awarded as grants under subsection (c) shall be
returned to the Treasury.
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