International negotiations relating to protecting critical mineral supply chains

(a) In general The President is authorized to negotiate an agreement with international partners for the purposes of establishing a coalition— (1) to facilitate— (A) the mining, processing, recycling, and enhanced access to the supply of critical minerals; and (B) advanced manufacturing that relies on the practical application of critical minerals; and (2) to secure an adequate supply of critical minerals and relevant products, manufacturing inputs, and components that are heavily dependent on critical mineral resource inputs for the United States and other members of the coalition (in this section referred to as member countries). (b) Negotiating objectives The overall objectives for negotiating an agreement described in subsection (a) should be— (1) to establish mechanisms for member countries to build secure and resilient supply chains for critical minerals, including in— (A) the mining, refinement, reclamation and recycling, processing, and valuation of critical minerals; and (B) advanced manufacturing of products, components, and materials that are dependent on critical minerals; (2) to improve economies of scale and joint cooperation with international partners in securing access and means of production throughout the supply chains of critical minerals and manufacturing processes dependent on critical minerals; (3) to establish mechanisms, with appropriate market-based disciplines, that provide and maintain opportunities among member countries for creating industry economies of scale to attract joint investment among those countries, including— (A) cooperation on joint projects, including cost-sharing on building appropriate infrastructure to access deposits of critical minerals; and (B) creation or enhancement of national and international programs to support the development of robust industries by providing appropriate sector-specific incentives, such as political risk and other insurance opportunities, financing, and other support, for— (i) mining and processing critical minerals; (ii) manufacturing of products, components, and materials that are dependent on critical minerals and are essential to consumer technology products or have important national security implications; (iii) building capacities and creating incentives for recovering used, spent, or discarded equipment and consumer goods containing critical minerals to be safely handled and recycled; and (iv) associated transportation needs that are tailored to the handling, movement, and logistics management of critical minerals and products, components, and materials that are dependent on critical minerals; (4) to establish market-based rules for member countries regarding adoption of qualifying tax and other incentives to stimulate investment, as balanced by market-based disciplines to ensure a fair playing field among those countries; (5) to establish recommended best practices to protect— (A) labor rights; (B) the natural environment and ecosystems near critical mineral industrial sites; and (C) safety of communities near critical mineral industrial activities; (6) to advance economic growth in developing countries with critical mineral reserves and capacities for the recovery and recycling of critical minerals, including for the benefit of the citizens of those countries; (7) to establish rules allowing for the establishment of a consortium that is resourced and empowered to bid and compete in acquiring and securing potential deposits of critical minerals in countries that are not members of the coalition described in subsection (a) (in this section referred to as nonmember countries); (8) to establish a mechanism for joint resource mapping with procedures for equitable sharing of information on potential deposits of critical minerals not less frequently than annually; (9) to establish appropriate mechanisms for the recognition and enforcement by a member country of judgments relating to environmental and related harms caused by mining operations within the territory of the member country in contravention of that country’s laws; and (10) to improve supply chain security among member countries by providing for national treatment investment protections among those countries that are equal to, or better than, the standards in the United States model bilateral investment treaty. (c) Congressional consultations required In the course of negotiations described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult closely and on a timely basis with, and keep fully apprised of the negotiations, the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.