# H.R. 3617 (119th): Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act

Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to secure the supply of critical energy resources that are essential to the energy security of the United States. A critical energy resource means an energy resource (1) that is essential to the energy sector and energy systems of the United States, and (2) the supply chain of which is vulnerable to disruption. As part of its duties, DOE must conduct ongoing assessments of energy resource criticality, the U.S. supply chain of critical energy resources and its vulnerabilities, the diversity of domestic critical energy resource supply chains, capacity constraints on the domestic production of critical energy resources, federal regulations affecting the domestic production or importation of critical energy resources, how energy security is affected by reliance on imports of critical energy resources, and how adversarial nations seek to exploit critical energy resource markets to undermine investment in the United States. DOE must also facilitate the development of strategies to strengthen critical energy resource supply chains, develop substitutes and alternatives to critical energy resources, and improve technology that reuses and recycles critical energy resources.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: critical_minerals. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: domestic_production. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: energy_security. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: industrial_policy. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: national_security. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: recycling_and_substitutes. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: resource_independence. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: resource_policy. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: supply_chain. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: supply_chain_security. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 63: On Motion to Recommit. Vote type: recommit.
Roll 64: On Passage. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill pursues ordinary prudential goods (energy security, supply-chain resilience, assessment, recycling, and substitution) without directly advancing moral harm or directly restraining a named evil. It does not fund abortion, war, surveillance, or similar grave concerns on its face. Reasonable disagreement exists over the degree of federal planning, regulatory influence, and industrial policy involved, so the classification is mixed rather than good or evil. The existing 'unclear' rating is too conservative given that the summary supplies enough to make a prudent high-level judgment.
Theological note: Stewardship of creation and the provision of energy and materials for common good bear on this measure, since reliable access to needed resources serves human flourishing. Its main concerns are prudential: national energy security, supply-chain resilience, and reducing vulnerability to foreign manipulation. Scripture gives no direct verdict on this kind of industrial and resource policy, so the relevant questions are whether assessments and strategies serve the common good, whether they respect lawful commerce and fair dealing, and whether government planning stays within its proper limits.

## Recorded votes

Roll 63: On Motion to Recommit. Yea 214 · Nay 215 · Other 3.
Roll 64: On Passage. Yea 223 · Nay 206 · Other 3.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-3617-119/