H.R. 9740: Critical Materials Processing Technology Testbed Act

This bill would direct the Department of Energy to create a Critical Materials Processing Technology Testbed, which would be a federally supported research and demonstration program focused on improving how critical materials are processed. Critical materials are substances the United States considers important and potentially supply-constrained, including materials already defined that way under existing law and certain strategic minerals identified by the Department of Defense.

What the testbed would do

The Energy Secretary, working with other federal agencies, would set up the testbed through a competitive, merit-based process. The testbed would be designed to support:

• research and development of new critical materials processing technologies;
• demonstration projects to show those technologies can work in practice; and
• performance testing on feedstock materials at a scalable level.

The Secretary could create the testbed at one location or across multiple sites, depending on what is needed.

Priority areas

The bill says the testbed should focus on ways to improve materials processing, including by:

• using less energy;
• reducing pollution;
• using less water;
• reducing broader environmental and social impacts;
• lowering overall costs over a product’s life cycle;
• improving recovery rates for materials;
• developing methods beyond traditional thermal or pyrochemical techniques;
• reducing waste volume and toxicity;
• reducing noise;
• improving worker safety; and
• creating processing methods that can work with a wide variety of material sources.

How long it would run

The testbed would be funded for up to five years at a time, depending on whether Congress provides money. After that, the Energy Secretary could renew support for additional five-year periods if the program passes another merit review.

Commercialization and intellectual property

The bill requires the Energy Department to help move successful research results from the testbed into industry. It also says the intellectual property and economic value created through the testbed’s work should remain in the United States.

Coordination with other agencies

The bill would require the Energy Department to consult with the Environmental Protection Agency so the testbed’s goals line up with applicable laws, regulations, and environmental justice priorities. It would also require coordination with national labs, universities, other federal agencies, industry, nonprofits, and other relevant groups to avoid duplicating work.

Funding

The bill authorizes:

• $150 million for fiscal year 2027 to establish the testbed; and
• $25 million per year for fiscal years 2028 through 2031 to operate it.

The Secretary could require non-federal cost-sharing for some research, development, or demonstration activities, except for projects conducted by national laboratories.

Relevant Companies

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