This bill changes the Department of Energy Organization Act to give the Secretary of Energy new duties about "critical energy resources." It defines a critical energy resource as an energy resource that is essential to U.S. energy systems and whose supply chain is vulnerable to disruption. The bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE), working with federal agencies, energy sector representatives, States, and other stakeholders, to do ongoing assessments of: the importance of those resources for energy technologies and energy supply; the U.S. supply chain for those resources; vulnerabilities in the supply chain; how U.S. energy security is affected by reliance on imports; and how adversarial nations may try to exploit these markets (including anti-competitive practices, price manipulation, or human rights abuses).
The bill also directs DOE to help develop strategies to strengthen supply chains by diversifying sources, increasing domestic production, separation, and processing, and to develop substitutes and improve reuse and recycling technologies for critical energy resources.
The Department of Energy will study and track which minerals and other energy resources are critical and where supply risks exist. The DOE will work with industry, States, and other federal agencies to plan ways to reduce those risks. The bill does not itself authorize specific projects or funds; it sets duties for the DOE to assess, plan, and support development of domestic production, substitutes, and recycling.
No publicly available information.
The bill's text states its purpose is to "secure the supply of critical energy resources" and to "ensure there is an adequate and reliable supply" of resources essential to U.S. energy security. It also directs the DOE to identify and mitigate supply disruptions and to reduce reliance on imports.
No publicly available information.