50 U.S.C. § 98g — Materials development and research

(a) Developing mineral sources. (1) The President must scientifically, technologically, and economically investigate how to develop, mine, prepare, treat, and use ores and other minerals that (A) are found in the U.S., its territories, or a “reliable source” country, (B) are essential for national defense, industry, and everyday civilian needs, and (C) exist in known domestic sources but not in enough quantity or quality. (2) These investigations aim to find new sources of strategic and critical materials, develop substitutes, or conserve existing domestic and reliable-source supplies. (3) These investigations can happen on public lands, and — with the owner's consent — on private land, to explore and measure mineral deposits, find the best mining and processing methods, and estimate production costs. (b) The President must also investigate the feasibility of developing domestic sources of agricultural materials, or of using farm commodities to manufacture a material determined under section 98b(a) to be strategic and critical, or its substitutes. (c) The President must investigate the feasibility of (1) developing domestic sources for other strategic and critical materials (not covered by subsections (a) or (b)), and (2) using alternative methods to refine or process a stockpile material to make it more useful in an emergency or for storage. (d) The President must encourage conserving domestic sources of strategic and critical materials by giving grants or contracts for research into (1) substitutes for the material, or (2) more efficient ways to produce or use it.