Senators Coons, Sheehy introduce bipartisan STRATA Act to strengthen critical minerals supply chains

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the Strategic Technology and Resilient Alliances (STRATA) Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen U.S. and allied critical minerals supply chains by accelerating innovation and developing new technologies at every stage of mining and refining critical minerals. Representatives Young Kim (R-Calif.) and Ami Bera (D-Calif.) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. “China’s critical mineral dominance poses a challenge the U.S. cannot address through traditional mining and processing alone,” said Senator Coons . “The STRATA Act would use America’s advantages in innovation and our strong ties with partners and allies around the world to secure our critical mineral infrastructure. By working with our allies to advance new technologies, build technical capacity, and strengthen supply chains, we can expand access to critical minerals and protect our national security.” “America is a nation of innovation. As we race to counter China’s dominance of critical minerals and secure our supply chain, we must maintain our competitive edge with new technological advances that can expedite the delivery of new critical mineral sources, reduce our dependency on foreign adversaries, and protect our national security,” said Senator Sheehy .“The STRATA Act will accelerate breakthroughs in extraction, processing, recycling, recovery, and advanced materials, working with our allies to build resilient supply chains and keep America at the forefront of critical-minerals innovation.” “The Chinese Communist Party has spent decades cornering the market on critical minerals and using supply chains as a tool of economic coercion,” said Rep. Kim . “We cannot wait another moment to address this challenge. The STRATA Act plays to America’s greatest strengths: innovation and our strong alliances. By launching a Critical Mineral Innovation Initiative at the State Department, sharing technology with allies, and expanding domestic recycling, we will build a secure supply chain faster and smarter. I’m proud to partner with Senator Coons in the Senate to get this bill signed into law, because economic security is national security, and the STRATA Act delivers both.” Critical minerals are essential to advanced technologies, energy infrastructure, semiconductors, and defense systems, but critical minerals supply chains remain heavily concentrated in China. The United States has made significant investments in expanding domestic mining and processing, including recent federal investments in new mining technologies, mineral recovery, and processing capacity. The STRATA Act would complement those efforts by making innovation and international collaboration a central part of the U.S. critical minerals strategy. The legislation would establish formal partnerships with trusted allies to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced extraction and processing technologies, mineral substitution, recycling, recovery from waste streams, and new materials. The STRATA Act would: Establish a Critical Minerals Innovation Partnership Program at the State Department to coordinate U.S. and allied strategies, develop joint research and innovation initiatives, and support partnerships with universities, national laboratories, nonprofits, and industry Create International Centers of Excellence at academic institutions to advance research, technical assistance, workforce development, and long-term partnerships across the critical minerals supply chain Launch a public digital platform serving as a centralized clearinghouse for funding opportunities, solicitations, and collaborative research, while creating pathways for startups and emerging companies to participate Connect innovation to commercialization and national security by coordinating with federal agencies, financing institutions, the National Science and Technology Council, and the National Defense Technology and Industrial Base Council to help move promising technologies from research and development ultimately into deployment Strengthen supply chain safeguards and transparency by establishing standards for data security, sensitive technologies, supply chain transparency, monitoring, and verification, while limiting participation by countries and entities of concern Build long-term allied capacity through technical assistance, joint research, shared infrastructure, and cooperation on environmental, labor, and human rights standards The STRATA Act would authorize these partnerships for 10 years and require congressional notification before establishing new partnerships. The legislation would also prohibit partnerships with countries of concern and entities of concern. “The STRATA Act represents forward-thinking policy that the United States needs to maintain its technological edge and its leadership on science diplomacy,” said Daniel Correa, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of American Scientists . “Structured partnerships with our allies on critical minerals innovation can ensure that the best science and the best talent are working together towards shared security and economic prosperity.” “Engaging earlier and in-depth on critical technologies that will shape our collective futures is a statecraft imperative for liberal democracies globally. I’m delighted to see this Committee and the Legislative Branch recognizing and acting to drive a leadership role for the US and the DoS.  Now is absolutely the time!” said Dawn Meyerriecks, former director of the Directorate of Science and Technology at the Central Intelligence Agency . “Increasing the legibility of existing investments, agreements, and supplies of critical minerals can surface information for policymakers and private investors focused on securing supply chains,” said Joshua Levine, director, Technology & Statecraft, Foundation for American Innovation (*affiliation for identification only) . “STRATA works to do this, within a defined timeline, and should be seen as a positive step toward loosening chokepoints for inputs critical to American innovation and next-generation technologies.” “STRATA is a well-timed and strongly bipartisan effort to tackle one of the most important national security challenges of the day — how to ensure that the growing demand for critical minerals to power our defense systems, energy transition and the infrastructure to support America’s lead in the AI revolution does not strengthen China’s already strong position in these supply chains,” said Geoff Pyatt, Ambassador (ret.), senior managing director of Energy and Critical Minerals at McLarty Associates . “The State Department — and the energy security team that I was honored to lead — has worked closely with the Congressional foreign affairs leadership to make sure that America’s national security toolkit is fit for purpose on these issues. And China has already demonstrated in repeated instances its willingness to weaponize its market dominance in these sectors for strategic advantage. I applaud Senator Coons and his Senate colleagues for focusing SFRC attention on this critical line of effort.” “America and our allies have the ingenuity and industrial base to lead the world in critical minerals mining and processing,” said ClearPath Action CEO Jeremy Harrell . “The STRATA Act puts these advantages to work and funds the joint research needed to surpass China and secure the supply chain that next-generation energy technologies rely on.” “The STRATA Act takes a smart, forward-looking approach to securing the critical minerals our economy depends on, investing in the researchers and entrepreneurs developing new ways to produce, recycle, and replace these materials. NAIA supports this bill and thanks Senators Coons and Sheehy for their leadership,” said a representative from the New American Industrial Alliance . Read the full text of the STRATA Act here . Read a summary of the STRATA Act here .