National Defense Stockpile

50 U.S.C. § 98b

• Title: 50 — War and National Defense
• Chapter: SUBCHAPTER III—ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC RAW MATERIALS

Text

(a) Determination of materials; quantities
Subject to subsection (c), the President shall determine from time to time (1) which materials are strategic and critical materials for the purposes of this subchapter, and (2) the quality and quantity of each such material to be acquired for the purposes of this subchapter and the form in which each such material shall be acquired and stored. Such materials when acquired, together with the other materials described in section 98c of this title, shall constitute and be collectively known as the National Defense Stockpile (hereinafter in this subchapter referred to as the "stockpile").
(b) Guidelines for exercise of Presidential authority
The President shall make the determinations required to be made under subsection (a) on the basis of the principles stated in section 98a(c) of this title.
(c) Quantity change; notification to Congress
(1) The quantity of any material to be stockpiled under this subchapter, as in effect on September 30, 1987, may be changed only as provided in this subsection or as otherwise provided by law enacted after December 4, 1987.
(2) The President shall notify Congress in writing of any increase proposed to be made in the quantity of any material to be stockpiled that involves the acquisition of additional materials for the stockpile. The President may make the increase after the end of the 30-day period beginning on the date of the notification. The President shall include a full explanation and justification for the proposed increase with the notification.

History

(June 7, 1939, ch. 190, §3, as added Pub. L. 96–41, §2(a), July 30, 1979, 93 Stat. 319; amended Pub. L. 100–180, div. C, title II, §3202(a), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1245; Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title XII, §1233(b)(2), Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 2057; Pub. L. 102–484, div. C, title XXXIII, §3311, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2653; Pub. L. 104–201, div. C, title XXXIII, §3312(a), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2857; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title XIV, §1412(b), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2872.)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions
A prior section 98b, acts June 7, 1939, ch. 190, §3, 53 Stat. 811; July 23, 1946, ch. 590, 60 Stat. 597; Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 753, title I, §§102, 121, 60 Stat. 815, 822; June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title I, §102(a), 63 Stat. 380; 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 3, §2(b), eff. June 12, 1953, 18 F.R. 3375, 67 Stat. 634; 1958 Reorg. Plan No. 1, §2, eff. July 1, 1958, 23 F.R. 4991, 72 Stat. 1799; Oct. 21, 1968, Pub. L. 90–608, §402, 82 Stat. 1194; Ex. Ord. No. 11725, §3, eff. June 29, 1973, 38 F.R. 17175, related to purchase, storage, refinement, rotation, and disposal of materials, prior to repeal by section 2(a) of Pub. L. 96–41. See section 98e of this title.
Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in former section 98a of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 96–41.

Amendments
2022—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 117–263, in first sentence, substituted "The President shall notify Congress in writing of any increase proposed to be made in the quantity of any material to be stockpiled that involves the acquisition of additional materials for the stockpile." for "The President shall notify Congress in writing of any change proposed to be made in the quantity of any material to be stockpiled.", in second sentence, substituted "the increase after the end of the 30-day period" for "the change after the end of the 45-day period" and, in third sentence, substituted "increase" for "change".
1996—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 104–201 substituted "after the end of the 45-day period beginning on" for "effective on or after the 30th legislative day following" and struck out at end "For purposes of this paragraph, a legislative day is a day on which both Houses of Congress are in session."
1992—Subsec. (c)(2) to (5). Pub. L. 102–484 added par. (2) and struck out former pars. (2) to (5) which read as follows:
"(2) If the President proposes to change the quantity of any material to be stockpiled under this subchapter, the President shall include a full explanation and justification for the change in the next annual material plan submitted to Congress under section 98h–2(b) of this title.
"(3) If the proposed change in the case of any material would result in a new requirement for the quantity of such material different from the requirement for that material in effect on September 30, 1987, by less than 10 percent, the change may be made by the President effective on or after the first day of the first fiscal year beginning after the explanation and justification for the proposed change is submitted pursuant to paragraph (2).
"(4) In the case of a proposed change not covered by paragraph (3), the proposed change may be made only to the extent expressly authorized by law.
"(5) If in any year the reports required by sections 98h–2(b) and 98h–5 of this title are not submitted to Congress as required by law (including the time for such submission), then during the next fiscal year no change under paragraph (3) may be made in the quantity of any material to be stockpiled under this subchapter."
1988—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 100–456 substituted "December 4, 1987" for "the date of the enactment of the National Defense Stockpile Amendments of 1987", which for purposes of codification had been translated as "December 4, 1987", thus requiring no change in text.
1987—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–180, §3202(a)(1), substituted "Subject to subsection (c), the" for "The".
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–180, §3202(a)(2), substituted "the principles stated in section 98a(c) of this title." for "the following principles:" and struck out cls. (1) and (2) which related to purpose of National Defense Stockpile and quantities of materials stockpiled.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–180, §3202(a)(3), added subsec. (c) and struck out former subsec. (c) which read as follows: "The quantity of any material to be stockpiled under this subchapter, as determined under subsection (a), may not be revised unless the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives are notified in writing of the proposed revision and the reasons for such revision at least thirty days before the effective date of such revision."

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Consultations With Respect to Environmental Reviews of Projects That Will Increase Availability of Strategic and Critical Materials for Acquisition for National Defense Stockpile
Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title XIV, §1412, Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2128, provided that:
"(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense shall consult with the head of any agency responsible for the development of an environmental document for a project that will result in an increase in the availability of strategic and critical materials for acquisition for the Stockpile.
"(b) Definitions.—In this section:
"(1) Agency.—The term 'agency' has the meaning given such term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
"(2) Environmental document.—The term 'environmental document' has the meaning given that term in section 111 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4336e).
"(3) Stockpile.—The term 'Stockpile' means the National Defense Stockpile established under section 3 of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98b).
"(4) Strategic and critical materials.—The term 'strategic and critical materials' means materials, including rare earth elements, that are necessary to meet national defense and national security requirements, including requirements relating to supply chain resiliency, and for the economic security of the United States."

Executive Documents

Delegation of Functions
Functions of the President under this section were delegated to the Secretary of Defense by section 1 of Ex. Ord. No. 12636, Feb. 25, 1988, 53 F.R. 6114, set out under section 98 of this title.