1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rare Earth Cooperative 21st Century Manufacturing Act or the RE-Coop 21st Century Manufacturing Act . 2. Findings; statement of policy (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Rare earth elements are critical for advanced energy technologies, national defense, and other commercial and industrial applications. (2) The People’s Republic of China (referred to in this subsection as China ) has leveraged its monopoly control over the rare earth value chain to force corporations from the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea to transfer manufacturing facilities, technology, and jobs to China in exchange for secure supply contracts. (3) The increasingly aggressive mercantile behavior of China has led to involuntary transfers of technology, manufacturing, and jobs, which has resulted in onerous trade imbalances with the United States and trading partners of the United States. (4) The Comptroller General of the United States has confirmed that the monopoly control of China over the rare earth value chain has resulted in vulnerabilities in the procurement of multiple United States weapons systems. (5) Direct links exist between rare earth mineralogy and thorium. (6) Thorium is a radioactive element commonly associated with the lanthanide elements in most rare earth deposits located in the United States and elsewhere. (7) Regulations regarding thorium represent a barrier to the development of a rare earth industry that is based in the United States. (8) Meeting the strategic national interest objectives of the United States and economic and environmental goals are best achieved through the creation of a rare earth cooperative. (9) A rare earth cooperative could— (A) greatly increase the production of rare earth elements; (B) ensure environmental safety