Niocorp Developments Ltd (NB)

[Revello]

Previous GAO Reports to Congress on Rare Earth Materials, including Scandium

GAO Report No. 16-161.
GAO issued a report in February 2016 to the Armed Services Committees, titled "Rare Earth Materials: Developing a Comprehensive Approach Could Help DoD Better Manage National Security Risks in the Supply Chain". In that report, GAO canvassed several offices within DoD on what they identified as "critical" of the 17 rare earth materials. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) identified Scandium as critical in 2013, but not in 2011 or 2015. The Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) and Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy Report did not designate Scandium as a critical rare earth for DoD's needs.
Link: http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/675165.pdf

GAO Report No. 16-699.
GAO issued a report in September 2016 to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, titled "Advanced Technologies: Strengthened Federal Approach Needed to Help Identify and Mitigate Supply Risks for Critical Raw Materials." In that report (see Table 5, Results of Selected Critical Materials Assessments for U.S. Economic and National Security Interests), only one agency (National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine) designated Scandium as "critical", and that was in 2008. The other polled agencies, Department of Energy (in 2010 and 2011), DoD (in 2015), and National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Critical and Strategic Mineral Supply Chains (in 2016), did not find/designate Scandium as "critical". Note that the latter (National Science and Technology Council) found 16 of the 17 rare earth materials as "critical" -- the lone exception (not critical) was Scandium.
Link: http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/679577.pdf

Somewhat older -- Section 843 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 stated:

Public Law 111-84, NDAA FY 2010
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ84/pdf/PLAW-111publ84.pdf

SEC. 843. REPORT ON RARE EARTH MATERIALS IN THE DEFENSE SUPPLY CHAIN. (a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than April 1, 2010, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on rare earth materials in the supply chain of the Department of Defense.
(b) MATTERS ADDRESSED.—The report required by subsection (a) shall address, at a minimum, the following:
(1) An analysis of the current and projected domestic and worldwide availability of rare earths for use in defense systems, including an analysis of projected availability of these materials in the export market.
(2) An analysis of actions or events outside the control of the Government of the United States that could restrict the access of the Department of Defense to rare earth materials, such as past procurements and attempted procurements of rare earth mines and mineral rights.
(3) A determination as to which defense systems are currently dependent on, or projected to become dependent on, rare earth materials, particularly neodymium iron boron magnets, whose supply could be restricted—
(A) by actions or events identified pursuant to paragraph (2); or
(B) by other actions or events outside the control of the Government of the United States.
(4) The risk to national security, if any, of the dependencies (current or projected) identified pursuant to paragraph (3).
(5) Any steps that the Department of Defense has taken or is planning to take to address any such risk to national security.
(6) Such recommendations for further action to address the matters covered by the report as the Comptroller General considers appropriate.
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) The term ‘‘rare earth’’ means the chemical elements, all metals, beginning with lanthanum, atomic number 57, and including all of the natural chemical elements in the periodic table following lanthanum up to and including lutetium, element number 71. The term also includes the elements yttrium and scandium.
(2) The term ‘‘rare earth material’’ includes rare earth ores, semi-finished rare earth products, and components containing rare earth materials.


In response to section 843, the GAO report (on behalf of the Comptroller) provided its report to the Armed Services Committees in April 2010. It primarily consisted of slides GAO used to do an earlier briefing. You can read them at the link below. The report is titled "Rare Earth Materials in the Defense Supply Chain".

http://www.gao.gov/assets/100/96654.pdf