00                      CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 177(RES)                                                                    
01 "An Act relating to critical and essential minerals."                                                                   
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
03    * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section                          
04 to read:                                                                                                                
05 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR CRITICAL AND ESSENTIAL MINERALS; REPORT. (a)                                                         
06 It is the intent of the legislature that the state develop a strategy to encourage exploration,                         
07 development, production, refining, and value-added manufacturing of critical and essential                              
08 minerals in the state. When considering mineral economics and development and production                                
09 regulatory frameworks at all levels of government, the strategy must                                                    
10            (1)  position state production of critical and essential minerals at the center of                           
11 production in the United States;                                                                                        
12            (2)  support development of emerging technologies and the manufacturing of                                   
13 the required components; and                                                                                            
14            (3)  consider the effects of different regulatory frameworks on development of                               
15 critical and essential minerals in the state.                                                                           

01 (b)  Not later than the first day of the Second Regular Session of the Thirty-Fourth                                    
02 Alaska State Legislature, the Department of Natural Resources shall provide a report to the                             
03 legislature comparing the state's current production and potential future production to national                        
04 and global production of critical and essential minerals. When determining which minerals are                           
05 critical and essential, the department may rely on the most recent critical minerals lists                              
06 published by the United States Department of Energy and the United States Department of the                             
07 Interior, Geological Survey. When developing the report, the Department of Natural                                      
08 Resources may consult with appropriate state and federal agencies, the University of Alaska,                            
09 industry representatives, Native corporations, and advocacy organizations. The report must                              
10 identify strategies to increase industry exploration for and state production and development                           
11 of critical and essential minerals in the next three, five, and 10 years. The report must                               
12 compare the state's permitting timelines and exploration incentives with the permitting                                 
13 timelines and exploration incentives in other jurisdictions. The commissioner of natural                                
14 resources shall post the report on the department's Internet website and submit the report to                           
15 the senate secretary and chief clerk of the house of representatives and notify the legislature                         
16 that the report is available.                                                                                           
17    * Sec. 2. AS 44.33.431(c) is amended to read:                                                                      
18 (c)  The commission shall make recommendations to the governor and to the                                               
19 legislature on ways to mitigate the constraints, including governmental constraints, on                                 
20 development of minerals, including coal, in the state. The recommendations must                                     
21 also identify strategies to attract industry investment to the state and to increase                                
22 exploration for and discovery of critical and essential minerals. The commission                                    
23 may consult with the University of Alaska and appropriate state and federal                                         
24       agencies when developing the recommendations.