http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken joined 15 of their colleagues Tuesday introducing legislation to encourage mining of “critical minerals” across the U.S.
The Minnesota Democrats joined senators on both sides of the aisle, all from mining states, on the bill called the “Critical Minerals policy Act of 2013.”
The Senate bill requires the Interior Secretary to maintain a list of 20 minerals and elements designated as critical to the nation. It would amend the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 to establish a method of tracking and forecasting the nation’s “critical mineral demand, supply and other market dynamics” to allow “informed actions to be taken to avoid supply shortages, mitigate price volatility and prepare for demand growth and other market shifts.”
The 40-page bill stops short of identifying what specific critical minerals might be. Klobuchar said her support comes from doing what is best for the state and country regarding the mineral supply.