Sec. 101. Energy critical elements program
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There is established in the Department a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application to assure the long-term, secure, and sustainable supply of energy critical elements sufficient to satisfy the national security, economic well-being, and industrial production needs of the United States. The program shall support activities to— better characterize and quantify virgin stocks of energy critical elements using theoretical geochemical research; explore, discover, and recover energy critical elements using advanced science and technology; improve methods for the extraction, processing, use, recovery, and recycling of energy critical elements; improve the understanding of the performance, processing, and adaptability in engineering designs of energy critical elements; identify and test alternative materials that can be substituted for energy critical elements in particular applications; and engineer and test applications that— use recycled energy critical elements; use alternative materials; or seek to minimize energy critical element content.
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall support new or significantly improved processes and technologies as compared to those currently in use in the energy critical elements industry. In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall encourage multidisciplinary collaborations of participants, extensive opportunities for students at institutions of higher education, or both. The program shall be consistent with the policies and programs in the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 (30 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall collaborate, to the extent practicable, on activities of mutual interest with the relevant agencies of foreign countries with interests relating to energy critical elements. To collect, catalogue, disseminate, and archive information on energy critical elements, the Secretary shall establish, through a competitive process, a Research and Development Information Center. The Center shall— serve as the repository for scientific and technical data generated by the research and development activities funded under this section; assist scientists and engineers in making the fullest possible use of the Center’s data holdings; seek and incorporate other information on energy critical elements to enhance the Center’s utility for program participants and other users; provide advice to the Secretary concerning the program; and host conferences, at least annually, for participants in the program and other interested parties to promote information sharing and encourage new collaborative activities.
Not more than 2.5 percent of the amounts made available pursuant to this section may be used for hosting conferences under subparagraph (A)(v). Within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate Congressional committees a plan to carry out the program and the Center. The plan shall include a description of— the research and development activities to be carried out by the program during the subsequent 2 years; the expected contributions of the program and the Center to the creation of innovative methods and technologies for the efficient and sustainable provision of energy critical elements to the domestic economy; the technical criteria to be used to evaluate applications for loan guarantees under section 1706 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (as added by section 103 ); any projects receiving loan guarantee support under such section 1706 and the status of such projects; how the program is promoting the broadest possible participation by academic, industrial, and other contributors; and actions taken or proposed that reflect recommendations from the assessment conducted under subsection
(d)or the Secretary’s rationale for not taking action pursuant to any recommendation from such assessment for plans submitted following the completion of the assessment under such subsection. In preparing each plan under paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall consult with appropriate representatives of industry, institutions of higher education, Department of Energy national laboratories, professional and technical societies, and other entities, as determined by the Secretary. After the program has been in operation for 4 years, the Secretary shall offer to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy shall conduct an assessment of the program, including the operations and activities of the Center. The assessment shall include the recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences that the program should be— continued, accompanied by a description of any improvements needed in the program; or terminated, accompanied by a description of the lessons learned from the execution of the program. The assessment shall be made available to Congress and the public upon completion. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section the following sums: For fiscal year 2014, $15,000,000. For fiscal year 2015, $15,000,000. For fiscal year 2016, $15,000,000. For fiscal year 2017, $15,000,000. For fiscal year 2018, $15,000,000. From the amounts authorized under paragraph (1), there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $700,000 to enter into a contract under subsection (d)(1). Such sums shall remain available until expended.
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Sec. 101
Energy critical elements program
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