The US is considering a law on mines aimed at limiting the control of Russia and China

Republican Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) this week introduced the Mines Exploiting States Surveillance and Investigation Act (MINES) to "hold China and Russia accountable for their efforts to monopolize critical mineral resources around the world, especially in developing countries." countries."

According to the press release, the initial draft of the Mines Act provides the US with "additional tools to assess the growing exploitation of critical minerals in small states by China and Russia."

"Reliable access to critical minerals is essential to America's economic and national security," Calvert said:

"America must see Chinese and Russian aggression clearly when it comes to consolidating critical mineral resources."

“It’s hard to overestimate how strongly Russia and China are building resource supply chains around the world,” said Bruce Westerman, member of the House Committee on Natural Resources (AR-4), one of the sponsors:

“While the Biden administration is blocking sustainable mining here in the US, our adversaries are wasting no time stepping into that void and controlling critical minerals around the world.”

The Mines Act is supported by the American Mining and Mining Association and the American Uranium Producers.

Mines Law:

Annual reports required for the next five years on the role of Russia, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and state-sponsored companies in planning, financing, and exploiting critical minerals in countries on which the United States depends for mineral imports and assessing their national security risks ;
Requires the Department of the Interior, as it conducts a comprehensive assessment of each critical mineral as directed by Congress, to monitor and report the involvement of the CCP or CCP-sponsored companies in the development of critical minerals in Afghanistan; as well as
Grants the United States Geological Survey the authority to update the list of critical minerals more frequently than every three years in response to changing geopolitical conditions. This issue arose because the USGS was unable to update its list of critical minerals to reflect the effects of the war in Ukraine.