PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The Secretary must work with federal, state, local, and private groups to make sure the mining and mineral programs add to, not duplicate, existing research. The Secretary must push research in neglected areas, respect the environment, and share reports and information about projects so the public can see completed, ongoing, and planned work. Any institute that gets grant money must make results, products, processes, and patents available to the public quickly, except for narrow limits the Secretary can allow for the public interest. Patentable inventions follow Public Law 96–517, and owners keep rights to any earlier patents they already have. Other federal agencies keep their own research authority and are not placed under the Secretary’s control. The law authorizes $450,000 to the Secretary for each fiscal year ending September 30, 1990, through September 30, 1994, to run this program. It also allows printing and publishing funds as needed for institute results, but not more than $550,000 in any one fiscal year.

Title 30, §1226

Mineral Lands and Mining, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Coordination with existing programs; availability of information to public

The Secretary shall obtain the continuing advice and cooperation of all agencies of the Federal Government concerned with mining and mineral resources, of State and local governments, and of private institutions and individuals to assure that the programs authorized by this subchapter will supplement and not be redundant with respect to established mining and minerals research programs, and to stimulate research in otherwise neglected areas, and to contribute to a comprehensive nationwide program of mining and minerals research, with due regard for the protection and conservation of the environment. The Secretary shall make generally available information and reports on projects completed, in progress, or planned under the provisions of this subchapter, in addition to any direct publication of information by the institutes themselves.

(b)Effect on Federal agencies

Nothing in this subchapter is intended to give or shall be construed as giving the Secretary any authority over mining and mineral resources research conducted by any agency of the Federal Government, or as repealing or diminishing existing authorities or responsibilities of any agency of the Federal Government to plan and conduct, contract for, or assist in research in its area of responsibility and concern with regard to mining and mineral resources.

(c)Availability of results to public

No research, demonstration, or experiment shall be carried out under this subchapter by an institute financed by grants under this subchapter, unless all uses, products, processes, patents, and other developments resulting therefrom, with such exception or limitation, if any, as the Secretary may find necessary in the public interest, are made available promptly to the general public. Patentable inventions shall be governed by the provisions of Public Law 96–517. Nothing contained in this section shall deprive the owner of any background patent relating to any such activities of any rights which that owner may have under that patent.

(d)Authorization of appropriations

(1)There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $450,000 for each of the fiscal years ending September 30, 1990, through September 30, 1994, to administer this subchapter. No funds may be withheld by the Secretary for administrative expenses from those authorized to be appropriated by section 1221 and 1222 of this title.

(2)There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary for the printing and publishing of the results of activities carried out by institutes and generic mineral technology centers under this subchapter, but such appropriations shall not exceed $550,000 in any single fiscal year.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Public Law 96–517, referred to in subsec. (c), is Pub. L. 96–517, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 3015. section 6(a) of Pub. L. 96–517, relating to patent rights in inventions made with Federal assistance, is classified to chapter 18 (§ 200 et seq.) of Title 35, Patents. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Codification Section was enacted as part of the Mining and Mineral Resources Research Institute Act of 1984, and not as part of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 which comprises this chapter.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 1226, Pub. L. 95–87, title III, § 306, Aug. 3, 1977, 91 Stat. 454, contained provisions similar to this section covering fiscal years 1978 through 1984.

Amendments

1988—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–483 amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: “There are authorized to be appropriated after September 30, 1984, such sums as are necessary for the printing and publishing of the results of activities carried out by institutes under this subchapter and for administrative planning and direction, but such appropriations shall not exceed $1,000,000 in any single fiscal year.”

§1226 Research