The Unearth Innovation Act would create a new Mineral and Mining Innovation Initiative inside the Department of Energy (DOE). Its goal is to advance domestic mineral resources, economic growth, and national security by supporting research, development, deployment, and commercialization of advanced mining technologies and practices. The initiative emphasizes responsible mining, environmental performance, workforce training, data sharing, and community engagement, while coordinating safety and reclamation activities with existing federal agencies. The bill also envisions collaboration with Indian Tribes, mining universities, national laboratories, industry, and other partners, and requires periodic reevaluation of its research priorities. It authorizes $100 million per year from 2026 through 2035 to fund these activities and requires a Congress-report within three years. In short, the act aims to expand U.S. leadership in mining technology and resource discovery, improve environmental and safety outcomes, and strengthen domestic supply chains for critical minerals through federal funding and cross-agency collaboration.
Key Points
- 1Establishment and purpose
- 2- Creates a Mineral and Mining Innovation Initiative within the DOE (to be set up within 180 days) to develop and deploy technologies for identifying, mining, processing, recycling, and reprocessing minerals needed in multiple industries.
- 3- Focuses on responsible mining, reducing environmental impacts, improving efficiency, and increasing social acceptance and community engagement.
- 4Duties and scope of work
- 5- DOE, working with the Interior Department, will identify, study, test, and demonstrate technologies for hard rock mining, unconventional mineral recovery, refining, and processing.
- 6- Areas targeted include resource identification and mapping, environmental performance (air/water, energy use, waste), productivity, data analytics, mine safety, reclamation, and reuse of products containing critical minerals.
- 7Research priorities and areas of focus
- 8- Explores mineral exploration tech (geophysical/geochemical surveys, uncrewed platforms, core analysis, waste characterization).
- 9- Advances production, remediation, and closure tech (drilling, extraction, digital mining, in-situ recovery, processing methods, and tailings management).
- 10- Emphasizes recycling technologies (including battery recycling) and social acceptance (community perspectives, engagement, and agreements with communities and Tribes).
- 11- Defines broader research areas for ongoing work and potential adjustments over time.
- 12Coordination and collaboration
- 13- Requires coordination with Interior, leveraging existing federal mineral research, engaging with industry, academia (including mining universities), Tribes, and NGOs.
- 14- Supports cooperative agreements and prioritizes academic partnerships, including mining universities.
- 15Oversight, reporting, and funding
- 16- Not less than every 5 years, reevaluate priorities with Tribes, academic institutions, national labs, and industry.
- 17- A report to Congress due within 3 years describing the results of the initiative’s duties.
- 18- Authorization of appropriations of $100 million per fiscal year from 2026 to 2035, available until expended.