Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. OWENS. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment No. 121 that prevents any funds in today's bill from being used to implement recommendations made by the Biden administration's Interagency Working Group on Mining.

This last September, the Working Group released a 168-page report containing 65 different recommendations. There are a few recommendations in this report that were helpful but, unfortunately, the vast majority further undermine, rather than facilitate, our industry and congressional efforts to secure our own domestic mineral supply.

The Biden administration knows and acknowledges that a strong U.S. mining supply chain is critical. They are aware that demand for minerals is skyrocketing, doubling over the last 5 years and will continue to grow. They know that we are dangerously dependent on overseas suppliers, in particular adversaries like China, Russia, and other unstable countries, for minerals that are essential to our economic competitiveness and national security.

Examples of this can be seen in countries like Peru and Chile, which combined produce about 40 percent of the world's supply of copper. Peru has gone through seven Presidents in the last few years. In Chile, the government is now making plans to nationalize the country's lithium supply. Despite acknowledging this as a national security issue, the Biden administration continues to attack our American suppliers with layer, upon layer, upon layer of burdensome, duplicative, and unworkable regulations.

The Biden administration needs to do more than just talk about a strong, stable American economy. They need to act by fostering a strong domestic minerals supply. Unfortunately, they continue to do the opposite by proposing inconsistent, uncoordinated, and insufficient policies that slow our progress to independence through self-imposed barriers.

The recommendations in this report embolden our adversaries and are not beneficial to America. Countries like Australia, Canada, and even the European Union have committed to increase domestic production. All of them have developed long-term strategies to be the global suppliers of choice for minerals. Under this administration, the United States has yet to put together a long-term strategy. Other countries will be competing for the same global mineral supply, at the same time, putting stress on America's ability to source additional volumes outside of our country.

My State of Utah produces large amounts of copper, gold, magnesium, and silver. We are the global leader in beryllium, which is used for aerospace and national security applications. We need to allow these producers to thrive and to do what they do best. It is well known that the United States has a higher standard than any other country when it comes to quality, safety, cleanliness of process and product. We have an opportunity to emerge as a world leader in the mineral mining space. This administration needs to stop standing in our way.

Many of these dangerous report recommendations would only reinforce China as the permanent leader in minerals. This is not good for our country, our economy, our jobs, our industry, and, most importantly, for our national security. We should not, therefore, use Federal funds to administer or enforce these recommendations. Hopefully, the administration will go back to the drawing board and, with an America First mindset, create a durable and sustainable strategy that would actually help our domestic mineral supply chain and the American worker, not the Communist Chinese Government. The risk is far too great when we are already decades behind.

Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. OWENS. Mr. Chair, I think the question is why is it so difficult for us to understand that independence is the American way. Independence is what we have always sought. It is allowing the middle class to grow because it is powered by a strong business segment. It appears that at every turn that is possible. The Biden administration-- and this is a good example of that--finds a way to put more regulations to stifle that ingenuity, that innovation, and our opportunity to become independent.

We have to make sure that we are, in particular with rare-earth minerals, leading the charge and not falling behind and taking advantage of the remarkable wealth we have in this country.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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