Sen. Murkowski Introduces Critical Minerals Amendment to Currency Bill

In an effort to promote the domestic production of critical minerals, U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Dean Heller, R-Nev., this week filed an amendment to the currency bill currently being debated in the Senate.

The amendment highlights the importance of domestic minerals production to global competitiveness, economic growth and the development of advanced energy technologies such as wind turbines and electric cars.

Sens. Murkowski and Heller hope to address obstacles to increased domestic production through the amendment, which would create a “Critical Minerals Working Group” of government officials who would work to optimize the efficiency of the mining permitting process.

“Critical minerals are the building blocks of our economy. We rely on them for everything from the smallest computer chips to the tallest skyscrapers, and yet the United States somehow lacks clear policies to ensure an affordable and abundant domestic supply. … If we want to compete with China, we must restore our ability to produce a wide variety of raw materials,” Murkowski said in a statement.

The amendment is similar to Murkowski’s Critical Minerals Policy Act, which was introduced to Congress in May 2011 in an effort to revitalize the United States’ critical minerals supply chain and reduce the nation’s growing dependence on foreign suppliers.